PhD in transport phenomena in van der Waals materials

Several fully funded PhD positions are now available at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the University of Manchester, to explore transport phenomena in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures. This includes either ionic transport through atomic-scale capillaries or quantum transport through van der Waals heterostructures, depending on the skills of the candidates. The projects are expected to lead to high-impact scientific publications, technological developments, and strong career development of the PhD students. Our research involves a wide range of collaborative projects with many other academic departments and industry in the UK and overseas. These projects are funded by the Research Councils including EPSRC, the Royal Society, the European Research Council. We provide access to well-equipped laboratories housed in the Physics department and the National Graphene Institute, and computing facilities.

What we offer:

• Tuition fee fully covered plus stipend for 3.5 years
• World-class experimental facilities and research environment
• Opportunities to visit overseas collaborators, attend international conference and work with industrial partners
• Professional training and career development mentoring

Key responsibilities and duties:

The successful candidates will join a large group of experienced and active researchers in Manchester to undertake a range of innovative and exciting projects involving 2D materials. During PhD project, you will need to:

• Carry out transport measurements of van der Waals heterostructures.
• Adhere to all relevant health and safety procedures.
• Maintain accurate, comprehensive and secure records of research data.
• Meet required deadlines throughout the project.
• Present research projects at national and international meetings.
• Conduct regular surveys of the scientific literature.
• Deliver oral and written reports, writing PhD thesis and research papers.
• Contribute to project management and day-to-day laboratory management.
• Contribute to the social responsibility agenda of the University and demonstrate a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies and activities and support the development and delivery of related initiatives.

Person specifications:

• Holds or about to obtain MSc in experimental condensed matter physics, chemistry, or materials science.
• Experience in some of the following areas:
  
  • Microfabrication and characterisation of 2D materials and their heterostructures
  • Quantum transport measurements, cryogenic techniques, magnetotransport
  • Electrochemistry, ionic transport measurements, microfluidics
  • Mass transport experiments (e.g., gas phase mass-spectroscopy)
• Passion in learning new techniques and motivated to undertake interdisciplinary research.
• Good written and oral communication skills, including communicating technical information effectively to wide range of audiences.
• Strong analytival and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a group and, also, to work independently.
• Good programming skills in instrument control using, e.g., Labview or Python.
• Well organised to maximize efficiency.
• Contribution to laboratory maintenance and pass on skills and knowledge to MSc and project students.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas and arguments and research findings at national and international meetings and conferences.

Enquiries about PhD projects, shortlisting, and interviews:

Interested candidates should send CV, MSc transcripts and other relevant supporting documents to Dr Artem Mishchenko (Artem.mishchenko@manchester.ac.uk) and Dr Qian Yang (qian.yang@manchester.ac.uk).