PhD computational physical chemistry: modeling air-water interface

PhD position in computational physical chemistry: modeling air-water interface for medical applications of low temperature plasmas

Department(s)

Applied Physics and Science Education

Reference number

V34.5665

We seek to hire a PhD candidate to computationally investigate fundamental physical and chemical processes which occur due to application of low temperature plasmas to water.

Research Summary

In physics, “plasma” is a special excited gas, sometimes named “the fourth state of matter”, which is generated by supplying sufficient energy to the gas. Low temperature atmospheric pressure plasmas are specific types of plasmas which are typically generated by applying electromagnetic fields to matter, and they are therefore not in thermodynamic equilibrium. In many cases, average electron energy is significantly higher than the energy of heavy particles. This allows plasma sources to produce a chemically rich environment very close to room temperature; a condition which enables the delivery of reactive species in a non-destructive and beneficial way to different surfaces, even to extremely heat sensitive ones, such as organic tissues. This is where, the new field of “plasma medicine” emerges which investigates the application of plasmas to biological targets for sterilization, wound healing, blood coagulation, drug delivery, cancer treatment, contamination control, food preservation, etc.

The PhD candidate is expected to employ methods such as Density Functional Theory (DFT), and molecular dynamics (MD) to model air-water interface with the specific application of plasma medicine in mind.

The research will be carried out at the Elementary Processes in Gas Discharges (EPG ) group at the Applied Physics Department of the Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands) and is in collaboration with Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS).

In addition to research, you will also contribute to education within the department of Applied Physics. Apart from supervising BSc and MSc students in their research projects, other assistance in education, e.g., in bachelor courses, is usually limited to around 5% of your contract time.

Interactions

In this project you will interact with members of ICMS Immuno-engineering Program at TU/e. In addition, you have the opportunity to participate with national and international schools, workshops and conferences.

We are looking for a candidate that meets the following requirements:

• A solid background including master’s degree in a relevant field (material science, physics, chemistry, plasma chemistry).
• A research-oriented attitude.
• A strong interest in method development and implementation (Python, C++).
• Being enthusiastic about collaboration with experimentalists.
• Good communication skills, and proficiency in English.
• Experience with the use of standard quantum chemistry software, as well as molecular dynamics packages is of advantage.
• Experience with plasma modelling is of advantage.

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the possibility to present your work at international conferences.
• A full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months.
• To develop your teaching skills, you will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• To support you during your PhD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will make a Training and Supervision plan and you will have free access to a personal development program for PhD students (PROOF program ).
• A gross monthly salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
• Should you come from abroad and comply with certain conditions, you can make use of the so-called ‘30% facility’, which permits you not to pay tax on 30% of your salary.
• A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.

More information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact
Behnaz Bagheri (b.bagheri[at]tue.nl) at the department of Applied Physics.

For information about terms of employment, please click here  or contact HRServices.flux[at]tue.nl.

Please visit www.tue.nl/jobs and www.tue.nl/en/education/graduate-school/  to find out more about working at TU/e!

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the 'apply now'-button on this page.
The application should include a:

• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of
  three references.
• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Brief description of bachelor or master thesis.
• A list of courses and grades during relevant studies, including GPA in its local scale.

We look forward to your application.
We will screen your application as soon as possible and the vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.

We do not respond to applications that are sent to us in a different way.

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