The School of Engineering at EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) invite applications for a joint position of tenure-track assistant professor at EPFL and group leader at PSI, in the field of materials characterization using large scale facilities.

Description:

They seek exceptional individuals who will develop and drive a research program at the forefront of the discipline, who have strong dedication to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and who will be proactive members of their professional and university communities. Successful applicants will also be expected to deepen collaborations and nurture novel synergies between EPFL and PSI.

Top-level applications are invited in the engineering of materials via a core competence in characterization using large scale facilities such as the SLS synchrotron, the SwissFEL free electron laser and the SINQ neutron source. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: innovative in-situ and in-operando mechanical, microstructural, compositional or phase transition analysis of materials, high resolution 3D imaging, and advanced optics, data analytics and software development for materials, device and system characterization. In addition, an approach for advancing the field of materials characterization not only to unravel fundamental materials behavior, but also to address materials challenges related to advanced manufacturing is encouraged.

Task:

As a faculty member of the Institute of Materials at EPFL, and group leader at PSI, the successful candidate will be expected to initiate a world-class, independent, and creative research program, as well as to promote the PSI program for industrial and academic exploitation of its large facilities. She/he will also participate in undergraduate and graduate teaching at EPFL. Internationally competitive salaries, start-up resources and benefits will be offered.

Application:

Applications should include a cover letter with a statement of motivation, curriculum vitae, list of publications and patents, concise statements of research and teaching interests, and the names and addresses of at least three referees. Applications must be uploaded in PDF format to the recruitment web site:

https://facultyrecruiting.epfl.ch/position/23691273

The Institute for Applied Materials - Materials and Biomechanics (IAM-WBM) at KIT is looking for a group leader for in situ electron microscopy.

Description:

Head of the working group: Quality control, Project management and you are responsible for the supervision of nanomechanical experiments in the scanning electron microscope, including user training, supervision and evaluation.

Your profile:

You have a scientific university degree (diploma (university) / master's) with a focus on materials science / material physics as well as a completed doctorate. Several years of professional experience in the field of nanomechanics / electron microscopy is essential. We assume a solid basic mechanical understanding as well as specialist knowledge in the physics of electron microscope. The ability to work in a team and very good language skills (English / German), both spoken and written, complete your profile.

Further information and application are available at the following address: here.

The Department Structure and Nano-/Micromechanics of Materials (Prof. G. Dehm) of the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, offers a PhD or a postdoc on:

“In situ SEM and TEM based nanomechanical testing under extreme loading conditions”

Description:

You will work on mechanical deformation behaviour of materials at small length scales with a special emphasis on extreme deformation conditions – high/cryo temperatures and high strain rate combinations. You will perform advanced insitu micromechanical experiments inside scanning electron microscope (SEM) using state-of-the-art nanomechanical testers. Also, you will be involved in the development and implementation of complementary in situ testing equipment for transmission electron microscope (TEM), in collaboration with industrial partners. You will disseminate the outcome of your research in the form of scientific publications and present them at international scientific conferences.

Application:

More information on the Institut, your profile and application are available at the following address: here.

A two-year post-doctoral position is available at the Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites (LPAC, Institute of Materials, EPFL).

Subject:

The objective is to develop parylene-based multilayer barrier films for the encapsulation of future active implants that are minimally invasive, durable and biointegrated, in close collaboration with the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces (LSBI-EPFL) and the Swiss company Comelec.

Task:

Focus of the postdoctoral activity will be on the development of a robust accelerated aging protocol based on a novel ultrasensitive permeation measurement method. The research work will also include detailed analyses and modeling of the process-structure-property relations for the multilayer film architectures.The candidate must possess a solid background in physical chemistry and/or materials science, with an excellent knowledge of transport phenomena, interfacial chemistry and corrosion of metals, and a genuine interest for multiphysics modeling.

He or she will integrate and actively collaborate with a team of specialists in processing and characterization of flexible thin film devices and will be responsible for:

• the development and implementation of a novel permeation measurement method;
• the creation of a robust protocol for accelerated testing of soft implantable electronics;
• the experimental characterization of the microstructure of the multilayer films and their mechanical and diffusion barrier properties using state of the art methods;
• the optimization of the multilayer structure in view of its application to soft bioelectronic devices. Mastering of the English language is also required.

Application:

Please send your application with the subject line «Postdoctoral position on multilayer thin film devices» to yves.leterrier@epfl.ch

A single pdf file containing all the required information (incomplete applications will not be considered). It shall include a motivation letter, a detailed CV and the names and contact details of three reference persons.

Further information available in the following document: « LPAC-EPFL Postdoctoral position on multilayer thin film devices.pdf »

The University Sorbonne Paris Nord (USPN, France) in partnership with the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI, Italy) are looking for a PhD student on : 

Subject: " Towards new multi elemental amorphous thin films with enhanced mechanical properties and thermal stability ''

Short description:

Thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) are object of increasing scientific interest due to their excellent mechanicalproperties, e.g. yield strength close to the theoretical limit (>3 GPa) and large elastic deformation (~5%). Moreover, their disordered atomic structure is at the origin of unique functional properties including corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However, the research on the synthesis and characterization of TFMGs is in a preliminary phase, preferring investigations on bulk counterparts. In this context, this project focuses on synthesis of metallic films with disordered structure at the nanoscale obtained through vapor phase deposition techniques and on the investigation of relationship between atomic structure–mechanical properties–thermal stability.

PhD tasks:

• TFMG deposition by magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser deposition with different composition and thickness;
• Study of the structural/mechanical properties and thermal stability;
• Design of engineered TFMGs with enhanced mechanical properties/thermal stability and characterization.

Further information and application:

For further information and application please send your CV, your exam scores (bachelor and master) and max 2 reference contacts/letters to: Dr. Matteo Ghidelli (matteo.ghidelli@lspm.cnrs.fr) and Prof. Damien Faurie (faurie@univ-paris13.fr)

More information on the subject, supervision, funding are available in the following document: « PhD position UFI_USPN-POLIMI.pdf »