PhD Student in Materials Physics
The work in the currently recruiting research group within the Department of Materials Physics is carried out in collaboration with the two major facilities ISIS and ESS. The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Facility, in the United Kingdom, is a world-leading center for scientific research. It houses more than 30 instruments for the exploration of materials, down to the atomic scale, and the facility serves as a base for over 3000 researchers in areas such as energy, environment, medicine, and health. The research also includes nanoscience, catalysis, and polymers, as well as fundamental studies of material properties. www.isis.stfc.ac.uk
ESS (European Spallation Source) is a European research center under construction in Lund, Sweden, with 13 member states. The facility includes the most powerful linear accelerator ever built, 15 world-class neutron instruments, as well as a supercomputer center for data management and software. ESS has approximately 600 employees and will open to users in 2027, after the first neutrons are released during 2025. www.ess.eu
This PhD student will be employed at the Department of Materials Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy and will be part of a group working with neutron scattering methods. Employment is in Uppsala with longer stays at the ISIS neutron and muon source near Oxford (United Kingdom) and the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund (Sweden). ISIS and ESS are both at the forefront of neutron science and combine decades of excellence with the development of next-generation neutron sources and instrumentation. ISIS is a globally leading interdisciplinary institution where curiosity-driven research meets application-oriented science and engineering, while ESS – which is currently preparing for operation – will be the world's most powerful neutron source, built as a partnership between 13 European countries. The projects offer a unique opportunity to work in collaborative international environments together with world-leading researchers, engineers, and technicians, and to contribute to groundbreaking instrumentation and scientific discoveries with a broad impact on society, technology, and science.
Tasks
The PhD student will use “Spin-Echo Modulated Small-Angle Neutron Scattering” (SEMSANS) to extend available length scales beyond conventional small-angle scattering (SANS) and to obtain spatially resolved scattering signals using dark-field imaging. SEMSANS uses polarized neutrons to encode small scattering angles without the need for a well-collimated neutron beam, measures the autocorrelation function over mesoscopic length scales, and investigates structural properties from the micrometer to the nanometer range. The method is based on modulating the polarization of the neutron beam using a pair of magnetic Wollaston prisms - superconducting triangular field regions - placed upstream of the sample. The PhD student will work with the design, implementation, and performance verification of the Wollaston prisms and a “spin exchange optically pumped” (SEOP) neutron spin analyzer. Both will be developed at a test instrument at ISIS. Once the new features are implemented, they will be utilized on the Larmor and IMAT instruments at ISIS. When ESS is available with its new long neutron pulses, the method will be integrated and used on the imaging instrument ODIN and the SANS instrument SKADI, both at ESS. This will enable unique studies of flux lattices in intermediate mixed superconductors and characterization of vesicles in model cell systems in collaboration with the project's partner. The PhD student will investigate hierarchical cellulose microstructures using the developed equipment.
The PhD student's tasks also include data analysis, writing scientific articles for publication in international journals, as well as giving research presentations in national and international contexts.
Qualification Requirements
Those eligible for education at the doctoral level are those who have
completed a degree at the advanced level in physics, or completed at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits are at the advanced level including an independent project of at least 15 higher education credits, or in some other way acquired substantially equivalent knowledge.
Excellent communication skills in English (written and oral) are required. Non-Swedish speaking candidates are encouraged to learn Swedish during the period of employment.
The ability and willingness to travel internationally and work abroad for a longer period is mandatory for this position.
Other Desirable/Meritorious Qualifications
Approved courses in condensed matter physics, materials science, or similar areas. Understanding of scattering techniques. Experience with small-angle scattering, imaging, polarized neutrons, and spin manipulation techniques such as neutron spin echo methods or other advanced scattering techniques, such as coherent diffractive imaging and phase-contrast imaging. Experience in the development and deployment of instrumentation. Skills in using Python for data processing and evaluation.
Provisions for doctoral students can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen) Chapter 5, Sections 1-7, as well as in the university's rules and guidelines.
Information about doctoral education, eligibility requirements, and admission rules can be found on the Science Area for Technology and Natural Sciences website. www.uu.se/vetenskapsomrade/teknik-och-naturvetenskap/utbildning/utbildning-pa-forskarniva
About the Employment
The employment is fixed-term, according to HF Chapter 5, Section 7. The scope is full-time. Start date by agreement. Location: Uppsala, Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Welcome with your application no later than September 21, 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2506.
Please note that this is a shortened version of the advertisement. To see the full advertisement, please click on ”Apply here” or visit Uppsala University's website for job advertisements.