Postdoc in STM studies of quantum materials

Are you interested in seeing and manipulating atoms with a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) and can you contribute to the development of the project Villum Center for Hybrid Quantum Materials and Devices? Then the Department of Physics and Astronomy invites you to apply for a 9-month postdoctoral position.

Expected start date and duration of employment

This is a 9 month position from May 1, 2024.

Job description

• The position will focus on low-temperature, high-magnetic field STM studies of quantum materials (such as 2D and topological materials, superconductors, and magnets) and related devices.  
• You may also perform synthesis of materials of interest, and fabricate devices with electrical contacts.  
• These activities will be in close collaboration with Dr. Richard Balog and Prof. Yong Chen in Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Quantum Measurements (LQ2M2), which has a state-of-art helium-3 (0.3K) STM with 16T vertical magnetic field. The STM is equipped with multiple electrical feedthroughs to allow measurement on micron sized samples and devices, and is equipped also with high frequency probes as well as LEED and various material evaporators and dosers.

Your profile

Applicants should hold a PhD in physical science or engineering with background in low temperature scanning probe microscopy measurements.

Who we are

Prof. Chen's lab is also part of and works closely with Aarhus' iNANO (https://inano.au.dk/) and Villum Center for Dirac Materials (https://villumcdm.org/), as well as Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute (https://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/quantum/ in the USA) and WPI-AIMR International Center for Materials Research (https://www.wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp/ in Japan), and enjoys access to extensive facilities and collaboration network worldwide.  Successful candidates will be employed/hosted by Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Denmark, but may also spend a portion of time (depending on the project and interests) as visiting researchers in Purdue (USA) or AIMR (Japan).

Please submit: CV with publications, names and contact information of at least 2 references, a brief (~1 page) statement of research interests and plan (in relation to the research directions of our lab and your past research experiences).

What we offer

The department/centre offers:

• a well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories and access to shared equipment
• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international and industrial collaborators
• a research climate encouraging lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the

Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation

.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here . Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here .

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here .

At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website , you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.