Postdocs in Materials/Superconductivity at Rice/Munich

Intro

We are looking for two postdocs with a background in condensed matter physics, inorganic chemistry, or material science. The role of these postdocs will be to contribute to the discovery of better, higher-temperature superconductors, with the ultimate goal of finding a useful room-temperature superconductor. We look for ambitious candidates with passion and perseverance, and for good team players.

The postdocs’ work will involve synthesis and characterization and they will be embedded in the SuperC (SuperC2033.com) network, and we will collaborate with theoretical physicists and machine learning experts. 

The postdocs will be working with both the Allan Lab (allanlab.org) at the University of Munich (LMU), Germany, and Morosan lab (morosan.rice.edu) at Rice University, USA. We are flexible to accommodate the postdoc’s interest and expertise in determining whether they will work entirely at one of the two institutions, or share their time between the two groups. We will support their application to the competitive ICAM AccelNet postdoctoral fellowships (https://www.icam-i2cam.org/accelnet), but hiring is not contingent on obtaining the fellowship. 

Who we are

The Morosan lab at Rice University focuses on design and synthesis of quantum materials with emergent properties: superconductivity and density waves, Kondo materials, complex structures with 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, and more. We employ several growth techniques in hopes of discovering new compounds with exceptional physics and potential applications.

At the Allan Lab at the University of Munich, we work in the fields of quantum materials, quantum microscopy, and condensed matter physics. Our main focus areas are the understanding of quantum materials including high-temperature superconductivity and the creation of useful superconductors. 

Your work

You will work on synthesis and characterization. Depending on your background and preferences, the focus might be mainly on one of the two.

For bulk synthesis, you will use solid state reaction, vapor transport, liquid flux and laser floating zone for crystal growth. The materials you work on will include cubic and hexagonal Laves compounds, Kondo topological fermions, intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides etc. The characterization tools involve low-temperature transport and magnetization, X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and elemental analysis. 

Requirements

Required Qualifications

- PhD in physics, chemistry, or material science

- Expertise in the synthesis or characterization of materials

Preferred Qualifications

- Low-temperature experimental methods

- Experience with quantum materials

- Knowledge of superconductivity

To apply for the position

Send an email to Milan.Allan@lmu.de and emorosan@rice.edu with the subject line "Application shared postdoc".

About the employment

The candidate will be hired by Rice University and/or the University of Munich as postdoctoral associate. For more information, refer to https://www.lmu.de/en/about-lmu/working-at-lmu/academic-careers/pathways-to-lmu/the-postdoc-phase/ and https://graduate.rice.edu/postdoctorates