Postdoctoral Researcher in Advanced Materials Deposition and Analysis

Brno, Czech Republic
22 May 2020
12 Jun 2020
55492
Fixed Term
Full Time

Department: Department of Physical Electronics – Faculty of Science
Deadline: 12 Jun 2020
Start date: by agreement

Dean of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University announces an open competition for the position Postdoctoral Researcher in Advanced Materials Deposition and Analysis

Workplace: Department of Physical Electronics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic

Type of Contract: temporary position with 1-year contract with possible prolongation for another year, non-academic

Working Hours: 1 FTE (full-time employment of 40 hours per week)

Expected Start Date: 1.9.2020 or negotiable with respect to immigration timelines for non-EU candidates

Number of Open Positions: 1
Pay: CZK 35 000
Application Deadline: 12 06 2020
EU Researcher ProfileR2/R3

About the Workplace

Masaryk University is the second-largest university in the Czech Republic with nine faculties, more than 5000 staff, and more than 30 000 students. As a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing, our mission is to pursue top-quality research and education.

Faculty of Science MU, a proud holder of the HR Excellence in Research Award by the European Commission, is a research-oriented faculty, offering university education (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programs) closely linked to both primary and applied research and high school teaching of the following sciences: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth sciences. We are the most productive scientific unit of the Masaryk University generating around 40 % of MU research results.

Department of Physical Electronics at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University provides courses and guarantees fundamental and applied research in the fields on plasma physics, plasma applications, and nanotechnology. It has a tradition of more than 50 years. The R&D Centre for Low-cost Plasma and Nanotechnology Surface Modifications CEPLANT was established in 2010 as part of the Department of Physical Electronics and was funded by the European Structural Funds and has been recognized by the European Union as a Key Enabling Technologies (KET's) centre.

Job Description

The postdoc will work at the within the PVDlab that is a part of the CEPLANT centre. The project focusses on deposition of advanced coatings - Me-B-C based nanostructured coatings, ternary nitride coatings and refractive metal-based high entropy alloy coatings by magnetron sputtering. These are then analysed by methods available at the centre (SEM, EDX, XRD, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation) as well as by methods available at cooperating institutions within Europe (TEM, tribological properties, thermal and oxidation stability…). The goal of the project is to achieve understanding between the deposition plasma properties and the properties of the deposited coatings. The project is at the border between Physics, Materials Chemistry and Engineering sciences.

Key Duties:

  • To choose the deposition conditions and independently carry out the
  • To measure the properties of the coatings, analyse the data and use them as feedback for establishing further experiments
  • To publish the research outputs
  • To propose and develop new areas of research within the research group

Skills and Qualifications

The applicant must have:

  • PhD.  Degree in Physics, Materials Chemistry, Engineering or in nearby scientific fields
  • experience in PVD preparation of thin films and materials characterization
  • good communication skills (oral and written) in English
  • publication record in peer-reviewed journals
  • must be able to obtain clearance to work with ionizing radiation in XRD

The applicant should have:

  • a strong motivation for research and to be able to contribute with creative ideas, be structured, ready to work independently as well as in a group, be prepared to collaborate with scientists from other research groups and/or universities, and be able to co-manage a group of students.

Informal inquiries about the position can be sent to assoc. prof. Pavel Souček – email soucek@physics.muni.cz, phone 00420 549 49 8769.

We Offer

  • International workplace with a motivated team of researchers and students
  • Access to modern deposition and analysis techniques
  • Worldwide contacts with specialised measurement equipment
  • An interesting job in a dynamically-expanding university area
  • Above-average wage (average wage in Czech Republic is 34 000, median wage is 29 000 CZK)
  • Flexible working hours and occasional home office to support personal needs in family and career
  • Employee benefits such as 6 weeks of paid vacation per year, pension insurance contribution, contribution to lunches in canteens of MU or meal vouchers, discounted language courses, discount in the university cinema, exclusive mobile tariff offer by Vodafone
  • Opportunity to work and live in a modern and dynamic city (for more information on costs of living, you can refer to Numbeo)
  • Support with your relocation to Brno by our International Staff Office

Application Process

The application shall be submitted online by 12.6. 2020 via an e-application (Please, use the link in the e-Application section below).

The candidate shall provide following:

  • CV and Cover letter describing candidate's research interest and experience
  • Summary of research outputs and publications
  • Names and contact details of at least 2 references.

After submitting your application successfully, you will receive an automatic confirmation email from jobs.muni.cz.

Selection Process

Received applications will be considered carefully in line with principles of the EU Charter and Code for Researchers. Selection criteria: (i) meeting qualification requirements described above, (ii) all required documents provided.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a personal or Skype interview.

The Faculty Recruitment Policy (OTM-R) can be seen here.

Faculty of Science, Masaryk University is an equal opportunity employer. We support diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!