A fully funded 4-year doctoral student position is currently available in the newly established group of Assistant Professor Hannu-Pekka Komsa in the Microelectronics Unit at the University of Oulu, Finland.

The candidate will work on first-principles simulations on vibrational spectroscopies (especially Raman) and also other aspects related to lattice vibrations, e.g., thermal conductivity. Raman spectroscopy is a widely used, powerful, and nondestructive tool for studying the vibrational properties of materials. Raman spectra can be simulated using first-principles methods, but usually limited only to fairly small unit cells, which makes it difficult to carry out simulations for alloys and defective systems.

The candidate will develop methods and software for carrying out such simulations, and apply them to various systems mainly in the field of 2D materials, e.g. transition metal chalcogenides and MXenes, and involving defects, heterostructures, etc. The simulation results will be complemented by experiments done by local and international collaborators.

Essential Requirements

The successful applicant should have a M.Sc. degree and track record in solid-state physics or chemistry, or in materials science. Good programming skills are required. Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential. Previous experience with atomistic simulations codes such as VASP or Quantum-Espresso are advantageous.

Duration and salary

The salary of the appointed doctoral student will be based on the demand level 2-4 in the salary chart for the teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. In addition to the basic salary, an additional salary component (max. 50% of the basic salary level) will be paid based on personal experience, achievements and performance. In practice, the starting salary of a new doctoral student is approximately 2450 € per month and it will progressively increase along with the progress of the student. A maximum of six months’ trial period is applied according to the regular practice in Finnish universities. In addition to the salary, the employed person will be insured by the university and provided occupational healthcare. Finland is known as a country with a high quality of life and good healthcare system.

The successful candidate can start immediately or at a later date, but preferably before September 2020. After acceptance, the doctoral student will be enrolled to the University of Oulu Graduate School's (UniOGS) doctoral program. The general requirements for admission to the UniOGS can be found at http://www.oulu.fi/uniogs/requirements_for_admission.

Application procedure

The following documents must be attached to the application (to be submitted in English):

1) Cover letter describing prior background, research interests and career plans (1 page).
2) Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications, if any.
3) Contact information of two persons, who may be asked to give a statement on the candidate.

Applications must be submitted by February 29, 2020, 23:59 (Finnish local time) using the electronic application system:

https://rekry.saima.fi/certiahome/open_job_view.html?did=5600&lang=en&id=00008601&jc=33

*Applications sent by email will not be considered*

For further information on the position and application procedure contact via email:

Assistant Professor Hannu-Pekka Komsa ([email protected]), Microelectronics Research Unit, University of Oulu