Two doctoral positions in the research area of advanced microscopy and spectroscopy are available for candidates with background in (experimental) physics, physical chemistry, optical engineering or electronic engineering. For suitable PhD holders, one position can be converted to postdoctoral employment. The positions are part of the new collaborative research center (CRC) ‘Defects and Defect Engineering in Soft Matter’ funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Both projects will be carried out in the department of Molecular Spectroscopy (director Prof. Mischa Bonn) at the Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP), Mainz, Germany.
The first project ‘Optical super-resolution imaging in soft matter systems’ aims to develop novel correlative super-resolution imaging approaches and elucidate molecular photophysical properties, both of which are expected to benefit the collaborative research center as a whole, given that fluorescence probes are employed in several other sub-projects. The PhD student will build/optimize single molecule microscopy setup, develop the setup controlling system and analyze of the measured data, etc. There will be a student research assistant (master student) to help with sample preparation for imaging. This project will be supervised by the super-resolution microscopy group headed by Dr. Xiaomin Liu.
The second project ‘Interdisciplinary sensing and spectroscopy’ is hosted by the dynamic micro-spectroscopy group headed by Dr. Ronald Ulbricht, in close collaboration with the group of Prof. Dmitry Budker from the Helmholtz Institute Mainz, which works on quantum sensing methods using NV centers in diamond. The project will provide and develop advanced spectroscopy methods for various other projects of the collaborative research center. The PhD student will thus be part of an interdisciplinary network and exposed to a wide range of current topics in chemistry and material science, broadly related to the concept of defect engineering in soft matter. Apart from these collaborations, the student will also work on further developing our home-built setups, with an emphasis on combining nonlinear optical spectroscopy with microscopy.
For both projects, the ideal PhD candidate has an experimental background in physics, physical chemistry, optical engineering or electronic engineering, and holds a Master’s degree in one of these fields. For exceptional students, a Bachelor degree can be sufficient. The PhD studentship is funded according to the collective wage agreement for the public service with a 65% TVöD E13 salary. The ideal postdoc candidate has extensive experience in building and operating complex optical setups, as well as programming skills related to data acquisition and analysis.
Mainz is located next to Frankfurt, which has one of the largest airports in Europe, thus providing convenient international access. The picturesque Rheingau region provides various recreational opportunities and offers a high quality of life.
For the PhD position application, the following documents are needed:
- CV
- Letter of motivation
- Records on previous education and certificates (Master, Bachelor or Diploma)
- Proof of language skills (English and/or German, if applicable)
- Names of at least two references or two reference letters from former supervisors
Review of applications will start on 15 June 2023 and will continue until the position has been filled. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.
Earliest and preferred start date for this PhD program: 1 October 2023
Application Deadline: 31 Aug 2023 You can apply at the
GEFAM 