PhD student in Materials Physics

PhD student in Materials Physics

The research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy encompasses a wide range of physics topics, distributed over nine divisions. The department is located in the Ångström laboratory and employs nearly 400 people, 100 of whom are doctoral students. It offers a broad physics curriculum to undergraduate and graduate students, participation in nationally and internationally leading projects for researchers, and opportunities for partnership with industry and various outreach activities.

The Materials Physics division within the Department of Physics and Astronomy investigates advanced materials for applications in fusion energy, smart windows, hydrogen storage & nanoelectronics. Within the division, our group uses beams of swift ions to link structure and composition on a true atomistic scale with physical properties and macroscopic functionality is one of the main research tools within the division. We also perform fundamental investigations of the interaction of ions in matter to obtain a better understanding of the underlying physics and improved methods. These methods permit to determine concentrations and depth profiles of atoms and molecules in a material with very high accuracy for samples from biological, environmental and technological contexts. They can also be used to tailor material properties such as crystallinity or local chemical composition. A 5 MV tandem accelerator, a 350 kV high current ion implanter and a Low-Energy Ion Scattering System form the experimental platform.

Uppsala University hereby declares a PhD student position, at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, to be open for application. The PhD-project will focus on studies of kinetic processes for hydrogen and other light chemical species in energy materials for fusion research applications. The work will include both studying the fundamental thermodynamically aspects which govern, for example how hydrogen is absorbed and transported in materials on an atomic scale but also improvement of analytical methods for detection of light chemical species with high resolution and sensitivity. An important aspect will be to develop methods for tracking processes in a specific environment in real-time referred to as in-situ and in-operando techniques. The work will be of primarily experimental character.

Duties

The project is focused on experimental studies to study light chemical elements such as H, He or Li in different material systems relevant for energy applications. More specifically, this will include:

• Experiments to detect light chemical elements in materials which have been exposed to different environments.
• Synthesis and modification of different energy material containing light chemical species.
• Handling and development of large-scale instrumentation for non-destructive materials analysis, in particular using ion beams for in-situ and in-operando analysis.
• Handling and analysis of complex experimental data, evaluation and simulation with e.g. Monte-Carlo and Molecular Dynamics approaches.

Requirements

To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in 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.
• 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. The PhD position is for four years. Information about doctoral education, eligibility requirements and admission rules can be found on the web site of the Faculty of Technology.

Additional qualifications
It is considered advantageous a background in either a Physics, Material Science or equivalent; strong data analysis skills; past experiences in vacuum systems. Experience in materials research with ion beams is beneficial.

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 7 January 2025 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Eduardo Pitthan Filho, eduardo.pitthan@physics.uu.se or Daniel Primetzhofer, daniel.primetzhofer@physics.uu.se.

About the application
Applications should include a brief description of research interest and past experience, a CV, copies of exams, degrees and grades, a copy of your Master thesis (or a draft thereof) and other relevant documents. The candidates are encouraged to provide letter(s) of recommendation and contact information to reference persons.

Please submit your application by 7 November, UFV-PA 2024/3443

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