PhD student in Physics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

PhD student in Physics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy has close to 400 employees, of which 100 are PhD students, and our research and education covers a wide range of physical topics. We offer participation in nationally and internationally leading projects for researchers, as well as opportunities for industrial partnerships and various outreach activities. The Ion Physics group, within the Department of Physics and Astronomy, investigates advanced materials for applications in fusion energy, smart windows, hydrogen storage & nanoelectronics. The group uses beams of swift ions to perform analytical techniques, for detailed material characterization in addition to fundamental investigations of the interaction of ions in matter from biological, environmental and technological contexts. The correlation between the composition and other sample properties can then be used to improve material performance or to obtain new properties. A 5 MV tandem accelerator, a 350 kV high current ion implanter and a Low-Energy Ion Scattering System form the experimental platform.

We hereby declare a PhD student position to be open for application. The PhD-studies will focus on the investigation of the diffusion properties of volatile elements such as Xe, Kr, I and Cs, in a range of different nuclear-fuel types, under a range of thermal conditions. The core of the methodology, by which this will be achieved, is ion-implantation of the volatiles in unirradiated nuclear-fuel followed by elemental depth-profiling with ToF-ERDA (Time-of-Flight – Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis) recoil detection analysis. Fuel samples will then be annealed and the effect of the annealing assessed by additional depth profiling. These general procedures will be further supported by a range of other material categorisation techniques, which will provide correlated information on changes in the microstructure of the samples. This multidimensional analysis will be coupled with detailed computer modelling of the physics involved. The three main scientific questions to be answered by this project are:

• What is the interplay between fuel microstructure and thermal diffusion of fission products?
• What is the interplay between fuel chemistry and the thermal diffusion of fission products?
• What shortcomings can be identified in the present atomistic models of the diffusion process used for fuel qualification?

Duties
The doctoral project will be focused on fully realising the potential of using ion-implantation in combination with ToF-ERDA, to obtain new information on the diffusion of volatile elements in nuclear fuels, whilst simultaneously removing the need to handle irradiated fuel along with the associated cost and complications that come with such handling. Specifically this includes:

• optimising the existing methodology, in terms of accuracy and throughput;
• expanding on the existing methodology, by upgrading the present infrastructure to enable the study of the effects of implantation at elevated sample temperatures;
• expanding on the existing methodology, by upgrading the present infrastructure to enable in-situ annealing;
• identifying trends in microstructural effects on diffusion;
• identifying trends in compositional effects on diffusion;
• feeding the results obtained back into atomistic models of diffusion, and thus improving these models for fuel qualification.

In order to meet these objectives, in a way which will make the findings both relevant and accessible to the Swedish nuclear industry, two Swedish academic institutions and three major companies in the Swedish nuclear industry will be involved in steering the project.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must:

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in a natural science discipline, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way;
• be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills in English as well as excellent academic records;
• have the personal capabilities necessary to carry out fully the duties of the appointment.

Appointment as a graduate student requires that the holder is admitted or will be admitted to PhD studies, where the applicant’s ability to successfully complete the doctoral studies will be decisive. PhD studies - Uppsala University (uu.se)

Additional qualifications
It is considered advantageous to have documented: strong data analysis skills; past experiences in vacuum systems; and experience in materials research with ion beams.

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 4 November 2024 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Robert Frost, rob.frost@physics.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 14 October 2024, UFV-PA 2024/2817.

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