1738 Postdoc in XUV spectroscopy of clusters and biomolecules

The Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, invites applications for a 2-year postdoc position offering applicants an exciting opportunity to join a new research project on the interaction of bio-relevant molecules with ionizing radiation. In particular, we want to unravel secondary ionization processes such as intermolecular correlated decay and dissociative electron attachment in a bottom-up approach by synthesizing isolated biomolecules and tailored complexes thereof inside superfluid helium nanodroplets and water clusters. Detailed insights into the ionization dynamics is obtained by detecting emitted electrons, ions, and photons when the complexes are irradiated by extreme ultraviolet radiation generated by synchrotrons and free-electron lasers. In this way we want to unravel how radiation damage occurs on the molecular scale – and how we may control it for targeted cell protection or destruction, e.g. for cancer treatment.

The position is available from 01/01/2020 or as soon as possible hereafter.

Job description
You are expected to contribute to setting up new cluster sources as well as detectors for charged particles and photons. Your work includes both preparing and performing experiments in the lab at Aarhus University, and at external facilities such as ELETTRA, Trieste, or DESY, Hamburg.

Your profile
Applicants should hold a PhD in Physics or Chemistry. Experience with one or several of the following experimental techniques is highly desired: Molecular or cluster beams, synchrotron spectroscopy, laser spectroscopy, imaging detectors, data analysis and numerical simulations. Good communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team are expected. As some of the experiments will be carried out at external facilities, you should be ready to travel once or twice a year.

Who we are
The Cluster Dynamics Group addresses the following questions:
What are the fundamental interaction processes of light and matter, when we go from atoms, to molecules, to nanometer-sized clusters and droplets?
How / what can we learn from detecting the products of light-matter interactions? What can we learn from measuring spectra and dynamical phenomena in nano-clusters? Can we use this knowledge to better understand light-matter interactions occurring in nature, or even to contribute to technological developments? To answer these questions, we mainly use beams of clusters and doped nanodroplets, which we irradiate with ultrashort laser pulses and ionizing radiation from synchrotrons and free-electron lasers. Typical detection methods include time-of-flight ion mass spectrometry, and velocity-map imaging of electrons and ions.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is a department at Science and Technology. The main objectives of the Department are to carry out research at the highest international level, to offer research based teaching at Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and PhD levels, and to exchange knowledge with other areas of society, e.g. by offering our expertise to the business world.

The Department is an attractive workplace for researchers, teachers, technicians, laboratory technicians and administrators and has a good study environment with many talented and active students at all levels. The research at the Department of Physics and Astronomy is of high quality, attracts significant international attention – in several fields the Department is within the world elite – and is characterised by many international collaborations with other high-ranking universities and research institutions around the world.
Place of Work and area of employment
The place of work is the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C.

Contact information
For further information please contact: Associate professor Marcel Mudrich, [email protected], +458715 5693.

Application procedure
Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants, including the main considerations emphasized during the selection process.

Formalities and salary range
Science and Technology refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/
Kilde: Jobnet.dk