LOCATION: Durham, NC USA.

The group of Prof. Curtarolo at the Center for Extreme Materials at Duke University, USA has open postdoctoral positions in computational materials design. The group is at the forefront of the development of computational methods for the discovery of materials with technological applications. More information about the research can be found at aflow.org and materials.duke.edu.

Current openings are in (examples of references):

Ultra-high-temperature materials studies (optical and structural)

Divilov, S., Eckert, H., Hicks, D. et al. Disordered enthalpy–entropy descriptor for high-entropy ceramics discovery. Nature 625, 66–73 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06786-y

Calzolari, A. et al. Plasmonic high-entropy carbides. Nat Commun 13, 5993 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33497-1

Discovery/design of high-entropy ceramics and other disordered systems

Divilov, S., Eckert, H., Toher, C. et al. A priori procedure to establish spinodal decomposition in alloys. Acta Materialia 266, 119667 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2024.119667

Toher, C et al. High-entropy ceramics: Propelling applications through disorder. MRS Bulletin 47, 194–202 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-022-00281-x

Esters, M. et al. Settling the matter of the role of vibrations in the stability of high-entropy carbides. Nat Commun 12, 5747 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25979-5

Oses, C., Toher, C. & Curtarolo, S. High-entropy ceramics. Nat Rev Mater 5, 295–309 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-019-0170-8

Sarker, P., Harrington, T., Toher, C. et al. High-entropy high-hardness metal carbides discovered by entropy descriptors. Nat Commun 9, 4980 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07160-7

Esters, M., Smolyanyuk, A., Oses, C. et al. QH-POCC: Taming tiling entropy in thermal expansion calculations of disordered materials. Acta Materialia 245, 118594 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2022.118594

Successful candidates should have:

• Deep understanding of thermodynamics and kinetics of materials, solid-state physics, crystallography/group-theory, and inorganic chemistry.
• Solid communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Strong programming skills in C++, LaTeX, good knowledge of Unix systems, and experience using materials data repositories such as AFLOW.
• Proven experience in VASP, Quantum Espresso, FHI-AIMS, or other ab-initio code.
• A doctorate degree in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or related disciplines. Graduate students near completion of their Ph.D. are welcome and invited to apply.

Potential candidates should send one PDF file named “PDOC-202401_Lastname_Firstname.pdf” containing: cover letter, curriculum vitae and the names, emails, and phone numbers of three (or more) references to [email protected], subject line “PDOC-202401: Lastname Firstname”. Only PDF material will be considered.

The location of the position is Durham, NC USA. Occasional travel is required. Starting date can be negotiated. The search will continue until the positions are filled.

Note. This is an in-person position (no remote-work).

Duke University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

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