Postdoc SPECIES beamline

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.


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




Your team
The position is co-funded by the Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research (SLjus), Department of Physics, Lund University, and you will be a part of the APXPS teams at both places.

The main workplace for the position will be MAX IV Laboratory.

The SPECIES beamline, together with the HIPPIE beamline, forms the APXPS team, which is dedicated to the development of the ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy programme at MAX IV. The beamline provides a wide range of sample environments for in situ and operando XPS measurements for the user community. The SPECIES beamline team consists of four members who are actively driving multiple in-house research programmes, among which are time-resolved photoemission, atomic layer deposition, high-temperature catalysis, and photocatalysis.

The APXPS team at the SLjus works tightly with the APXPS team of MAX IV. Much of the experimental work is carried out at the MAX IV Laboratory and other synchrotron light sources. It also uses a new home laboratory-based instrument for time-resolved ambient pressure ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Strong collaborations on the surface chemistry of ALD exist not only with the MAX IV APXPS team, but also with other researchers at the Department of Physics, other departments of Lund University and at Swedish as well as international universities.

The SPECIES beamline is looking for a postdoctoral researcher who will:

- Actively drive the development of one or more scientific projects within the scope of in situ and operando thin film deposition research using the possibilities and capabilities of the APXPS beamlines of MAX IV and in collaboration with user groups. The project should focus on the atomic layer deposition of metal oxides and/or related materials.[EK1]
- Interact with and provide support for user groups in relation to their beamtimes.
- Actively participate in the continued commissioning of the beamlines and end stations in collaboration with the entire APXPS team of MAX IV.

The postdoc's scientific project can also use other beamlines at MAX IV or other synchrotron radiation facilities through beamtime applications. The general surface science environment of MAX IV (which includes a Scanning Probe Microscopy laboratory) can also be employed.

Your main work tasks will be

- Leading and managing the chosen scientific and/or development projects
- Interacting with and supporting user groups at the beamline
- Contributing to the day-to-day operation of the beamline and the end stations together with the beamline team
- Contributing to the ongoing projects at the end-stations
- Establish collaborative research with other groups outside MAX IV and involve them in APXPS team activities
- Propose competitive ideas for research and development projects that can be realized within the APXPS team
- Acquire and use the knowledge necessary to operate the tools available at the beamlines
- Acquire knowledge about and follow general and organizational safety rules and requirements

Qualification requirements
The subject of the doctoral degree should be in physics, chemistry, materials science or a related discipline. The PhD degree does not have to be completed at the time of application.

To be successful in this role, you need to have the following qualifications:

- Extensive experience in performing and interpreting surface science experiments as well as working with ultrahigh vacuum instrumentation.
- Experience in performing synchrotron-based spectroscopy experiments and using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
- Demonstrated ability to work independently
- Good command of the English language (orally and written) as well as good communication and team working skills
- Experience in programming

Together with your application, you should submit a research plan that briefly describes your research idea according to what is written above (max 1 A4 page).

The following are seen as merits:

- Experience with the design and set-up of new surface science instruments
- Experience in thin film deposition techniques (ALD, CVD, etc.)
- Experience in ambient pressure XPS (APXPS)
- Experience in user support at synchrotrons
- Experience in design and simulation software (Solidworks, Comsol, etc.)


Eligibility
Appointment to the position of postdoc 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 application deadline. Under special circumstances the PhD can have been completed previous to the aforementioned three years.

Further information
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment. A postdoctoral fellow is employed under a period
of at least two years and at most three years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor-2022-02-01” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow, 2022-02-01”) 

On call services may apply.



MAX IV is a Swedish national large-scale research laboratory hosted by Lund University. It provides scientists from Sweden as well as internationally, with state-of-the-art instrumentation for research in areas such as engineering, physics, structural biology, chemistry and nanotechnology. It will receive up to 2 000 scientists annually, conducting ground-breaking experiments in materials and life sciences using the brilliant X-ray light.

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