Post-doctoral or scientist position in Ultrafast Molecular Electron Diffraction

Project description

ICFO is offering a postdoctoral position to a well-qualified, highly motivated and dynamic young scientist who wishes to enhance his/her scientific career in a friendly and stimulating environment.

The successful candidate will be joining the Attoscience and Ultrafast Optics group, led by Prof. Jens Biegert, which consists of a highly motivated and dynamic team of scientists with state-of-the art equipment. Our experimental environment includes several unique and cutting edge few-cycle intense-light sources, with special emphasis on wavelengths in the mid-IR and CEP stability. We are embedded in several prominent national, European and international networks and collaborations which ensures a vibrant and stimulating research environment. Our general research is concerned with a variety of topics ranging from ultrafast laser physics to extreme nonlinear optics and strong field atomic and molecular physics.

We have been pioneering mid-IR driven electron recollision in combination with kinematic coincidence detection (reaction microscope) to achieve combined picometer spatial and attosecond temporal resolution imaging of molecular structures. The aim of our experimental program is the investigation of electron-nuclear dynamics of non-adiabatic dynamics, conical intersections and pathways which drive isomerization. This research encompasses the quantum dynamics of multi-body correlations, atomic and molecular physics, recollision science, molecular alignment and electron diffraction techniques, and it will be carried out in the framework of the ERC Advanced Grant TRANSFORMER in connection with experimental and theoretical partners. The success of this project will have significance in fields of attoscience, molecular imaging, and atomic/molecular physics.

See e.g. our work: Nature Commun. 6, 7262 (2015), Phys. Rev. X 5, 021034 (2015), Nature Commun. 7, 11922 (2016), Science 354, 308 (2016), PNAS in print arXiv:1812.11447

The position

We offer a postdoctoral or scientist position to a highly motivated scientist who wishes to enhance his/her scientific career in the field of Molecular Imaging and Attosecond Science. The candidate will conduct research in a team, hence coordination of scientific work and project leadership skills are required.

The candidate

Candidates must hold an internationally-recognized Ph.D.-equivalent degree (or evidence of its completion in the nearest future) preferably in physics. We are seeking enthusiastic candidates with experimental experience in electron diffraction and/or physical chemistry. Experience with electron or ion imaging techniques, molecular beams and femtosecond lasers are beneficial.

We expect excellent skills in English (written and spoken) and participation in project leadership as well as the ability to work in, or lead, a team of people.

Diligent work ethic as well as a strong desire for problem solving and team work are essential.

Application details

ICFO is an equal employment opportunity employer. Candidates are selected exclusively on merit and potential on the basis of submitted application material. No restrictions of persons with disabilities, citizenship or gender apply to ICFO positions. ICFO abides by the principles of openness, efficiency, transparency, supportiveness, and international comparability as stated in the European Charter for Researchers and the European Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

The contract is offered for periods of one year, renewable for a total of up to 2 years with possibility to extend.