Postdoctoral Researchers in the field of Nuclear Materials Science

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and a staff of more than 4000, of which 400 are professors. Our main campus is located in Espoo, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness in the future as well.   This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

The Department of Applied Physics is now inviting applications for

2 Postdoctoral Researcher fixed-term positions in the field of Nuclear Materials Science

The Nuclear Materials and Engineering group at Aalto University employs computational methods to study radiation induced processes and damage formation in materials, including effects ranging from electron excitations to large scale collision cascades involving millions of atoms. We are now looking for two exceptional and motivated postdoctoral researchers to strengthen our team. You would be joining a young and dynamic group pursuing a range of research topics with extensive national and international collaboration. In this position, you will have a chance to make an impact on the development of materials for high radiation environments, and contribute to the increased understanding of the fundamental processes involved when energetic particles interact with condensed matter. We utilize extensive computational resources for advanced calculations at the forefront of our field.

Your role and responsibilities

The successful candidates will be expected to make significant personal contributions to the research program of the group, work independently, and publish peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals. The work will be carried out in collaboration with a range of academic partners. As a member of the group, you will partake in group meetings, presenting your research progress there, and supervise Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD students. In addition, you will participate in teaching activities at the Department.

Your research will focus on one of the following topics:

(1) Degradation mechanisms in semiconductors in harsh environments. The project involves determination of electronic energy losses from energetic projectiles in semiconductors using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), and transferring obtained results to large scale atomistic simulations by development of atomic environment-dependent models.

(2) Methodology for high-energy event simulation in the machine-learning driven atomistic simulation code TurboGAP. The project involves implementing various extensions to classical MD to support simulations of highly non-equilibrium events, as well as machine learning interatomic potential development, and utilizing the implemented methodology to predict radiation damage formation in semiconductors.

Education and skills

A university PhD degree in computational physics or materials science, computational chemistry, or a related field is a requirement to be considered for this position. The successful candidate will have demonstrated proficiency in the following areas:

• programming skills and experience with python/bash scripting

• knowledge of materials science and solid state physics

• experience with atomistic modelling and high performance computing environments

• strong command of written and spoken English

For project (1), in addition to the above, the successful candidate will have experience with density functional theory and/or time-dependent density functional theory computations. Experience creating pseudopotentials is highly appreciated. For project (2), exceptional skills in parallel programming are essential, and experience with machine learning in materials science is considered a plus.

What we offer

Aalto University follows the salary system of Finnish universities. The starting level salary of a postdoc is approximately 3700 €/month (gross), with a possible increase based on experience. The positions are offered for an initial period of two years, with the possibility of extension. The annual workload of research and teaching staff at Aalto University is currently 1612 hours. The contract includes Aalto University occupational healthcare.

The primary workplace will be the Otaniemi Campus at Aalto University.

Ready to apply?

To apply for the position, please submit your application including the attachments mentioned below as one single PDF document in English through the link ’Apply now’ link at the bottom of the web page.

-  Letter of motivation
-  CV including list of publications
-  Degree certificates and academic transcripts
-  Contact details of at least two referees (or letters of recommendation, if already available)

For content-related questions about the positions, kindly contact Prof. Andrea Sand, while recruitment-related questions may be directed to HR Coordinator Lotta Maltolahti, at [email protected].

The deadline for applications is the 20th of February, 2022. The positions are available immediately, and will be filled as soon as suitable candidates are identified. Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the positions open, to extend the application period, reopen the application process, and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

Please note: Aalto University’s employees and visitors should apply for the position via our internal system Workday -> find jobs (not external aalto.fi webpage on open positions) by using their existing Workday user account.

Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos: Aalto University – Towards a better world , Aalto People , and Shaping a Sustainable Future .

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