Two postdoc positions will soon be available at SISSA (Trieste, Italy), in the newborn ARGO (Ab initio Research GrOup) led by Antimo Marrazzo https://people.sissa.it/~amarrazz/.

Project description.

The first position is funded by the Italian PRIN project “Simultaneous electrical control of spin and valley polarization in van der Waals magnetic materials (SECSY)”, to work on the computational design and discovery of 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures with spin-valley locking for spintronics applications, including ferromagnets and valley-Zeeman semiconductors. The project involves high-throughput simulations, accurate ab initio calculations with advanced methods such as DFT+U+J and GW, and theoretical modelling based on Green’s function theory, with a focus on the magnetic proximity effect.

The second position will contribute to the development of data-driven electronic structure methods based on machine learning and neural networks, targeting accurate spectral and transport properties of large atomistic systems. The position involves combining state-of-the-art quantum mechanical calculations (e.g, DFT, GW and Koopmans functionals) with equivariant representations of the atomistic structure and neural-network architectures.  

Candidate profile.

Candidates are sought with passion and commitment to the field and with strong motivation and commensurate academic record, preferably with a background in physics/chemistry/materials or engineering. The positions require robust and documented expertise in the use of electronic-structure simulation software. Previous experience with machine learning methods and proficient Python coding are considered a plus.

Work environment.

The condensed-matter section at SISSA offers a vibrant and highly stimulating environment driven by several leading experts in electronic structure theory and simulations (https://cm.sissa.it).

Synergies will be present with the European Centre of Excellence Max for Materials Design at the eXascale (https://www.max-centre.eu) and the Italian National Center on HPC, Big Data and Quantum Computing (https://www.supercomputing-icsc.it/en/icsc-home/). Close collaborations will take place with Prof. Marco Gibertini at the University of Modena (Italy) for the first position, and EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland) for the second position. All team members are encouraged to present their work at international venues and are supported to developing expertise for a future career in academia or industry. 

Trieste 

The city of Trieste has the highest density of researchers per population in Europe (about 37 every 1000 inhabitants). Trieste has a particularly strong tradition in electronic structure theory and simulations, which is fostered by SISSA and other research institutions such as ICTP, the Materials Foundry of the National Research Council (CNR-IOM) and the University of Trieste. The close proximity of several research institutions facilitates scientific exchange and collaborative work not only among theorists but also with leading experimental groups at the local synchrotron (ELETTRA), free-electron laser (FERMI) and materials foundry (CNR-IOM) as well as at the University.

The city is medium size and beautifully located at the most northerly spot of the Adriatic Sea.  Local social life is lively, with cultural and natural attractions (theatres, sports, nightlife, the Karst highland, Venice, the Alps, and beautiful seaside resorts) a few strides to one hundred miles from the center of the city. Trieste is also an international sailing capital, hosting every year the world’s largest regatta and regularly producing top Olympic sailing athletes. 

Applications:  Candidates are encouraged to manifest their interest by submitting 1) a full CV (ideally including BA/MSc transcripts), 2) contact information for two to three references and 3) a cover letter of intent. These documents should be emailed to Antimo Marrazzo (https://cm.sissa.it/people/antimo-marrazzo) as a single email with one PDF attachment, with the exact text “PRIN postdoc” for the first position and “ML postdoc” for the second position in the subject line. The official application procedure will be opened soon; the first position (“PRIN postdoc”) should ideally start no later than September 2024.