Doctoral scholarship holder transmission electronmicroscopy, joining the eBEAM project: measuring the unmeasurable

Department: Department of Physics
Regime Full-time

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The EMAT research group from the Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science is looking for a full-time (100%)

Doctoral scholarship holder in the field of transmission electron microscopy, joining the eBEAM project: measuring the unmeasurable.

Project description

EMAT (Electron Microscopy for Materials Science) has an open position for a PhD student in the framework of a large EU project (eBEAM) with 8 partners aiming to "measure the unmeasurable". The project aims to bring together the benefits of electron beams with those of photon based measurement setups and hereby develop new measurement schemes to explore the dynamic response of materials at the nanoscale. Typically, electron beam methods excel in providing the ultimate spatial resolution due to their de Broglie wavelength that ranges in the picometer level. Photons on the other hand, have often a much large wavelength which limits their spatial resolution but modern optical sources offer extreme precise energy definition which makes them great for exploring the frequency dependent response of materials. Both electron and photon beams however interact with materials via time dependent EM fields and the question arose whether we can not combine the benefits of both with novel setups.

The role of this PhD in the project is to develop methods to probe acoustical phonons in materials in the Mhz-Ghz range with time modulated electron beam setups and to explore the role of temporal coherence between electron scattering (excitation from ground state) and photons being emitted (de-excitation to ground state) from a material. This will require the development of new electron optical elements for the modulation and demodulation of electron beams in the radio frequency range, the understanding of the physical interaction, simulations to optimise the parameters of the setup and application of the novel setups to relevant materials.

Research group

EMAT is one of the leading electron microscopy centres in the world and has a vast expertise in both fundamental and applied electron microscopy. EMAT has several state of the art electron microscopes including two aberration corrected, high end FEI-Titan instruments, a dual beam FIB, an environmental SEM, ... More about us at our webpage .

Position

• You work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis.
• You publish scientific articles related to the research project.
• You present your work at national and international workshops and conferences.
• You will work under the supervision of Prof Jo Verbeeck (University of Antwerp).

Profile

• You hold a Master degree in Physics, (Electronic) Engineering, Materials Science or Materials Engineering or you will have obtained it by the time you start working.
• You can demonstrate excellent study results.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies .
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• You like to think of creative solutions, and are eager to create new instruments hands-on and to develop and maintain the code that drives them.

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of 1 year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another 3 years.
• The planned start date is January 1st 2022 at earliest.
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts  for doctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for contract research staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• You will have the opportunity to be immersed in a world-class, dynamic and stimulating work environment with state-of-the-art instrumentation and computing facilities (see also http://www.emat.uantwerpen.be/  ).
• You will do most of your work at campus Groenenborger in a dynamic and stimulating working environment, with frequent visits and interactions with the group
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here .

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including January 10, 2022. Click on the 'Apply' button, complete the online application form and be sure to include the following attachments:
  • a motivation letter,
  • your academic CV (including followed courses, honours, previous work, programming skills, publications, …)
  • a weblink to a short video introducing yourself,
  • a list and grades of the courses from that you took during your studies (Bachelor and Master)
  • contact info of 2 professional referees.
• The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision has been made, we will inform you about the next steps in the selection procedure.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions  or send an email to [email protected] . Additional information about job itself can be obtained from: Prof. Jo Verbeeck, [email protected]

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award  for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity  and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.