Research Associate

Role Description

Department

The School of Physics, Engineering and Technology brings physicists and engineers together to push the frontiers of knowledge, foster innovation and meet the grand challenges facing society. Our aim is to deliver world-leading research in both fundamental and applied areas whilst developing new technologies that work for the public good, in an environment where everyone can thrive.

As a School, equality, diversity, and inclusion are central to our culture and we strive to provide a working environment which allows all staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish, and to excel. We are proud to hold Juno Champion and Athena Swan bronze awards, which recognise our commitment to creating an equitable and fully inclusive environment in which staff and students can thrive. We aim to inspire young people to engage with science and engineering through our outreach work. 

The SuperSTEM Laboratory in Daresbury, Cheshire, is an internationally renowned user centre, supported by EPSRC to operate the UK National Research Facility for Advanced Electron Microscopy. SuperSTEM offers access to world-leading scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) instrumentation and expertise for the direct imaging and spectroscopy of atomic structures and the determination of chemical composition, bonding and vibrational properties, with a focus on single-atom precision and sensitivity in fields as diverse as catalysis, energy conversion and storage, biomaterials, organic and inorganic chemistry, mineralogy, planetary science, nuclear materials, condensed matter physics and quantum materials.

Role

As a SuperSTEM Scientist/Research Associate and a member of the dedicated team based at the SuperSTEM Laboratory, Daresbury, you will undertake aspects of research in advanced analytical STEM. You will provide operational and maintenance expertise for the Facility’s core instruments in support of its wide user community, as well as training and support with data analysis, interpretation and modelling. You will also develop and undertake your own research programme in close collaboration with the Facility Director and University colleagues, with a focus on high-energy-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy at the atomic scale.

Skills, Experience & Qualification needed

You will have:

• A PhD in materials science, physics, chemistry, materials engineering or a closely allied discipline;
• A strong background in the theory, operation and maintenance of (scanning) transmission electron microscopes;
• Extensive, demonstrable expertise in the independent operation of advanced electron microscopes, in particular of dedicated aberration-corrected STEMs, both for multi-modal imaging and for spectroscopy at the atomic scale;
• Expertise in data processing and/or simulation as applied to TEM and STEM imaging, and electron energy loss and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopies;
• Experience with advanced nanofabrication tools such as focused ion beam instruments;
• Expertise in preforming in-situ electrothermal measurements in an electron microscope;
• Experience in the design and fabrication of Microelectromechanical systems chips for in-situ electrothermal measurements
• A proven track record of peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognised journals;
• Project management and interpersonal skills commensurate with a position that requires interactions with a wide range of collaborators working on a variety of research programmes;

Interview date: TBC

For informal enquiries: contact Demie Kepaptsoglou (dmkepap@superstem.org) or Vlado Lazarov (vlado.Lazarov@york.ac.uk).

The University strives to be diverse and inclusive  – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.

We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University. 

We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork