Postdoc for Phase-Change Materials Research with Ultrafast X-rays

Aarhus University, Dept. of Chemistry and iMAT Integrated Center for Materials Research, invites applications for a fully funded 2-year postdoc position.

The goal of the project is to advance the understanding of liquid phase transition behaviors in the supercooled liquid state (“no-man's land") of Phase-Change Materials using X-ray free electron lasers (XFEL), synchrotron X-ray scattering, and thermodynamic studies.

Phase-Change Materials (PCMs) can be reversely switched between amorphous and crystalline phases within some nanoseconds timescales. They are the basis for the future non-volatile phase-change memory and neuromorphic computing technologies. The postdoc researcher will apply the state-of-the-art techniques, such as ultrafast laser-pump/x-ray-probe and femtosecond X-ray diffractions, to probe the structure and dynamics in the supercooled liquid state of Phase-Change Materials. The materials will be investigated under various temperatures, laser pulses, and extreme pressures at large-scale facilities, including European-XFEL, DESY (Hamburg), LCLS (Stanford), MAXIV (Lund), ESRF (Grenoble), and APS (Chicago). The results will provide insight into the “order” of disordered materials and potentially benefit the innovation of PCM-based technologies.  This project is supported by the Villum Foundation.

More background info: https://chem.au.dk/AmorphousMatLab

 

Why apply?

The postdoc researcher will have opportunities of conducting the world’s most advanced synchrotron and XFEL experiments at multiple facilities around the world. He/she will be involved in strong international collaborations and work with top experts in the field. She/he will be supported for international research stays and conferences. The successful candidate will be also involved in materials research in collaboration with other members of Dept. of Chemistry and iNANO (www.inano.au.dk), as well as the iMAT Center for Integrated Materials Research (www.imat.au.dk). In addition, Denmark has an excellent working environment for developing an academic career with many open positions and funding opportunities.

Qualifications and specific competences: Applicants should have a PhD degree in chemistry, physics, materials science, or related fields. The candidate should have experience of synchrotron X-ray scattering (or XFEL) experiments and be skilled with data analysis. A good understanding of amorphous semiconductors, metals, phase-change materials, glass forming, thermodynamics is a bonus. She/he should have a high degree of motivation and be able to work independently. Good communication skills and teamwork spirit are required. The candidate should speak and write fluent English.
 

Place of employment and place of work: Aarhus University - Department of Chemistry
Langelandsgade 140, DK-8000 Aarhus C
Denmark

  Expected starting date: Aug.1, 2022 or as soon as possible.

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact: Prof. Shuai Wei, email: [email protected]

  Application procedure Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference
If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.
 

Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/