Doc­toral stu­dent, computational materials phys­ics

The University of Helsinki is among the leading multidisciplinary research universities in the world. In addition to its 11 faculties, the University includes several independent institutes, some of which are jointly operated with other universities. Some 35,000 students are currently pursuing an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree at the University of Helsinki.

As part of the Faculty of Science, the Department of Physics is responsible for high-end research into physics and astronomy on an international level, and academic education in physics based on that research. The focus area of the research are material physics, elementary particle physics, and astrophysics. The department possesses nationally outstanding research equipment and close contacts with the top projects around the world.

With an annual budget of 12 Million Euros, some 200 person-years of work are completed at the department every year. The department has 20 tenured professors and 3 tenure-track assistant/associate professors. For more details, please see http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/ .

The Department of Physics at the Faculty of Science of the University of Helsinki invites applications for a

DOCTORAL STUDENT

position in computational materials physics from January 2022 (or by agreement).
The successful applicant will work with computer simulations of fusion-related materials under extreme conditions. Fusion energy is one of the most promising large-scale carbon dioxide-free energy production methods at large scale, however, unanswered questions still remain. This project is related to the understanding of the surface modification happening by energetic particles from the fusion plasma. In addition to surface modification simulations, Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods in form of Machine Learning (ML) will be used to develop accurate interaction models for the materials investigated. This project is part of the Europe-wide collaboration for fusion energy research, EUROfusion.

The applicant should be familiar with computational tools for materials physics, mainly Molecular Dynamics (MD) and/or Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations. The applicant should also know basic programming (C, Fortran, C++ …) and some scripting basics (such as Python or similar). Previous knowledge in irradiation simulations and Machine Learning are welcomed, but not a requirement.

The appointee must either already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki by the start of the appointment or apply for the right and obtain it within the probationary period of 6 months applied in the appointment. If the appointee does not already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, the appointee must apply for it separately after being selected for the position (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/the-application-p... ).

Salary and benefits

The salary will be based on level 2 of the demands level table for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary will be ca. 2400-2600 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The Faculty of Science has strong activities towards enhancing gender equality, diversity and employee wellbeing. The International Staff Services office (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university ) assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland.

How to apply?

Please submit your application consisting 1) a short motivation letter, 2) a curriculum vitae and 3) a list of publications into one pdf file, using the electronic recruitment system of the University of Helsinki via the link “Apply for the position”. Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by signing to https://msap.helsinki.fi .

The deadline for the applications is 15.10.2021.

Additional information

For further information, please contact University Researcher Fredric Granberg, fredric.granberg(at)helsinki.fi or Dean Kai Nordlund, kai.nordlund(at)helsinki.fi.