Assistant Professor in Physics with specialization in semiconductor photonics

Those who want to become a research leader of tomorrow in research, through pioneering projects and research ideas, have the opportunity to start as an assistant professor at Lund University. You develop your qualifications over a period of 6 years and can then be promoted to permanent employment as a senior lecturer and eventually professor. 

You will receive five weeks of training in teaching and learning in higher education and also get the opportunity to learn Swedish through the University’s Swedish language courses for new international staff. We offer you support for the move to Sweden. If you have a family, they will find new contacts and support through Lund’s International Citizen Hub.

The Swedish Research Council, Sweden's largest scientific funder, will announce attractive funding for assistant professors with an international background at the turn of the year 2025/2026. Lund University is now making a joint announcement that also aims to find candidates that the university can nominate to the Swedish Research Council at the end of 2025. 

Read more about the Swedish Research Council: https://www.vr.se/english.html  

Read more about the University joint announcement: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/shape-future-research

The subject area will be at the nexus of several strong centres and infrastructures with a shared vision to be one of Europe’s leading environments within semiconductor research. The interdisciplinary strategic research area NanoLund (https://www.nano.lu.se/) includes, for example, groups with internationally leading expertise in the synthesis, processing and characterization of III-V and III-Nitride materials. This includes access to a full range of equipment for semiconductor nanofabrication at Lund Nano Lab (https://www.nano.lu.se/labs/lund-nano-lab), a central key facility for fabrication of materials and devices on the nanoscale. The environment also hosts the Swedish Chips Competence Center and a recently started Pilote Line focused on wide band gap semiconductors funded by the European Chips Act. The research will also benefit from close collaborations with the Lund University profile area Light and Materials and with Lund Laser Centre (https://www.llc.lu.se/) that gathers internationally leading expertise and infrastructure in optics, spectroscopy, and lasers. Furthermore, the environment is active in large national funding programs, such as the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE) and the Wallenberg Center for Quantum Technology (WACQT), which may be attractive additional funding sources for this subject area.

The position is located at the Division of Solid State Physics (https://www.ftf.lth.se/) within the Physics Department, where extensive research is conducted centered on various aspects of nanophysics, ranging from materials science to quantum physics to various applications. The division, which consists of about 90 people, is also strongly involved in undergraduate education, especially within the “Engineering Nanoscience” program.

Subject

Physics with specialization in semiconductor photonics 

Subject description

The subject concerns experimental semiconductor physics and should be interpreted broadly in the field of quantum mechanical interaction of light and charge carriers in semiconductor-based nanostructures. Examples of possible research topics include:

• Photonics based on (ultra-)wide bandgap semiconductors such as GaN, GaOx, and AlN, including UV LEDs and/or lasers.
• On-chip photonics based on III-V semiconductors on Si.
• Quantum technology applications, including single-photon sources as well as qubits or sensors based on defects or heterostructures in (ultra-)wide bandgap semiconductors.
• Broadly optoelectronics and photonics based on novel and hybrid materials.

Work duties

As an assistant professor (associate senior lecturer), you will have the chance to apply a long-term focus on the challenging research questions you are passionate about. To qualify as a senior lecturer, you will also need to develop your teaching skills during your time as an assistant professor, learn Swedish for teaching, be a good colleague and show that you are good at interacting with the surrounding community. And, of course, you will also participate in the department’s everyday work and development. 

Work duties include:

• Research within the subject area.
• Teaching in the first, second and third cycles of studies.
• Supervision of degree projects and doctoral students.
• Actively seeking external research funding.
• Collaboration with industry and wider society.
• Administration related to the work duties listed above.

Qualification requirements 

You hold a doctoral degree or have corresponding research expertise in research areas relevant to the subject. We will primarily prioritise those applicants who have obtained a doctoral degree within the last 7 years from the closing date for applications for the position. If you have documents recognised in Sweden proving that there are special grounds, such as parental leave, military service or illness, after graduating that have prevented you from working as a researcher, the doctoral degree in the subject can in such cases have been awarded earlier.

Assessment criteria

For appointment to assistant professor, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and carry out high quality research.
• Teaching ability. 

Specific requirements

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Significant documented postdoctoral research experience.
• Significant documented research experience (e.g. from postdoc or doctoral studies) from another university/institute or relevant experience from industry/public sector.
• Relevant experience from research in physics outside Sweden.
• As part of the application, the applicant shall submit a research plan that clearly describes the research that will be conducted during the employment in the subject "Physics with specialization in semiconductor photonics". The plan should enable the formulation of at least one competitive research grant application. The plan shall also describe how the applicant's research can complement and strengthen the research at the Department of Physics and the strategic research area NanoLund (https://www.nano.lu.se). Furthermore, the research plan should describe relevant and realistic potential collaborations with existing research groups within NanoLund and whether, and if so how, the planned research can benefit from and interact with the nanofabrication laboratory Lund Nano Lab (https://www.nano.lu.se/labs/lund-nano-lab). The research plan will weigh heavily in the assessment of the application.
• Good communication skills.
• Good motivation and the ability to learn new languages.
• Documented good leadership skills, e.g. through elected office assignments, leadership courses and assessed leadership skills.
• Good collaborative skills, initiative and the ability to solve work tasks independently.
• Good ability to initiate, develop and implement high-quality research.
• Good teaching ability.

Additional qualifications – other credentials that we consider desirable

• Documented experience in project management.
• Documented experience of supervision and/or teaching.
• You contribute in a positive way to the work environment.
• You have obtained research funding from funding bodies outside Sweden.
• You currently hold an international position in the research field, and you have not received a salary or grant from Sweden since before 31 December 2021.
• It will be seen as highly positive if the research is synergistic with one of the many ongoing research activities within the Division of Solid State Physics, for example by utilizing the epitaxial growth of compound semiconductors..
   

The extent to which the applicant, through their experience and skills, may complement and strengthen ongoing research, undergraduate education, departmental innovation, and how they can contribute to the future development of the department will also be taken into consideration.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Terms of employment

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of 6 years. The employment is regulated in accordance with Chapter 4 Section 12a§ HEA. The purpose of the appointment is for the teacher to be given the opportunity to develop research autonomy and acquire the scholarly and teaching qualifications required for eligibility for appointment as a senior lecturer.

We offer 

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme.  Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about-university/work-lund-university. 

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English. Please draw up the application in accordance with LTH’s Academic qualifications portfolio – see link below. Upload the application as PDF-files in the recruitment system. Read more:

http://www.lth.se/english/working-at-lth/to-apply-for-academic-positions-at-lth/

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Promotion to Senior Lecturer in Physics with specialization in semiconductor photonics.

When you are an assistant professor, you can apply for promotion to permanent employment as a senior lecturer. You will undergo a special assessment to determine if you fulfil the faculty’s requirements for employment as a senior lecturer. It is important for you to know that you can only apply once for promotion and that you must apply for promotion at least six months before your employment as an assistant professor ends.

Qualification requirements

Appointment to senior lecturer requires that the applicant has: 

• A PhD or corresponding research competence or professional expertise considered important with regard to the subject matter of the post and the work duties it will involve.
• Demonstrated teaching expertise. 
• Completed five weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning, or acquired equivalent knowledge by other means. 
  
  

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria specify the aspects to be considered, and the level to be achieved, for the assessment criteria to be deemed fulfilled. The following assessment criteria must be fulfilled for appointment to senior lecturer:

• A good national and international standing as a researcher. The requirement for international experience shall be assessed with consideration to the character and traditions of the subject.
• Good teaching ability, including a good ability to conduct, develop and lead teaching and other educational activities on different levels and using a variety of teaching methods.
• An ability to supervise doctoral students to achieve a PhD.
• An ability to collaborate with wider society and communicate his or her activities.
• A general ability to lead and develop activities.

Additional requirements

• Good ability to collaborate, independence and drive.
• Progression in research and teaching expertise.
• Good ability to actively, independently and successfully apply for external funding.
• Ability to contribute to renewal of the activities.
• Ability to actively contribute to the creation and implementation of collaborations with other research groups in NanoLund.
• Sufficient knowledge of Swedish to carry out administrative and educational tasks that require an understanding of Swedish.