PhD Position at Center for Quantum Spintronics (QuSpin)

About the job

A PhD position is available at the Center of Quantum Spintronics which is part of the Department of Physics, NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. The candidates will join and become part of an international research environment in quantum condensed matter theory and experiments.

The PhD position has a duration of three years with the possibility of up to one-year extension with 25% teaching duties in agreement with the department.

About QuSpin

QuSpin carries out research in theoretical as well as experimental fields. QuSpin`s principal goal is to describe, characterize, and develop recently identified quantum approaches to control electric signals, conceptually different from those existing today.

QuSpin, a Center of Excellence, is funded by the Research Council of Norway. QuSpin is managed by a Center Director, a center coordinator and has three principal investigators.

QuSpin currently has 9 permanent and associate professors, 2 professor II, 2 senior researchers, 22 PhD students and 4 postdoctoral researchers from 9 different nations working on various aspects of low-dissipation spintronics..

For further inquiries and information, please contact professor Asle Sudbø at [email protected]

Duties of the position

At QuSpin, our theory activity focuses on developing models for the utilization of spins and other quantum degrees of freedom in magnetic insulators, topological insulators, and superconductors.

The candidate will contribute to these developments with a particular focus on topological superconductivity mediated by non-abelian and topologically non-trivial bosons including magnons. An important part of the research will be to elucidate the deeper connection between the non-abelian and topological character of the bosons, and the nontrivial topology of the superconducting order. Further deep questions include if and precisely how a non-trivial topological invariant of the ground states of the bosons influence the non-trivial topology of the superconducting state. Both weak-coupling and strong-coupling frameworks will be employed in this project, as well as the use of effective field theories and the renormalization group. 

The aim is to develop a new or improved understanding of topologically protected low-dissipative spin transport, spin dynamics, and spin-induced electron correlations in novel hybrid systems. Such insight can assist in developing new concepts in non-equilibrium physics and transport, where only spins flow, but no electric charges can move or in creating systems where electrons acquire radical new behaviors

Required selection criteria

• The applicant for the PhD position must have an MSc (or equivalent) in physics or nanotechnology or a closely related field. We require a solid background in condensed matter theory or related theoretical areas in physics or nanotechnology. We will not consider candidates with a PhD degree for the PhD positions.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• The position requires spoken and written fluency in the English language. Such evidence might be represented by the results of standard tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). The candidate`s language skills might also be assessed in a personal interview.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with  Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant  

Preferred selection criteria

• Preference will be given to candidates who can document a background that is particularly relevant for ongoing research projects at Qu Spin and particularly relevant to the announced position. This includes  working knowledge of quantum magnetism, phase-transitions in condensed matter systems, superconductivity, and field-theory techniques.

Personal characteristics

The successful candidate is a hardworking, ambitious, positive individual with integrity and solid work ethics. The candidate should be able to work well independently as well as with others in a team.

We offer

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 501 200 per annum before tax. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years with the possibility of up to one-year extension with 25% teaching duties in agreement with the department.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in physics  within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants , and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include : 

• CV, certificates and diplomas. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• Name and address of three referees, including recommendation letters if possible. If you have publications or other relevant research work.
• If you have publications or other relevant research work.

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.  

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation . You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Asle Sudbø, e-mail: [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Magnus Gautvik, e-mail: [email protected]

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 22.01.23

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Physics

Our research and teaching are both experimental and theoretical, covering a wide range of disciplines. Our activities contribute to development of new medical technology and to finding solutions for the next generation’s communication technology, energy utilization and development of materials. The Department of Physics  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences .

Deadline 22nd January 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service