PhD position in experimental femtosecond laser physics and condensed matter physics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is one of Uppsala University's largest with almost 400 employees, of which about 125 are doctoral students. The department conducts world-class research and education in both theoretical and experimental physics and has extensive collaboration with the outside world. The FREIA Laboratory, a Division of the Department, is developing and testing new particle accelerator and detector. The research and development work are closely linked to major research infrastructure projects like ESS and MAX IV in Lund or the European XFEL in Hamburg. FREIA has around 30 employees, including researchers, engineers and PhD students. More information on our websites: www.physics.uu.se and www.physics.uu.se/research/freia-lab/

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Description of the project
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is strengthening its research focus on ultrafast x-ray science with large-scale x-ray free electron laser (XFEL) facilities such as European XFEL and laboratory-based femtosecond laser sources. Within this effort FREIA is building a new femtosecond laser laboratory for performing cutting-edge experiments in the field of material science. Techniques such as time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (tr-ARPES) will be used to get new insight into properties of non-equilibrium systems and deeper understanding transient physical phenomena including light-induced superconductivity, ultrafast charge transfer and low-dimensional material characterization. We are currently implementing experiments using the mid-infra-red (MIR) to extreme ultraviolet (XUV) region of the electromagnetic spectrum, complementary to that accessible at other XFEL facilities.

The objective of the PhD is twofold:

1. to perform experiments in the field of material science in collaboration with experienced researchers;
2. to implement the required experimental techniques and methods at the FREIA fs laser laboratory and large-scale facilities together with scientific staff.

The successful candidate will work in a team of experienced researchers and scientific staff and will acquire skills including operating state-of-the-art laser fs lasers, spectrally-tunable laser systems, development of new fs light sources including the UV and XUV sources, design, development, and maintenance of ultra-high-vacuum vacuum equipment, photoemission electron spectroscopy experiments. Hence, we are looking for a highly-motivated candidate who has an excellent record of studies and a broad background in physics.

Duties
The successful candidate will devote most of the time to research studies, which implies participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%). The position will be extended with the time devoted to teaching to allow four years of full-time graduate studies.

Research studies will include:

• Participation in setting up fs laser sources and developing sample environments
• Daily hands-on work in a laser laboratory, installation and commissioning of new equipment, development of control software
• Planning and performing experiments using the laser system and endstations
• Participating in experiments at large-scale XFEL facilities
• Documentation of ongoing work and systematic update of a lab journal
• Writing of academic articles and technical reports
• Active participation in group meeting and presentation of well-documented results

Requirements

• Master's degree in physics, technical physics or equivalent
• Solid understanding of wave optics
• Knowledge of basic laser physics and fundamentals of nonlinear optics
• Successful studies in condensed matter physics or chemistry
• Skills in high-quality academic writing
• Capability to express yourself in a clear, structured and to the point manner
• Capability of preparing clear and concise summaries of ongoing work
• Ability to document the workflow in a way that is searchable and easy to understand for other group members
• Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English

Additional qualifications

• Programming and data analysis (e.g. Python, Matlab)
• Hardware programming (LabVIEW, etc.)
• Excellent grades from the second-cycle education are a merit

The application
The application must contain the following documents in the following order:

• A letter why the candidate is interested and suitable for the advertised position (1-2 pages).
• A CV (1 page).
• A letter describing research interests and previous experience (1-2 pages).
• Copies of diplomas and grades. Enter the average grade for bachelor's and master's studies as a percentage.
• A master's thesis (or a draft there of).
• A selection of academic writing in English. This can be an extract from a thesis.
• Contact details for two references.
• Other documents to which the applicant wishes to refer.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as soon as possible, or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Professor Hermann Dürr (hermann.durr@physics.uu.se), Associate Professor Vitaliy Goryashko (vitaliy.goryashko@physics.uu.se), and Ruslan Chulkov, PhD (ruslan.chulkov@physics.uu.se)

Please submit your application by 31 August 2022, UFV-PA 2022/2882

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