Delft University of Technology - PhD position: Defect engineering of ultra-thin photoelectrodes for solar water splitting
PhD position: Defect engineering of ultra-thin photoelectrodes for solar water splitting
Job description
Charge transport and recombination at e.g. ionic point defects in ultra-thin films are poorly understood. The role of the PhD student is to i) explore the structure and nano-scale defect chemistry of these ultra-thin films in relation to the photo-electrochemical performance, and ii) to deposit optimized ultra-thin absorber films inside mesoporous host structures. The ultimate goal is to fabricate a highly efficient visible-light sensitive articial leaf photoelectrode for water splitting.Research
The efficient conversion of solar energy into clean chemical fuels is one of the grand challenges for the 21th century. In our project, carried out within the framework of the FOM programme "Towards BioSolar Cells", a semiconductor is used to directly split water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight. Such an ‘artificial leaf’ can be made from semiconducting metal oxides, which combine excellent chemical stability with low cost. Since charge transport in certain metal oxides is inherently slow, our efforts are focused on ultra-thin absorber films (<50 nm) deposited on nanostructured host materials.
Requirements
You have a recently completed master degree in materials science, (physical) chemistry or physics. We are looking for an enthousiastic team member with excellent academic qualifications and a passion for materials research. Strong experimental skills and a pioneering mentality are essential for this project. You are able to work in close collaboration with other researchers and you have excellent oral and written communication skills.Conditions of employment
When fulfilling a PhD position at the FOM foundation, you will get the status of junior scientist.You will have an employee status and can participate in all the employee benefits FOM offers. You will get a contract for 4 years. Your salary will be up to a maximum of 2,610 euro gross per month.The salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.33%.
You are supposed to have a thesis finished at the end of your four year term with FOM.
A training programme is part of the agreement. You and your supervisor will make up a plan for the additional education and supervising that you specifically need. This plan also defines which teaching activities you will be responsible (up to a maximum of 10% of your time). The conditions of employment of the FOM-foundation are laid down in the Collective Labour Agreement for Research Centres (CAO-Onderzoekinstellingen), more exclusive information is available at this website under Personeelsinformatie (in Dutch) or under Personnel (in English).
General information about working at FOM can be found in the English part of this website under Personnel. The'FOM-sollicitatiecode' (in Dutch) applies to this position.
