This project tackles the challenge of controlling and designing the stability of glasses by simulating non-thermal amorphization pathways by using ab initio molecular dynamics and classical molecular dynamics with machine learning potentials. Non-thermal pathways refer to out-of-equilibrium phase transitions induced by ultrafast pulses or infrared radiation. Typical phenomena of this kind are the non-thermal melting of materials and the successive amorphization via fast quenching.

The postdoc will join the theory group at University of Trento headed by Prof. Matteo Calandra in a very friendly environment of research with excellent computational facilities (the group owns a cluster made of thousands of processors and routinely access PRACE and supercomputing facilities). Moreover, recently the group won several competitive grants from private companies (Google),  foundations and European Community (ERC advanced grant).

Ideally, the postdoc should start in september/october for a duration of two years. Longer perspectives are also possible.

The project will be carried out in tight collaboration with the experimental group at University of Padova headed by Prof. Giulio Monaco. The group in Padova will carry out experimental measurements at synchrotron and X-ray free electron laser to be directly compared with the results of the post-doc simulations. 

The University of Trento offers competitive salaries and has recently been  evaluated among the top two Italian universities in research.

Geographically, the University of Trento is ideally situated in  the heart of the Dolomites, in a region protected by UNESCO world heritage.

Interested candidates should apply by sending a CV, publication list and motivation letters at

[email protected]  

Relevant Publications of the PI related to the subject can be found at:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8EJhV9wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao