3-4 Postdoctoral Positions, Basque Center for Materials, Applications & Nanostructures

Research and development of next generation high performance solar cells is paramount for our societal needs. The research aim is to go beyond silicon technology, and develop cost effective solar technology to address climate change issue. The subject is truly multidisciplinary and requires expertise from different disciplines including physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering both in theory and experiment. MOLEMAT (Molecularly Engineered Materials and process for Perovskite solar cell technology) is a EU funded, excellence research project (ERC) aiming to develop a new technology for solar cells which is beyond silicon. Compositional engineering of light harvesting materials i.e. organo halide perovskites, followed by experimental screening of novel hole transport materials which can be used for the development of high performance perovskite solar cells.

The proposed project is planned to be performed at Basque Center for Materials, applications and nanostructures (BCMaterials) which is affiliated to Universidad del País Vasco (Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; UPV/EHU). The Basque Center for Materials, applications and nanostructures (BCMaterials) is a strategic initiative of Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Science, and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), one of the largest Spanish Universities. It was created in 2012 as an autonomous research center directed to improve the level and productivity of the existing research groups in Materials in Biscay. It belongs to the Basque excellence research centers (BERC) network, and covers all aspects of research in Functional Materials with advanced Electric, Magnetic and Optical properties; from basic aspects to applications in energy and sensors. BCMaterials brings together researchers from leading groups in Magnetic Materials, Inorganic Materials, Polymers and Crystallography, awarded as Excellence Research Groups by the Basque Government Department of Education. Just in short span of time BCMaterials has achieved very high result dissemination and have pioneered the use of large research facilities in the Basque Country.

Three / four doctorate candidates are foreseen to be recruited, in the field of synthetic chemistry, materials science/chemistry, device physics and process engineering. The project will mainly build on designing new materials and its integration in perovskite solar cells fabrication. The work will be carried out at BCMaterials and will enjoy collaboration with world leading research group, moreover short stays at collaborative partners will also be supported in order to obtain European Ph.D degree for hire researchers. For obtaining the Ph.D degree, the candidate has to full fill the requirements of “PhD program in Materials Science and Technology”, a modern program of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) which is promoted by faculty members of several Departments (Chemistry, Physics, Geology,…) of the Faculty of Science and Technology. The starting date is as soon as possible, competitive salary with great opportunity for progress in scientific career and learning will be provided. Interview will be conducted soon after the deadline.

Work Programme / Duties / Responsibilities

A full-time Ph.D position, exists for a researcher within the research domain of third generation solar cells in a cutting edge research group at BCMaterials. BCMaterials is an independent research centre, active in functional materials located near Bilbao in the Basque Country, north of Spain.

The doctorate fellow will be responsible for laboratory experiments, fulfilling the project objectives, result dissemination (writing scientific articles & congress attendance) and successful complementation of Ph.D degree. For the successful candidate, the position represents an excellent opportunity to develop both collaborative and personal scientific research career, exploiting the capabilities of advanced functional materials, materials chemistry, photovoltaics and energy related research.

Contacts and Communication

The successful candidate will interact with other researchers in the group, as well as with collaborative partners. Visits to other collaborative organizations and presentation of scientific work at conferences will be encouraged.

Requirements:

Personal Skills and Attributes The position requires
- Master degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical engineering, Nanoscience, Physics
- A very high level of motivation and independent thinking abilities.
- Previous research experience in materials science / chemistry, chemical synthesis or device fabrication will be an asset and will be given preference.
- Result presentations and publications record
- Proficiency in English, good interpersonal, presentation skills and able to meet the deadline are also required.

Contact:
Further information: http://www.bcmaterials.net
Contact Apply by sending a motivation letter and your CV (in English) including contact details for 2 referees to: jobs@bcmaterials.net