SEED – Doctoral student in technical physics

The LUT School of Engineering Sciences is offering a fully funded doctoral student (junior researcher) position.

Position

The position is connected to the Systems and Engineering Science Doctorate (SEED) programme, which is a European MSCA programme running from 2023 to 2028. The programme will train 13 highly skilled doctoral candidates (DC). The candidates will receive strong guidance from two high-quality supervisors from universities and one expert from an industry company. The systematic secondment scheme builds on each DC having an academic secondment in an international university of high standing and excellence and a non-academic secondment in industry in Finland.

Job Description

• Completion of the doctoral degree within four years
  • doctoral dissertation includes typically 4 peer-reviewed publications on the research and the summary thesis on the work
  • Complementary studies 40 ECTS Credits
• Assisting in teaching

Research theme: Study of defects in lithium and sodium-ion batteries

The project will address the characterization of electrode structures, charge and discharge mechanism and redox processes aimed to improve the performance of new energy batteries and to develop the design of electrode materials. The main topic is the study of structural defects induced in the battery cathode by migration of lithium and sodium ions. Especially, the effect of sodium will be considered since the intercalation of this element can introduce more defects in the cathode matrix than lithium.

Eligibility

Applicants should be highly motivated with a strong background in condensed matter physics and materials science, including numerical methods and programming skills.

To be eligible to apply for the position, the doctoral candidate must:

• have completed an applicable higher university degree, for example Master’s degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in a relevant field.
• be a researcher, who at the deadline of the recruitment call is not in possession of a doctoral degree.
• have fluent English communication skills, proven by an English language test. You can prove your proficiency in English with one of the following language test results with at least the minimum score mentioned (non-English native speaking applicants):
• IELTS Academic or IELTS Online or IELTS Indicator
  6.5
• TOEFL iBT Test, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, TOEFL iBT Paper Edition
   92 with no section below 20
• PTE Academic or PTE Academic Online
   62
• C1 Advanced by Cambridge English Qualifications
   Grade C or higher
• C2 Proficiency by Cambridge English Qualifications
   Grade C1 or higher

Test dates before 1 May 2021 will not be accepted. 

• fulfil the geographic mobility requirement. The SEED programme follows the general MSCA mobility requirement where the candidate may not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Finland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline. (The applicant must provide a document issued by a third party to prove the fulfilment of the mobility rule, if it does not become clear from the other mandatory documents such as work or study certificates).

What we offer

• An opportunity to launch a successful, international academic career and to become an expert in your research area
• A four-year (1+3 years) employment contract for completing the doctoral degree
  • An employment contract can be concluded only if the candidate obtains the right to pursue postgraduate studies at LUT University
  • The contract will be made initially for one year and can be extended by three years provided that the studies and research have progressed successfully
• Encouraging and supportive supervision by and research collaboration with Professor Bernardo Barbiellini and Associate Professor Ekaterina Laakso from LUT and Professor Rafael Ferragut from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). Politecnico di Milano provides an international research opportunity for a candidate to perform state of the art positron annihilation experiments.
• Intersectoral secondment Sonotecc Oy (FI) provides an opportunity for the DC to be trained in industrial R&D and process scale-up in the field of metal production.

Employment relationship and pay

Starting date: The work will start in September 2023 with a six-month trial period.

Location: The job is based in Lappeenranta or in Lahti, Finland. The doctoral student is expected to spend 10–12 months at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy) and 4–6 months at the Finnish SME Sonotecc Oy during the doctoral studies.

Salary: The salary is based on the current collective agreement for Finnish universities. The typical gross annual starting salary for a junior researcher is approximately 30 800 euros (plus a holiday bonus).

Travel allowance will cover the expenses (travel, accommodation and daily allowances) during the secondments, and at least 1 conference attendance.

How to apply

Please submit your application together with the required attachments through the university's online application system:

• Your curriculum vitae (template is provided)
• Certificates/diplomas: scanned electronic copies of diplomas and transcripts of the records of relevant previous degrees and certificate of the English language test. If the original documents are not in English, Finnish or Swedish, each document must be accompanied by an official certified translation into English or Finnish.
• A motivation letter: a separate document describing the candidate’s motivation as a researcher also highlighting past achievements (max. 1 page, A4)
• Research proposal (max. two pages A4) which should refer to a research theme above
• Names and contact information of two referees
• List of scientific publications (optional)

The appendices must be in English.

The deadline for application is 30 April 2023 at midnight, Finnish local time (UTC + 3h). The SEED programme employs a detailed selection process. The selection process comprises four main stages and will last approximately 10 weeks. The applicants will be notified of the selection outcome in July 2023.

Further information

The SEED programme will arrange two Q&A events online for prospective applicants while the call is open. The Q&A events will allow for the prospective applicants to ask questions regarding the research topics and the programme.

For further information and to obtain the details of the Q&A events, please contact: LUT.SEED@lut.fi 

For more information about the research topic, please contact: bernardo.barbiellini@lut.fi

Technical support for using the recruitment system, please contact: recruitment@lut.fi 

Read more about: LUT as an employer and LUT Doctoral School

Clean energy, water and air are life-giving resources for which we at LUT University seek new solutions with our expertise in technology, business and social sciences. We help society and businesses in their sustainable renewal. Our international community consists of 7 500 members. Our campuses are in Lappeenranta and Lahti, Finland. We are the world’s ninth best university for climate action.

Application period starts: 2023-03-01 08:00 Application period ends: 2023-04-30 23:59