PhD student in experimental femtosecond laser physics and condensed matter science

Published: 2023-08-31

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is one of Uppsala University's largest with almost 400 employees, of which about 125 are doctoral students. The department conducts world-class research and education in both theoretical and experimental physics and has extensive collaboration with the outside world. The FREIA Laboratory, a Division of the Department, is developing and testing new particle accelerator and detector instrumentation with new projects continuously added to the current activities. The research and development work is closely linked to major research infrastructure projects like ESS and MAX IV in Lund or the European XFEL in Hamburg. The laboratory has around 30 employees, including researchers, engineers and technicians. More information on our websites: www.physics.uu.se and www.physics.uu.se/research/freia-lab/ .

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University

Description of the project
The Department of Psics and Astronomy is strengthening its research focus on ultrafast x-ray science with large-scale x-ray free electron laser (XFEL) facilities such as European XFEL and laboratory-based femtosecond laser sources. Within this effort FREIA is building a new femtosecond laser laboratory for performing cutting-edge experiments in the field of material science. Techniques such as time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (tr-ARPES) will be used to get new insight into properties of non-equilibrium systems and deeper understanding transient physical phenomena including light-induced superconductivity, ultrafast charge transfer and low-dimensional material characterization. We are currently implementing experiments using the mid-infra-red (MIR) to extreme ultraviolet (XUV) region of the electromagnetic spectrum, complementary to that accessible at XFEL facilities.

The objective of the PhD is to

1. perform experiments in the field of material science in collaboration with experienced researchers and to
2. implement the required experimental techniques and methods at the FREIA fs laser laboratory and large-scale facilities together with scientific staff.

The successful candidate will work in a team of experienced researchers and scientific staff and will acquire skills including operating state-of-the-art fs lasers, spectrally-tunable laser systems, design, development, and maintenance of ultra-high-vacuum vacuum equipment, photoemission electron spectroscopy experiments. Hence, we are looking for a highly-motivated candidate who has an excellent record of studies and a broad background in physics.

Duties
The successful candidate will devote most of the time to research studies, which implies participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%). The position will be extended with the time devoted to teaching to allow four years of full-time graduate studies.

Research studies will include:

• Participation in setting up fs laser sources and developing sample environments
• Daily hands-on work in a laser laboratory, including commissioning of new equipment, installation of optical components, development of control software
• Planning and performing experiments using the laser system and endstations
• Participating in experiments at large-scale XFEL facilities
• Documentation of ongoing work and systematic update of a lab journal
• Writing of academic articles and technical reports
• Active participation in group meeting and presentation of well-documented results

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in physics, technical physics or equivalent
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

The successful candidate must have demonstrated:

• Solid understanding of wave optics
• Knowledge of basic laser physics and fundamentals of nonlinear optics
• Successful studies in condensed matter physics or chemistry

The successful candidate must be:

• Skilled in high-quality academic writing
• Capable to express yourself in a clear, structured and to the point manner
• Capable of preparing clear and concise summaries of ongoing work
• Capable of keeping the work progress well documented, searchable and understandable by other group members

Additional qualifications

• Programming and data analysis (e.g. Python, Matlab)
• Hardware programming/coding (LabVIEW, etc.)
• Excellent grades from the second-cycle education are a merit.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as soon as possible or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

Application
The application should include the following documents in the corresponding order:

• a statement about why the candidate is interested and suitable for the announced position (1-2 pages)
• a CV (1 page)
• a letter describing the research interests and past experience (1-2 pages)
• copies of degree certificates and grades. Please indicate in per cent the average grade for bachelor and master studies.
• a master thesis (or a draft thereof)
• a sample of academic writing in English. This can be an extract from a thesis
• contact details of two references
• other documents that the applicant wishes to refer to.

For further information about the position, please contact: Hermann Dürr (hermann.durr@physics.uu.se)

Please submit your application by 29 September 2023, UFV-PA 2023/3178.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? Find out more about what it´s like to work and live in Sweden.  

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all of our 7,500 employees and 54,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University
https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/

Please do not send offers of recruitment or advertising services.

Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.