The Dresden-concept Research Group “Autonomous Materials Thermodynamics” of Dr. Rico Friedrich at the Chair of Theoretical Chemistry (Prof. Thomas Heine) at TU Dresden and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany has an opening for a Postdoctoral position on “Data-driven Design of Novel Two-dimensional and Ionic High-entropy Compounds” starting as soon as possible. The group focuses on the data-driven design of various technology relevant nano-scale (two-dimensional) as well as ionic materials such as oxides in conjunction with method development on predicting thermodynamic stability. We work in close collaboration with the local institutes of the Dresden-concept network and other (inter-)national partners.

The opening is related to our previous works on 2D non-van der Waals materials and high-entropy ceramics:

- R. Friedrich, M. Ghorbani-Asl, S. Curtarolo, and A. V. Krasheninnikov, Data-Driven Quest for Two-Dimensional Non-van der Waals Materials, Nano Letters 22, 989 (2022). doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c03841

- T. Barnowsky, S. Curtarolo, A. V. Krasheninnikov, T. Heine, and R. Friedrich, Magnetic State Control of Non-van der Waals 2D Materials by Hydrogenation, Nano Letters, in press (2024); arXiv:2310.07329. doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c04777

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

- R. Friedrich, D. Usanmaz, C. Oses, A. Supka, M. Fornari, M. Buongiorno Nardelli, C. Toher, and S. Curtarolo, Coordination corrected ab initio formation enthalpies, Nature Partner Journal Computational Materials 5, 59 (2019). doi.org/10.1038/s41524-019-0192-1

A comprehensive overview of the research and publications of the group can be found at https://hzdr.de/automatlab.

Your Tasks:

-Implement new data-driven methods to model two-dimensional materials

-Develop and employ density-functional based and data-driven (machine learning) methods for designing novel ionic high-entropy compounds

-Collaborate closely with various local, national, and international collaborators

Requirements:

-PhD degree in physics, chemistry, theoretical/computational materials science. Individuals close to the completion of their degree are welcome to apply.

-Profound knowledge in computational and theoretical chemistry/physics

-Excellent communication/networking skills both oral and written

-Good scripting and programming skills (C++, Python)

-Strong capability of team work, also with experimental partners

-Skills in high-performance computing, solid-state physics/chemistry, and density-functional theory (VASP, Quantum Espresso)

-Knowledge in materials thermodynamics, 2D compounds, and machine learning are welcome.

What we offer:

-One two year Postdoctoral position: comprising 100% of the fulltime weekly hours in one of Europe’s most attractive research environments (Subject to personal qualification employees are remunerated according to salary group E 13 TV-L of the German system. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz-WissZeitVG).)

-TU Dresden is one of eleven German Universities of Excellence and provides outstanding working, research, and networking possibilities.

-The chair hosts its own computer cluster and the group has full access to several of Germany’s leading high-performance computing (HPC) systems at ZIH Dresden, HLRS Stuttgart, and PC2 Paderborn.

-Dresden, the capital of the State of Saxony, is a city with a beautiful historical centre and offers a high standard of living with high ratings in housing, safety, and healthcare.

Please submit your comprehensive application including a motivation letter, curriculum vitae with publication list, copies of academic certificates, and contact details (including email addresses and phone numbers) of two references by 19 April 2024 (stamped arrival date of the university central mail service applies) via the TU Dresden SecureMail Portal https://securemail.tu-dresden.de by sending it as a single pdf-document named “Application_Postdoc_Automat_your_Last_and_First_name.pdf” (subject line “Application Postdoc Automat Lastname Firstname”) to [email protected] or by mail to TU Dresden, Fakultät Chemie und Lebensmittelchemie, Professur für Theoretische Chemie, z.H. Dr. Rico Friedrich, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany. Please submit copies only, as your application will not be returned to you. Expenses incurred in attending interviews cannot be reimbursed.

TUD strives to employ more women in academia and research. We therefore expressly encourage women to apply. The University is a certified family-friendly university and offers a Dual Career Service. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. If multiple candidates prove to be equally qualified, those with disabilities or with equivalent status pursuant to the German Social Code IX (SGB IX) will receive priority for employment.