Assistant Professor in Physics with a focus on the development of materials for a sustainable society (PA2022/1981)

The Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research (www.sljus.lu.se ), with more than 50 PhD students and researchers, is part of the Department of Physics. Its research covers experimental studies of the formation as well as structural, electronic, magnetic, and chemical properties of materials, including a wide range of techniques at large-scale facilities. 

NanoLund (www.nano.lu.se ) is a government-funded strategic research area at Lund University, engaging approximately 150 PhD students and 250 researchers in the Faculties of Engineering, Science, and Medicine. It operates Lund Nano Lab, a state-of-the-art cleanroom for the synthesis, processing, and characterisation of compound semiconductor nanostructures.

The Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE, https://wise-materials.org ) is the largest-ever investment in materials science in Sweden and will encompass major efforts at six of Sweden’s leading universities over the course of (at least) 10 years. The aim is to create the conditions for a sustainable society by researching the next generation of eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes. WISE is funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Type of employment
Limit of tenure, 6 years, according to chapter 4, section 12a of the Higher Education Ordinance, with the opportunity to promotion to Senior Lecturer.

Job description
Employment as Assistant Professor is a career development position, where the holder is to be given the opportunity to develop his or her independence as a researcher and educator.

The principal duties cover research and education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The employment includes teaching equivalent to 20% of full time, calculated over the entire term of employment. The content of the work assignments, as well as the distribution and scope of research and teaching, may change during the term of employment.

The position is part of the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE). The successful applicant will be named a WISE Fellow and will, besides the support for own salary, receive a generous start-package including salary for 2 PhD students and 2 postdoctoral researchers. The WISE Fellow will participate in collaborations, education, and activities of the WISE programme.

The position will be placed at the Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research at the Department of Physics and invited into NanoLund. The environment is highly collaborative across divisions and departments. The applicant will have access to advanced cleanroom facilities, part of the excellent national infrastructure of cleanrooms, MyFab. It is the ambition of Lund University to establish internationally leading materials science in the Science Village area between the unique word class large-scale infrastructures MAX IV and ESS. The first step will be the construction of a new cleanroom (Nanolab) at Science Village, which will be followed by a new major campus area. It is envisioned that the applicant will be strongly involved in developing the future of the new cleanroom (Nanolab). Furthermore, the department hosts one of Sweden's largest facilities for scanning probe microscopy, laboratory facilities for THz and X-ray studies, and a wide range of advanced laser sources in Lund Laser Centre (LLC), which can be used by the applicant directly or through collaboration. The department also has theoretical activities related to e.g. materials dynamics and light-matter interaction.

The successful applicant will establish an experimental research programme developing novel nanostructured materials, going beyond existing activities, with applications that can significantly impact the sustainability of our society, as described in the WISE programme.  The collaborative research programme should create synergies with other experimental and theoretical efforts in Lund and make use of the crystal growth and processing capabilities of Lund Nano Lab and the characterisation techniques offered by NanoLund, MAX IV, and/or ESS. The research can explore architectures of mat­ter with dimensions ranging from Ångströms, via nano­structures and mesoscopic sizes, to the macroscopic scale, and include materials-defined func­tions at different dimensional levels. Examples may include: hybrid nanomaterials combining low-dimensional structures of different material types such as compound semiconductors with magnetic materials, complex oxides, or polymers; the design and fabrication of materials and devices that drastically reduce the environmental burden/help reach sustainable development goals; novel earth-abundant compound semiconductors; semiconductor nanomaterial technologies that work under harsh conditions for mitigating environmental effects or aiding sustainable production. Deposition tools available include e.g. pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), as well as a wide range of lithography and other equipment. Significant investments in additional infrastructure are envisioned. Ambitions for collaborations both within Lund University, with other universities in the WISE programme, and with industrial partners are seen as positive.

The teaching comprises courses on all levels, as well as supervision of Bachelor, Master, and PhD students.

Eligibility   
A person who holds a PhD or has the corresponding research expertise shall be qualified for an appointment as assistant professor. Priority should be given to candidates who have completed their degree or have obtained corresponding expertise no more than five years before the last date for applications. A person who has obtained a PhD or an equivalent expertise earlier may be eligible if there are special grounds.

The candidate shall hold a doctorate in physics, chemistry, materials science, or a related field (or a qualification equivalent to a doctorate). Further, the candidate shall have a research background in the development of nanostructured materials with significant potential impact on the sustainability of our society.

For academic staff at Lund University the general qualification requirements are to be suited to and having the general ability required to complete the duties of the post well.

Basis of Assessment
A very good ability to develop and carry out high-quality research and teaching is required. The main selection criteria for the position are scientific and pedagogic skills, with an emphasis on scientific skills. In the selection of candidates, the degree of research expertise within the subject of the position shall be very important and the applicant’s demonstrated ability to obtain external funding is of relevance. In addition, the ability to lead research projects, act as a leader in academia, interact with wider society, and provide public information on research will be considered.

The research strategy as described in the attached research plan is a particular important part of the evaluation. This must include:

• Relevance of the research programme for the specific thematic area of the position as well as the broader goals of Materials Science for Sustainability.
• A long-term vision of how the research programme will enable the discovery of atomic level precise nanostructured materials for sustainable technologies and applications.
• A long-term vision for how the applicant will contribute new research directions and applications to the environment and how these connect to present core competencies in nanostructures based on compound semiconductor materials.
• A strategy for the new research exploiting the present cleanroom as well as the future Nanolab at Science Village for the development of novel structured materials.
• A strategy for working across departments and involvement in major centres such as the national strategic area NanoLund and MAX IV/ESS as well as other universities in WISE.

Emphasis will also be put on the extent to which the applicant can contribute to the strengthening of the research and education activities at the Department of Physics. Experience of collaboration is of great importance. 

Mobility after the doctoral exam is a requirement. The candidate can fulfil this requirement by experience from a postdoctoral sojourn on a relevant topic at a university or research institute other than that at which the candidate received the doctoral degree or by having obtained the doctoral degree from a university other than Lund University.

The criteria for assessment of the pedagogical qualifications are:

• the ability to plan and implement teaching,
• the ability to supervise students,
• a reflecting approach to the students’ learning and the own role as a teacher.

The ability to develop into an academic leader can be demonstrated e.g. through experience in the leadership and organisation of research projects as well as national and international workshops and seminars.

Very good skills in English, both written and spoken, are a requirement for the position.

It is expected that any non-Swedish speaking appointee within a three-year period will master the Swedish language well enough to be able to teach and to communicate with the university administration in Swedish.

Promotion
An associate senior lecturer is to be promoted, on application, to employment as a senior lecturer on an indefinite-term contract if he or she has the qualifications required for the post and is assessed to be suitable in accordance with the qualification requirements and assessment criteria established by the Faculty of Science. An associate senior lecturer may only apply for promotion once.

Qualification requirements and assessment criteria for promotion to a permanent position as senior lecturer:

• Well documented research expertise is important for the discipline. The following criteria will be applied:

           - High national and international standing as a researcher
- High-quality publications in international research journals.
- Independent research profile.
- Qualifications corresponding to those of a reader.
- Participation in scholarly conferences or workshops.
- Research funding from national or international funding bodies.

• Well documented teaching expertise. The following criteria will be applied:

           - Good subject knowledge and documented experience of teaching at different levels of higher education.
- Documented ability to develop and renew courses and teaching methods.
- Documented ability to lead and organise education.
- Documented ability to supervise Master´s and PhD students.
- Five weeks´training in teaching and learning in higher education or the equivalent.

• An ability to interact with wider society and provide public information on current research and development.
• An ability to work as a leader in higher education, including leading research projects and participating in decision-making bodies at university, faculty or department level.

An application for promotion to a permanent position as senior lecturer is to be submitted to the faculty at the latest 6 months before the appointment as associate senior lecturer ends. The application for promotion is to be judged by the teacher’s appointment board after acquisition of the opinion of at least two experts on the subject.

Design and content of the application
The application is to be written in English. Instructions on how to write the application are found here. Your application should be compiled in one PDF file and submitted through Lund University's digital recruitment system Varbi on 15 August 2022, at the latest.