Job opening doctoral researchers / PhD students in the area of atomic-precision synthesis and exploration of new planar carbon lattices

The Research Training Group on Planar Carbon Lattices (RTG2861-PCL) will offer 14 positions as Doctoral Researcher/PhD student starting April 1, 2023 and comprising 75 % of the full-time weekly hours.The employment contract is initially limited for 36 months, but ends prematurely at the end of the month, in which the last oral examination and the announcement of the overall result of the doctorate takes place.

Job description

RTG2861-PCL is a collaboration between Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) and Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and is funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Our goal is to achieve atomic-precision synthesis and exploration of new planar carbon lattices (PCLs) for next-generation quantum materials, functional precision membranes, optoelectronic and electrochemical devices, by employing advanced experimental and theoretical methods in an interdisciplinary approach bridging synthetic chemistry, condensed-matter physics, and materials science. Our dual-site TUD & FAU collaboration will establish the standard in research-based education in the field of PCL by combining our expertise in synthesis, function exploration, and theoretical description, and by exploiting the complementarity in laboratory equipment available at our institutions.

Necessary qualifications

• Very good university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in chemistry, physics, or materials sciences; Specialization in synthetic chemistry, physical chemistry, theoretical chemistry/physics, condensed-matter physics or nanosciences
• Excellent results on individual performance criteria (e.g., manuscript/publication resulting from Master thesis, awards) and timely completion of higher education
• Strong motivation to independently conduct research and to work in interdisciplinary collaborations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language
• One-page motivation letter specifying your reasons for joining our team, which two of the fourteen topics of RTG2861-PCL you are most interested in and why, and your preferred supervisor.
• Letter of recommendation from the supervisor of the master thesis

We expressly encourage women to apply and we welcome applications from candidates with disabilities.

Further information

All 14 open positions, with their project number and specific requirements are listed at https://rtg2861-pcl.chm.tu-dresden.de/joboffer/.

Recruitment and working conditions: The positions will be located in Dresden (7 positions at TUD) and Erlangen (7 positions at FAU). Each doctoral researcher will be recruited under an employment contract with one of the two universities and will work on an individual research project. He/she will be enrolled in a doctoral programme at TUD or FAU, and will pursue a doctoral degree. The period of employment will be governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz-WissZeitVG).

The application should include your CV, your one-page motivation letter as described in the General requirements, your Master/diploma certificate and transcript of grades, a letter of recommendation from the supervisor of your master thesis and, if available, a link to your Master’s or diploma thesis. Please submit your complete application to rtg2861-pcl@tu-dresden.de as a single pdf-document quoting the project number(s) RTG2861-Xx (see below) in the subject header. The closing date for applications is February 3rd, 2023. The recruitment process will continue until the positions are filled and applications after the deadline may be also considered.

List of positions
All 14 open positions, with their project number and specific requirements are listed below:

• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-A1 (PI: Dr. Renhao Dong, TUD)
  Thesis Topic: Synthesis of multicomponent 2D c-MOFs with atomic precision
  Specific requirements: Experience with synthesis of conjugated molecules and 2D MOFs or construction of vdW heterostructures and the related devices for investigating interface-transport properties.
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-A2 (PI: Prof. Dr. Xinliang Feng, TUD)
  Thesis Topic: Synthetic strategies and methods for topological GNRs with heteroatom doping and non-hexagonal rings
  Specific requirements: Expertise in the bottom-up organic/polymer synthesis and characterization of large aromatic compounds, graphene molecules or nanoribbons
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-A3 (PI: Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch, FAU)
  Thesis Topic: Covalent patterning of graphene
  Specific requirements: Experience in synthetic organic chemistry and basic insights into modern spectroscopic and microscopic methods.
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-A4 (PI: Prof. Dr. Stefan Kaskel, TUD)
  Thesis Topic: Synthesis of 2D carbon materials from highly reactive precursors
  Specific requirements: Knowledge in the field of materials synthesis and characterization is advantageous. The candidate is expected to have expertise or quickly become familiar with powder X-ray diffraction, SEM and electrochemical characterization techniques.
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-A5 (PI: Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Steinrück, FAU)
  Thesis Topic: Metal-coordinated porous structures on metal surfaces
  Specific requirements: Experience in/with ultrahigh vacuum-based surface science, scanning tunneling microscopy and or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-B1 (PI: Prof. Dr. Marcus Halik, FAU)
  Thesis Topic: Devices of PCLs grown on SAMs
  Specific requirements: Experience in/with semiconductor processing (PVD, CVD, lithography) and electrical characterization of devices
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-B2 (PI: Prof. Dr. Thomas Heine, TUD)
  Thesis Topic: Topological GNRs and patterned graphene with large gap
  Specific requirements: Experience in theoretical chemistry or theoretical physics (solid state), electronic structure calculations, scientific computing and solid background in mathematics
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-B3 (PI: Prof. Dr. Sabine Maier, FAU)
  Thesis Topic: Topological GNRs: On-surface synthesis and electronic structure
  Specific requirements: Interest in surface physics/chemistry and high-resolution low-temperature scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-B4 (PI: Prof. Dr. Heiko Weber, FAU)
  Thesis Topic: Multi-observable investigation of electron tunnelling
  Specific requirements: Experience in experimental solid-state physics
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-C1 (PI: Prof. Dr. Eike Brunner, TUD)
  Thesis Topic: In situ NMR spectroscopy of electroadsorption processes
  Specific requirements: Strong interest and background in physical chemistry, desirable would be experience with analytical techniques, especially spectroscopy.
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-C2 (PI: Dr. Dorothea Golze, TUD)
  Thesis Topic: Development of the GW+C method for core levels
  Specific requirements: We are looking for a motivated candidate, preferentially with theoretical background and strong interest in electronic-structure theory and code development. Basic programming skills are expected.
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-C3 (PI: Prof. Dr. Dirk Guldi, FAU)
  Thesis Topic: Excitons, biexcitons, trions and their trapping in PCLs
  Specific requirements: Experience in time-resolved spectroscopy and data analysis by means of Glotaran
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-C4 (PI: Prof. Dr. Janina Maultzsch, FAU)
  Thesis Topic: Vibrational signatures of edge topology in novel GNRs
  Specific requirements: Experience with optical spectroscopy and low-dimensional materials, strong background in solid-state physics, interest in numerical simulations.
  
• 1 Doctoral Researcher for project #RTG2861-C5 (PI: Prof. Dr. Inez Weidinger, TUD)
  Thesis Topic: Operando spectroelectrochemistry of printed PCL electrodes
  Specific requirements: Experience in electrochemistry and/or vibrational spectroscopy would be desirable.