Description
Organisation/Company: Politecnico di Milano
Research Field: Engineering › Materials engineering Physics › Applied
physics Physics › Optics
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Application Deadline: 12/09/2022 13:00 - Europe/Brussels
Location: Italy › Milano
Type Of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Hours Per Week: 40
Offer Starting Date: 01/11/2022
This fellowship will be in the context of the iPHOQS project, a large-scale
Italian Research Infrastructure in the field of photonics and quantum science.
Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy is a fundamental tool to study
the relaxation dynamics of solid-state materials, upon optical excitation. In
photoinduced processes, like photocatalysis and solar energy harvesting and
conversion, multiple deexcitation mechanisms can take place in materials at
different timescales. To disentangle short living emissions from the long
living ones, the project aims to develop a hyperspectral imaging workstation
with time-gated detection to analyze deexcitation paths occurring at different
timescales. The system combines a hyperspectral module with a timegated camera
to separate short living emissions (occurring at the picosecond and
nanosecond timescales) from long living ones (occurring at microseconds and
milliseconds timescales). This approach has already proved to be very
effective to study photocatalytic materials where long living emission are
correlated with highly reactive surface defects. In parallel, the workstation
could be very useful also to study crystal defects in semiconductor and
inorganic materials, with potential applications in the fascinating field of
heritage science, where the study of semiconductor pigments in artworks is
fundamental to chemically understand degradation and fading occurring in
modern paintings.
The PhD candidates will be involved in the development research of a
hyperspectral imaging workstation that combines an innovative interferometer
(TWINS) with a time-resolved detection module. The last is based on a sub-
nanosecond resolution time-gated camera. The workstation will work in two
configurations: macro and micro. The macro setup will have a field of view of
a few centimetres and will be suited to study the deexcitation mechanism in
large samples, like pigments and artistic materials. The micro configuration
will be based on an optical microscope and will be tailored to study light
mediated phenomena in material science, like photocatalytic reactions. The
excitation light will be provided by a low repetition rate (kilohertz)
Q-switch tuneable laser generating 1 ns pulses.
Benefits
The PhD students will attend courses (on specific physics topics and on
transversal and soft skills-related topics), as foreseen by the PhD School at
Politecnico.
They will also be involved in additional I-PHOQS training activities detailed
as follows: i) Secondments in other facilities of the I-PHOQS network and
abroad, joining high-level research groups working on the PhD research topic,
selected with the agreement of the Supervisor. An increase in the scholarship
will apply for secondment periods of up to 6 months (approx. 600 euro/month -
net amount).
ii) Network wide Laboratory Training Platforms to further expand the
experimental skills and knowhow of the PhD students.
iii) Full-immersion 1-week scientific retreats to provide training, engage
students on scientific communication and discussion, update on latest
achievements, ignite cross-contamination and new ideas, favor team building.
iv) Lectures given by key experts to provide advanced training on
emerging/frontier topics.
v) Specific activities to improve soft and complementary skills.
The monthly net income of PhD scholarship (max 36 months) is € 1195.50.
Financial aid is available for all PhD candidates (e.g., purchase of study
books and materials, funding for participation in courses, summer schools,
workshops and conferences): up to € 4872.90.
Accommodation in Residences of Politecnico di Milano
(https:// www. residenze.polimi.it) is available for PhD students; special
rates apply to selected out-of-town candidates.
Eligibility criteria
Master degree in Physics / Engineering / Material Science, or equivalent
Candidates are required to have excellent knowledge of the English language
Selection process
Selection of the candidates will be done through a public competition. The
candidates must apply within September 12th – 2:00 PM CET to the call posted
at the link:
Call
Before applying to the call, the candidates are strongly suggested to send a
single PDF-file containing:
CV, including a list of publications, if any
description of future research interests (max 1 page)
contact information of two references
to:
gianluca.valentini@polimi.it and daniela.comelli@polimi.it
Candidates who meet the requirements will be contacted for an interview, where
further details on the research project will be provided.
Additional comments
Gender equality and diversity are regarded as a strength and an asset.
Offer Requirements
REQUIRED EDUCATION LEVEL
Engineering: Master Degree or equivalent
Physics: Master Degree or equivalent
Computer science: Master Degree or equivalent
Chemistry: Master Degree or equivalent
REQUIRED LANGUAGES
ENGLISH: Good
Contact Information
Organisation/Company: Politecnico di Milano
Department: Department of Physics
Organisation Type: Higher Education Institute
Website: https:// www. polimi.it
E-Mail: gianluca.valentini@polimi.it
Country: Italy
City: Milano
Postal Code: I-20133
Street: piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32
