A prestigious Marie Curie fellowship for a PhD position is available under the supervision of Dr. Silvia Picozzi (CNR-SPIN, Chieti, Italy) within the recently approved International Training Network ITN-ETN "Be-Magic: Magnetoelectrics Beyond 2020: A Training Programme on Energy-Efficient Magnetoelectric Nanomaterials for Advanced Information and Healthcare Technologies"

PhD thesis Title: High-throughput search and machine learning approaches for novel magnetostrictive and piezoelectric materials, heterostructures thereof, and first-principles calculations to optimize their magnetoelectric performance.

Objectives: Designing new multiferroic materials using first-principles simulations, complemented by machine-learning and data mining strategies (inspecting large materials databases using screening descriptors); adapting software (ab-initio density functional theory and machine learning algorithms) to the needs of the project; get familiarized with the growth of these materials and their magnetoelectric characterization at ITN partners’ institutions, to improve the modelling and microscopic understanding; assessing the potential of these materials for electric-field assisted applications.

Expected results: Evaluation of magnetostrictive/magnetoelastic coefficients of new materials using first principles calculations; high throughput analysis and machine learning for optimized piezoelectric/magnetoelectric/magnetoelastic coefficients; design of multiferroics with enhanced cross-coupling.

Further info: The research activity will be computational/theoretical and will be carried out at the CNR-SPIN unit in Chieti (IT), under the supervision of Dr. Silvia Picozzi  (https://sites.google.com/site/silviapicozzi/). 

The BeMAGIC project is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network that offers the possibility to pursue the PhD within the Network at different universities/research centres/companies across Europe. In this case, the PhD degree in Materials Science will be awarded by Univ. Torino (IT). A Master degree in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Engineering and related disciplines is required. The duration of the appointment is 3 years, starting before the end of 2019, and the salary (before taxes, social security, etc) is 48166 €/year. Importantly, the Marie Curie eligibility criteria must be respected: Eligible early-stage researchers (ESRs) are those who are, at the date of recruitment by the host institution, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which would formally entitle them to embark on a doctorate. In addition, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Researchers can be nationals of any country (including all countries outside Europe).

Expression of interest: https://bemagic-etn.eu/project/offered-esr-positions.

For further Information, please visit the ITN website https://bemagic-etn.eu or contact [email protected]