Marie Skłodowska Curie PhD position, University of Manchester and Queen's University Belfast

Applications are invited for a Marie Skłodowska Curie PhD position to work in the area of Van der Waal’s Heterostructures Based on Two-Dimensional Materials: Towards Electronics and Optoelectronics Applications.

The studentship is part of a cohort of several PhDs students of the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie-COFUND Actions recently awarded to Queen's University Belfast (QUB) in the SPARK program. The studentship will be developed in collaboration between the group led by Dr. Elton Santos at the School of Mathematics and Physics at QUB, and the group of Prof. Kostya Novoselov, FRS at the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester.

The student will be working in a collaborative environment where experiments and theory will be combined to advance the science and applications of energy materials and 2D-heterostructures. Several long visits to Manchester will be an essential part of the project, where experiments will be performed at world-class facilities at the National Graphene Institute (http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk).

In particular, this project will investigate the chemical and physical properties of 2D compounds broadly defined (e.g. oxides, BN, graphene, transition-metal dichalcogenides, etc.). A combination of material synthesis and advanced characterization tools will be used to understand the basic physics of these novel materials and evaluate their suitability for electronic, optical and biological applications. The candidate, however, will perform simulations at different levels of theory, ranging from analytical approaches up to multiscale techniques.

Requirements

The applicants should have a university degree in physics, chemistry or equivalent (minimum entry 2:1 Honor degree). Imaginative and highly motivated candidates are encouraged to apply. Previous experience on numerical calculations (e.g. Matlab, Mathematica, Fortran, C++, python) and/or computational methods using an ab initio code (e.g. Vasp, Quantum Espresso, Wien2K, Castep) is required. The position will be focused on theory developments, and coding.

Who can apply

There are NO restrictions on nationality but the applications should follow the mobility criteria determined on Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions work programme: the applicants shall not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organization (UK in this case) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the reference date. Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not taken into account.

How to apply

Interested applicants should complete an online application form, available from the following website at https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php, providing an up-to-date CV, a letter of motivation, and the names and contact details of at least two academic referees.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr. Elton Santos ([email protected]), with the email subject SPARK program added. 

Further details at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/PostgraduateStudy/FundingandScholarships/Doctoral-Training-Centres/spark/#d.en.809033

Closing date: Wednesday 11th April 2018.