2 PhD positions within Center for Polariton-driven Light-Matter Interactions

POLIMA at the University of Southern Denmark) seeks outstanding candidates to fill two PhD positions within the four main research areas of the Center for Polariton-driven Light-Matter Interactions {POLIMA): 2D polaritons as probes of solid-state matter (e.g. quantum plasmonics), polaritons for chiral or quantum light sources, nonlinear polaritonics, and polariton-based metasurfaces. The positions concern both theoretical and experimental activities and are available from 1 April 2023 or as soon as possible.

Successful candidates will conduct cutting-edge research on one or more of the above-mentioned topics, under the supervision of one of the center’s key-investigators, Profs. N. Asger Mortensen, Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi, Joel D. Cox, Christian Wolff, Fei Ding, Shailesh Kumar, and Christos Tserkezis.

What we expect

Applicants for the PhD positions should have a bachelor’s degree in natural or technical sciences and should have completed (or provide proof of imminent completion) a relevant master’s degree. Prior research on the research topics of POLIMA is appreciated but not a prerequisite.

Professor N. Asger Mortensen is head of POLIMA, which currently consists of two Associate Professors, one Assistant Professor, two Postdoc’s, four PhD students plus administrative staff to support the center. POLIMA is a Center of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation for the next 6 years furthermore, several POLIMA researchers have attracted prestigious personal grants e.g., VILLLUM INVESTIGATOR, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship and Sapere Aude.

Link to website: https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/polima

What we offer

• A PhD position in an ambitious and supportive, international research environment 
• A strong supervisor team to support the academic development of Ph.D’s 
• Access to state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and infrastructure
• A competitive salary and social benefits (e.g. health coverage, parental leave, social security etc.) (https://www.sdu.dk/en/om_sdu/international_staff/on-arrival/salary )

Workplace description

POLIMA is located at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense – 1 hour 15 minutes by train from Copenhagen and Copenhagen Airport. University of Southern Denmark offers dedicated assistance and support with various practical, social, and legal aspects (housing, visa, administration, tax etc.), especially for international candidates through our international staff office (ISO) and the administrative staff at POLIMA.

Contact information

Further information about this position is available from Professor N. Asger Mortensen, email: [email protected] , phone: +45 9350 7139

Conditions of employment
Applicants are required to have a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) at the time of enrollment and employment. Employment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position (start salary amounts to approx. 3.378,- EURO per month incl. supplements).

Employment of a PhD fellow can only happen after the Head of the PhD School has approved the candidate for admission to the PhD school. Employment and enrollment will cease without further notice at the end of the period.

A PhD fellow is not allowed to have any kind of sideline employment , while enrolled as PhD fellow at the faculty.

Employment is governed by the Protocol on PhD Research Fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Please check links for more information on salary and taxation .

The successful candidate will be enrolled at SDU in accordance with Faculty regulations and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities (PhD order), read more here . 

The assessment process
Read about the Assessment and selection process . Shortlisting may be used. 

Application procedure
The Faculty expects applicants to read the Faculty information for prospective PhD students and the SDU information on How to apply before applying.

If you experience technical problems, you must contact [email protected] .  

The application deadline is 20.02.2023.

The application must be in English and must include the following - the required forms must be found at the Faculty website :

• Completed TEK PhD application form for 5+3 applicants. Find the form at the Faculty website .
• Motivation letter stating your specific interest, motivation and qualifications for the project in question. Prior contact with any of the key investigators is highly recommended and should be described in the motivation letter.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae, describing research, publication and teaching experience, computational skills and including personal contact information.
• Verified copies of the official bachelor diploma and master's diploma and transcripts of exams, both the original documents and in professional English translation.
• Completed TEK PhD form for calculation grade point average. Find the form at the Faculty website . Upload in one of the fields called “Publication”. 
• An official document describing the grading scheme of the awarding universities (if not Danish). Upload in one of the fields called “Publication”. 
• An official and verified written assessment of the thesis or dissertation project from the grade giving institution, if the thesis/examination project is evaluated by approved/passed. The statement must clearly state that the candidate has been among the top 30 pct. in the graduation class for the study programme.
• List of publications describing explicitly the candidate’s contributions. Maximum 2 examples of relevant publications in case you have any publications. Please attach one pdf-file for each publication.
• Two recommendation letters.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.