Postdoctor in experimental low temperature physics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The research at the division of Solid State Physics is focused around different aspects of semiconductor physics, ranging from materials science to quantum physics, to different applications. The division also leads NanoLund, the major interdisciplinary research environment within nanoscience and nanotechnology at Lund University. Lund Nano Lab is a central key facility for fabrication of material and devices on the nanoscale. The division is also heavily involved in the undergraduate education, especially within the “Engineering Nanoscience” program.

The last decade, our research within the area of one-dimensional semiconductor structures, so called nanowires, has been at the international forefront. So far, our three main areas have been epitaxial growth of nanowires, fundamental properties studied with transport physics and optical physics, and more applied nanoelectronics.

More information is found at: www.ftf.lth.se and www.nano.lu.se

Work duties

The main duties involved in a post-doctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to interact with the master students and the PhD students in the research group and contribute to meetings and seminars.

High degree of coherence and low relaxation are paramount for any application of quantum technology. In this project, we will utilize the cutting-edge expertise of growing heterostructured nanodevices such as heterostructure or polytype defined quantum dots in NanoLund to build coherent quantum devices for quantum sensing. Using the heterostructures allows for making hard-wall confinement to the dots instead of the smooth potential landscape that one has in the traditional gate defined dots. In this way, we will move toward firmly defined confinement potential as found in real atoms, which are known to have high coherence, while still working with solid-state devices that can be easily integrated. The work will be done by coupling charge and spin qubits of the nanowire devices to superconducting resonators and studying their interactions with circuit quantum electrodynamics techniques. We expect that, in addition to the coherence properties, for example the electron phonon coupling yields interesting properties for these devices: It is expected to differ significantly for the nanowire quantum dot devices that are not an integral part the substrate but rather free standing structures. This is expected to yield quantum sensing applications for example for vibration sensing in the long run.

Qualification requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

• The subject of the doctorate degree should be physics or equivalent with preferentially focus on low-temperature transport or high frequency studies of nanodevices.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Assessment criteria and other qualifications

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Teaching skills.

Additional assessment criteria:

• Good knowledge of quantum physics, ideally on quantum dot structures or similar.
• Experience on low-temperature techniques such as circuit QED and/or nanofabrication
• Ability to perform numerical and analytical calculations is considered as an advantage

The research is to a large extent interdisciplinary, and a broad competence profile and experiences from relevant areas of physics, high frequency electronics and nanoscience are of special value. Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO, dated 4 September 2008.

Instructions how to apply

Applications shall be written in English. LTH uses a special qualifications portfolio to report and document qualifications. Draw up the application in accordance with the following instructions: http://www.lth.se/index.php?id=71223

If the application is not designed in accordance with the academic qualifications portfolio it shall be compiled into a PDF containing a covering letter in which applicants describe themselves and their particular research interests, including contributions to the described research project (maximum 2 pages). Applications must also include a CV, publication list, a copy of the applicant’s doctoral thesis, contact details of at least two references, copies of grade certificates, and any other documents that the applicant wishes to refer to. Applicants are also required to answer the job specific questions in the final step of the application process.

Please attach necessary documents and attachments according to the application instructions for this employment (i.e. PhD thesis, publications, manuscript or similar. Please note that publications etc. must be attached as PDF´s or similar. Documents accessible through links, such as DOI´s are not accepted.