OPUS Ph.D. student

"Ultrafast melting and crystallization of metals" (National Science Center OPUS-22 grant) in collaboration with consortium partner – Institute of Physics Polish Academy of Sciences.

Requirements:

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a keen interest in experimental condensed matter physics and good skills in data analysis. Applicants must hold a Diploma/Master's degree in Physics, Materials Science, or a related research field.
Programming skills in Matlab or Python will be an asset. Good written and spoken English communication skills are necessary for efficiently completing the doctoral thesis, given the international environment in which the project will be carried out.

Selected candidates may be invited for an interview (in person or via Zoom) 5-16 September 2022.

Job description:

A successful candidate will have an opportunity to work on fundamental problems of condensed matter physics using a unique combination of state-of-the-art experimental techniques and advanced computational methods. The work will focus on establishing physical mechanisms of ultrafast melting and solidification in metals, and the candidate's primary goal will be to correlate the experimental data with theoretical models of the two processes. In particular, the candidate will be involved in experimental work at X-ray free-electron laser (EuXFEL - Germany, SwissFEL - Switzerland, SLAC - USA, SACLA - Japan) and ultrafast electron diffraction (SLAC MeV-UED - USA) facilities and analyze the results of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of the ultrafast melting/solidification processes. The candidate's tasks will be the preparation and execution of time-resolved X-ray/electron diffraction experiments, experimental/simulated data analysis, and interpretation.

The research will be conducted in close collaboration with our scientific partners in Germany, UK, and USA.

A short description of the general aims and the scope of the NCN project is available here: https://ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/listy-rankingowe/2021-09-15okipi34a/streszczenia/539373-en.pdf

Type of NCN programme: OPUS – ST

Salary: scholarship of 5000 PLN per month, gross (approx. 3800 PLN net).

How to apply:

1) CV, including a cover letter (max. 1 page) and a list of publications (if any),
2) a brief statement of research interests (max. 2 pages),
3) copy of the M.Sc. Thesis,
4) copy of the M.Sc. graduate studies diploma,
5) a reference letter from a supervisor of the M.Sc. Thesis,
should be submitted to: jerzy.antonowicz@pw.edu.pl with the subject “OPUS PhD student”.

Please include in your application the following statement: “In accordance with the personal data protection act from the 29th of August 1997, I hereby agree to process and to store my personal data by the Institution for recruitment purposes”.
The candidate will be selected according to rules of awarding scientific scholars in research projects funded by Polish National Center Science: https://ncn.gov.pl/dioscuri/dioscuri3/ncn_scholarships_regulations_25_2019.pdf.

For more information, please contact: jerzy.antonowicz@pw.edu.pl