The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI (www.psi.ch), in collaboration with the EDMX doctoral school in Materials Science and Engineering at EPFL (www.epfl.ch), is seeking a highly motivated PhD student for an exciting project on autonomous epitaxy. This cutting-edge research combines experiments, simulations, hardware-software interaction, and machine-learning techniques, with the goal of optimizing the growth of oxide thin films.
The work could also include usage of AiiDA (see e.g. our recent paper demonstrating how AiiDA was driving an automated experiment: [P. Kraus et al., A bridge between trust and control: computational workflows meet automated battery cycling, J. Mater. Chem. A 12, 10773-10783 (2024)](DOI A bridge between trust and control: computational workflows meet automated battery cycling - Journal of Materials Chemistry A (RSC Publishing)).
You will work at PSI under the supervision of Dr. Giovanni Pizzi and Dr. Nikita Shepelin, at the intersection of laboratory experiments and advanced coding, developing an autonomous platform for real-time control and optimization of thin film growth using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The successful candidate is expect to split their time approximately equally between working in the laboratory and on the software and simulation side.
This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of materials discovery while gaining expertise in a rapidly emerging field.
Key details:
- Position: PhD student at PSI, Switzerland (enrolled in the EPFL doctoral program)
- Deadline: extended until 28 May 2025 (we will be screening applications while they arrive)
- Skills: Background in physical sciences or engineering, strong programming abilities (e.g., Python), and a passion for both experiments and automation. Past experience in the lab is a plus.
We strongly encourage women to apply.
For complete information and details, and for the link to apply, visit: PhD Student in implementation of autonomous epitaxy combining experiments, simulations and machine learning | Education and Jobs | PSI
Feel free to share this opportunity with your network!
Best,
Giovanni Pizzi