Research Assistant/Associate in mixed-anions semiconducting materials and devices

Salary: 

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate: £33,966 to £34,980 per annum

 Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

 Closing Date: 20 October 2023

The Role

The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, within the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic Research Associate/Assistant in mixed-anions semiconducting materials and devices, to work with Dr Elisabetta Arca on the synthesis of van der Waal mixed-anions semiconductors and their implementation into devices such as p-n junctions.

Semiconductors are key-components of electronic and optoelectronic devices thus playing a pivotal role in the advancement of a number of seemingly unrelated technologies such as the field of microelectronics, the renewable energy sector and the communication sector.
Traditional semiconductors are getting pushed to the edge of their physical limits by the constantly increasing.

and often conflicting requirements of modern devices. van der Waals (vdW) semiconductors and related two-dimensional materials (2D) can provide a solution to these challenges due their ability to overcome some of the physical limitations affecting traditional semiconductors.

The is a full-time (37 per week) fixed term position with an estimated start date of January 2024 or shortly thereafter.

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement, and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role and evidence this with examples. 
 
For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Elisabetta Arca via email on Elisabetta.Arca@ncl.ac.uk

For more information about the project please visit https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/X032116/1
 
For more information about the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, please click here

Key Accountabilities

• Deliver excellence in research.
• Disseminate results to both a technical audience (by means of research publications, conference presentations etc.) and the public (contribute to outreach activities and public engagement activities)
• Contribute to the status of health and growth of our research facilities
• Liaise with other group members and with external collaborators to ensure timely delivery of research goals
• Contribute to the department and university life, in particular EDI initiatives
• Minor involvement in the teaching activities of the school, if interested

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience (Essential)

• A solid background in the synthesis of semiconducting materials by either chemical or physical vapour deposition methods
• Experience with device fabrication and characterisation. Examples of devices includes but are not limited to p-n junctions, solar cells, TFT, LEDs, memristors etc
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including high-quality publications in a relevant area of research
• Previous research experience in an academic environment with the ability to work with postgraduate research students

Desirable

• Additional experience in one or more of these fields will be a plus but not strictly required. Your application will be taken into serious consideration even if you don’t meet them
• Ability to benchmark your experimental results to the theoretical calculations provided by collaborators
• Previous experience with LabVIEW
• Expertise in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
• Research experience in the field of ferroelectric or multiferroic materials
• Coding expertise

Attributes and Behaviour

• Proven ability to constructively contribute to the department and university life, with attention to collegiality, inclusivity, and health&safety in a laboratory setting
• Competence working both alone and as a member of a team
• Willingness to learn and undertake research in new branches of science
•  

Qualifications

• Have, or be close to obtaining, a PhD in Physics or closely related disciplines such as Materials Science, Chemistry, or Engineering

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26170