PhD student position in Materials Chemistry for Stable Organic Electronics

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student to join the project “Stable Doping of Organic Semiconductors”, supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The project brings together 5 research groups from Chalmers University of Technology and Linköping University, led by Christian Müller, Anna Martinelli, Eva Olsson, Mats Fahlman and Simone Fabiano. The mission of the project is the realization of doped organic semiconductors that display truly stable electronic behaviour. You will be part of a team of five PhD students, as well as several Postdocs, who will together develop and study new materials concepts that facilitate stable doping. You will have the opportunity to visit and collaborate with different research labs both in Sweden and abroad.

Project description
Doping is essential for the optimization of the electronic performance of organic semiconductors, and as such essential for a wide range of emerging technologies from sustainable energy harvesting via organic photovoltaics and thermoelectrics to wearable electronics and bioelectronics. The doping process involves a chemical or electrochemical reaction that allows to tune the electrical and electronic properties of an organic semiconductor. The resulting doped state, however, is prone to evolve with time, which limits the lifetime of electronic devices.

The project will leverage concepts from the field of molecular glasses to realize stable organic semiconductors and devices. Your specific project will entail a detailed study of the phase behaviour and glass formation of dopant/semiconductor pairs, using a suite of characterization methods from thermal and mechanical analysis to optical spectroscopy and various scattering techniques.

It can be anticipated that the project will have considerable impact on the field of organic electronics by enabling the more widespread usage of some of the most promising materials, which will accelerate further development of many emerging technologies.

Information about the division and the department
The Müller Research Group at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers focuses on the physical chemistry and materials science of organic semiconductors, polymer blends and composites, and develops new plastic materials for use in the fields of wearable electronics and energy technology. All research is conducted in co-operation with other universities/institutes and/or industry. Presently, the group consists of 1 Professor, 1 permanent researcher, 3 Postdocs and 7 PhD students.

Major responsibilities
The majority of your working time is devoted to your own research, in collaboration with postdocs and students at Chalmers and Linköping University. As a PhD student you are expected to develop your own ideas and communicate scientific results orally as well as in writing. In addition, approximately 10 percent of your time will be dedicated to departmental duties, especially teaching on the undergraduate level.

Qualifications
The successful candidate must have a Master’s degree in Chemistry, Materials Science or equivalent (or be in the process of completing a Master’s degree). Experience with organic electronics is required; experience with polymer science is a merit. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the work, the candidate is expected to have excellent collaboration skills. A very good capability of communicating scientific results in English, both orally and in writing is required.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of four (4) years of fulltime research studies. The monthly salary of a PhD student at Chalmers is about 32'000 SEK before tax (approx. 2'800 €).

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20230028 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 

Application deadline: 4 September, 2023. Interviews will be conducted on a continuous basis until the position is filled. Therefore, please submit your application prior to the application deadline.

For questions, please contact:
Prof. Christian Müller, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
E-mail: christian.muller@chalmers.se
Phone: +46317722790

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***