Early Stage Researcher / Master student at the Trinity College Dublin

For the EU-funded MSCA-ITN-2020 project entitled "Developing optoelectronics in two-dimensional semiconductors" (project acronym "2Exciting", GA 956813) , we offer 1 position as Early Stage Researcher / Master student at the Trinity College Dublin Partner site, starting indicatively on 1st of April, 2022 for 29 months.

The project is funded by the MARIE SKŁODOWSKA CURIE Innovative Training Network (ITN) within the Horizon 2020 Programmme of the European Commission.

ITN 2Exciting combines complementary experimental and theoretical expertise to investigate fundamental optoelectronic properties of 2D semiconductors (2DS) and to develop novel methods to manipulate them towards providing added functionalities to 2DS based optoelectronic devices. This network blends together 8 academic groups that are amongst the key players in the field of 2D materials beyond graphene and 8 companies with very diverse profiles ranging all the way from knowledge transfer and R&D to soft-skills. Together, the researchers will study the fundamental physics of the light-matter interaction in 2DS, develop innovative optoelectronic devices such as excitonic switches, strain-actuated optical modulators, or valleytronic switches, and develop strategies to artificially tailor the optoelectronic properties of 2DS through electrostatic or chemical doping, strain engineering or the twisting angle of stacked layers.

ITN 2Exciting trains in total 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the state-of-the-technique experimental and theoretical tools in the field of electronic and optoelectronic devices based on 2DS and related materials preparation, nanoscopy, and optical spectroscopy techniques. Active participation of the involved non-academic partners, will provide training both on specific technology issues and on complementary skills such as technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and public outreach. The specialized training programme offered by the unique complementary consortium within the 2Exciting network will prepare the ESRs for their professional careers in the growing field (both in the academic and industrial sectors) of 2D materials.

ESR Master Project Description: The work in the general area of advanced electron microscopy characterisation of 2D materials will be carried out in the research group of Prof. Valeria Nicolosi at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland (tcd.ie) ; Home : Characterisation & Processing of Advanced Materials:Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland (tcd.ie) .

The project will focus on the advanced characterisation of as-synthetised and exfoliated 2D materials, as well as devices, by aberration-corrected electron microscopy.

Atomic resolution studies on the exfoliated materials are paramount to characterize the hitherto unknown atomic structure of the nanosheets and to study possible structural defects introduced via exfoliation and the crystallographic stacking that occurs when materials consist of only a few layers. A unique aspect of this proposed work is to combine HRTEM and high-angle-annular-dark-field (HAADF) STEM. The project will be carried out on TCD’s aberration-corrected NION UltraSTEM200 microscope.

Requirements: The ideal candidate will have a University degree (MSc degree or equivalent) with a minimum of a II.1 Class Honours Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science or a related discipline. You should be well-organised and self-motivated with excellent oral and communication skills. Strong laboratory skills are required.

Please feel welcome to contact Prof. Valeria Nicolosi ([email protected] ) for further information. The ESR will be enrolled in one of the MSc programmes at Trinity College Dublin.

Eligibility: Applicants may be of any nationality. In compliance with the mobility rule, they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies etc.) in the country of the host institution for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays such as holidays are not taken into account. Applicants must, at the date of recruitment, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have NOT been awarded a doctoral degree. ‘Date of Recruitment’ means the first day of the employment of the researcher (i.e. contract starting date). Applications from women are particularly welcome. The same applies to people with disabilities.

Requirements: University degree in a relevant field such as physics, chemistry, materials science or nanoengineering. Applicants should be ambitious, curious, creative, energetic and bright minds with strong eagerness to take part in the research and training activities of this project, and should have excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language. Candidates will be integrated in an international multi-disciplinary team and shall therefore have good two-way communication skills and be able to work in a team.

Recruitment and working conditions: The recruitment will follow the principles of the European Charter and Code of Conduct . The ESR will work on an individual research project. A personal career development plan will be established and its implementation will be supported. International and intersectoral secondments (from academia to industry or vice versa), most of them for a duration of up to 6 months, are envisaged for the recruited researchers. The ESR will receive a salary, including a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if eligible).

The application should include a CV and a motivation letter; publication list and reference letters can be also requested. Please submit your complete application by the 15th of December 2021 to itn-2exciting (at) tu-dresden.de as a single pdf document AND to the PI, Professor Valeria Nicolosi ([email protected] ).