The Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) invites applications for power user (PU) positions. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Please follow the guidelines and instructions below when applying.

I. PU Scheme

1. Eligibility Requirements

Eligible individuals are those who have a thorough knowledge of public beamlines and measurement techniques, and those who are expected to contribute to developing academic fields of SR science and technology. In addition, successful applicants will be required to comply with all the following program requirements:
a) Aim to produce high-quality results in the field of cutting-edge SR research,
b) Develop and upgrade experimental stations (and provide BL staff with technical support and advice for this purpose),
c) Open new research fields, acquire new users, and provide user support.

2. PU Activities

2.1 PU Proposal
To fulfill the program requirement a) above, PUs can carry out PU proposals during the specified period. A maximum beamtime available to one PU proposal is 20% of the total shifts (8 hours/shift) allocated to each beamline. Note that only non-proprietary research can be performed.

2.2 Development/Upgrading of Experimental Stations and User Support
To fulfill the requirements b) and c), PUs are expected to engage in their individual development/upgrading of the experimental station(s) while providing BL staff with technical support and advice. As for user support, PUs are required to provide help and support to experiments carried out by the users from closely related fields on measurement techniques and data analyses.

3. Designation Period and Available Beamlines

3.1 Designation Period
Generally, the designation period is five years. If you wish to be on the list of power users for FY2012 starting from April 2012, please apply this time.

Power users are subject to an interim review of research achievements, equipment development and user support by the Power User Review Committee at the end of the third year and whether to continue or discontinue the power user status is determined. When the designation period is completed, a post implementation review is conducted by the Power User Review Committee. Please note that you will be requested to submit activity reports for the interim and post implementation reviews in addition to experiment reports required at the end of each half-year research term.

3.2 Available BLs
All 26 pubic beamlines are available to PUs performing PU activities outlined in 2. PU Activities. For the specifications and status of experimental stations, please check with the Beamline List.

4. Support for PUs

Currently, JASRI provides the following support for PUs performing PU activities¹ (see 2. PU Activities); at this point, however, it is uncertain if we will be able to obtain the necessary funding for FY2012. Details will become available after passage of the budget for FY2012.

- Domestic travel and SPring-8 Guest House lodging expenses necessary for the conduct of PU proposals, PUs' individual development/upgrading of the experimental station(s), and support for users². Note that there is a limit to the number of PU group members eligible for the support.
- User fees: fixed fee (10,300 yen/shift) and variable fee necessary for the conduct of PU proposals and for the development/upgrading of the experimental station(s).

¹ Collaborative research with the BL users will not be regarded as PU activities.
² PU group members and JASRI staff registered as project team leaders/members will not be regarded as "users."

[Important]
- There will be no support provided for PU group experiments by the BL Scientist of JASRI.

5. Report Submission

5.1 Experiment Summary Report (PU Proposal)
Please submit a "SPring-8 Experiment Summary Report" online within 60 days of the completion of the experiment. Two weeks after the deadline for all experiment summary report submissions (60 days + two weeks after the end of each half-year research term), the submitted experiment summary reports will be incorporated into the experiment summary report database with search capabilities and made available to the public on the User Information Website.

5.2 Power User Activity Report (Development/Upgrading of Experimental Stations and User Support)
Please submit an activity report for each half-year research term within 60 days of the end of the research term.

6. Dissemination of Research Results

[Within three years from the end of each half-year research period]
Publish your research results in refereed journals or equivalent, in which the proposal number is specified, and register the published works with the Publications Database within three years after the end of the research term. If the proposed research did not result in a publication, please submit a SPring-8 Research Report. For details, please refer to 1.5 Matters of Particular Importance of the "Call for 2011B SPring-8 Research Proposals -Overview-."

Publications Database:
User Information Website > Log in to My Page > Application/Reporting > After Experiment > Publications Entry

One publication is required for one proposal as a general rule. If it is necessary to carry out two or more proposals to publish one paper and when it is deemed appropriate to do so, an exception will be made. In such cases, the three-year deadline is counted from the end of the first research term.

[Every year]
Make a poster presentation at the SPring-8 Conference, which is held once a year.

[Upon completion of the 5-year designation period]
Submit a Power User Report, which will be published in a quarterly online magazine published by the JASRI, SPring-8 Information.

[On an as-needed basis]
Register your results when they are published.

II. Application Guidelines

1. Application Method

Please contact the SPring-8 Users Office first and have your account activated for online application from the User Information Website.

It is possible that the web browser crashes while working on an application, so you are strongly encouraged to draft your application offline first using a MS Word template.

To prepare your application, please follow the Instructions on How to Fill out Online Application Form.

2. Submission Deadline

Thursday, October 20, 2011, 10:00 am (Japan time)

To avoid last minute technical problems and possible network congestion caused by heavy traffic, you are strongly encouraged to complete and submit your application well in advance of the deadline. If you have trouble completing/submitting your application online, please contact the SPring-8 Users Office before the deadline.

Upon successful submission, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of Agreement (Rules for Users) in PDF format attached to it. If you do not receive a confirmation email, you should assume your proposal has not been submitted successfully, in which case you should return to the "Proposal Application Top Page" and see if the proposal is listed in the "Submitted" section.

3. Screening of Applicants

After the submission deadline, all submitted applications will be assessed against the eligibility requirements, and shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.

The interview (30-min presentation followed by a 30-min question-and-answer session) is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15, 2011; please prepare your presentation on your power user proposal, development/upgrading of beamline, and user support well in advance.

4. Notification of Review Results

Applicants will be notified of the results of the screening and interview in writing. The current schedule is as follows.

Result of the screening: Wednesday, November 2, 2011.
(Only those selected for an interview will be notified of the time for the interview.)

Result of the interview: Early December 2011.

Contact:

Fumiko KUWANO
SPring-8 Users Office/User Administration Division, JASRI
1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun
Hyogo 679-5198 Japan
email: sp8jasri@spring8.or.jp