3 PhD positions ’Quantitative in situ electron microscopy of metal halide perovskite materials’

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3 PhD positions "Quantitative in situ electron microscopy of metal halide perovskite materials"

Department: Department of Physics
Regime Full-time

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The EMAT research group at the Faculty of Science (University of Antwerp) is seeking to fill 3 PhD positions in the area of “Quantitative in situ electron microscopy of metal halide perovskite materials” under the supervision of Prof Sara Bals, Prof Van Aert and Prof Verbeeck.

The vacancy is situated in a multidisciplinary project in collaboration with UGhent (Centre for Molecular Modelling – Prof V. Van Speybroeck) and KULeuven (Photomat – Prof Hofkens, Prof Roeffaers).

Light detection and emission are crucial for displays, medical and security scanners. Given the societal relevance, there is an emerging need for novel opto-electronic materials with higher conversion efficiency and lower production cost. Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are promising high-performance semiconductors due to their strong absorption and emission in a broad spectral range and their ease of manufacturing. So far, integration in opto-electronic devices was hampered by inherent stability issues such as the degradation from the optically active “black” phase into an inactive phase. In this project, we will explore a fundamentally new route to stabilize the black phase under ambient conditions. The role of the PhD candidates is to develop and apply novel low-dose electron microscopy techniques and perform a quantitative analysis of the obtained data. The specific job descriptions for each position can be found below.

Research group

EMAT is one of the leading electron microscopy centers in the world and has a vast expertise in both fundamental and applied electron microscopy. EMAT has several state of the art electron microscopes including two aberration corrected, high end FEI-Titan instruments, a dual beam FIB, an environmental SEM,... More about us at our webpage .

Position 1 (Promotor S. Bals, Co-promotor M. Roeffaers)

• You will develop and apply low-dose TEM techniques such as exit wave reconstruction and integrated differential phase contrast imaging to investigate CsPbI₃ thin films without electron beam damage.
• You will expand these techniques to 3 dimensions using electron tomography approaches.
• You will combine all of the novel methodologies with in situ investigation using different dedicated holders (eg strain, bias, gas, heating).

Position 2 (Promotor S. Van Aert, Co-promotor V. Van Speybroeck)

• You will develop quantitative methods to analyse and correctly interpret low-dose TEM data. Because of the low electron dose that is required to image the MHPs without beam damage, the resulting images will exhibit very low signal-to-noise ratio and extremely weak contrast, which makes this research very challenging.
• You will use statistics-based methods to measure unknown structure parameters, including atom positions, atom types, and number of atoms along the viewing direction. These measurements need to be done as accurately and precisely as possible, which is essential for the interaction with Prof. Van Speybroeck.
• You will investigate the possibilities of applying the concept of deep learning. By training a convolutional neural network, in which detailed image simulations are used as an input, we expect to be able to reliably locate even the lightest atomic elements.
• You will introduce and apply new quantitative analysis tools to track changes in the atomic structure over time under operando conditions.
• You will closely collaborate with PhD1 who is responsible for the experimental acquisition of the TEM data.

Position 3 (Promotor J. Verbeeck, Co-promotor J. Hofkens)

• You will develop and explore electron diffraction in a novel SEM based setup and apply it to the study of the MHPs covering a wide length scale from mm to nm.
• You will investigate the potential of using the electron beam to alter and pattern the structure of these materials.
• You will determine strain and grain distribution over macroscopic scales to reach an understanding of the microstructure and the relation with its macroscopic properties.
• You will investigate creative solutions to perform such measurements in conditions that most closely resemble the actual working conditions of these materials.
• You are responsible for the design of novel setups, the actual recording of data and the scientific analysis in close collaboration with the other PhD candidates in the project.

General

• You prepare a doctoral thesis in the field of sciences.
• You publish scientific articles related to the research project of the assignment.
• You present your work at national and international workshops and conferences.

Profile

• You hold a Master’s degree with background in e.g. physics, applied physics, materials science or artificial intelligence.
• You can demonstrate excellent study results.
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies .
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• You are enthusiastic and greatly interested in electron microscopy.
• You can submit outstanding academic results.
• You are highly motivated, quality-oriented, conscientious, creative and cooperative.
• You have affinity with experimental work and show good practical skills (PhD1 and PhD3 ).
• You are greatly interested in the quantitative analysis of electron microscopy data (PhD2 ).

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of 1 year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another 3 years.
• an exciting project in which we will aim to go significantly beyond the state-of-the-art.
• The preffered start date is between 1st of June 2021 and 1st of July 2021 but will be adapted to the selected candidate’s availability.
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for contract research staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• You will have the opportunity to be immersed in a world-class, dynamic and stimulating work environment with state-of-the-art instrumentation and computing facilities (see also ?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emat.uantwerpen.be%2F&module=jobs&id=4467" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.emat.uantwerpen.be/ ).
• You will do most of your work at campus Groenenborger in a dynamic and stimulating working environment, with frequent visits and interactions with the group
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here .

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform until 29 April 2021. Click on the 'Apply' button, complete the online application form and be sure to include the following attachments:
  • a motivation letter (please state for which of the 3 positions you are applying),
  • your academic CV (including followed courses, honours, previous work, programming skills, publications, ...)
  • a weblink to a short video introducing yourself,
  • a list and grades of the courses from that you took during your studies (Bachelor and Master)
  • contact info of 2 professional referees.
• The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision has been made, we will inform you about the next steps in the selection procedure.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs uantwerpen.be . Additional information about job itself can be obtained from: Dr. Lucian Covaci, Lucian.covaci uantwerpen.be

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.

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