Doctoral Position in functional oxide thin films

The newly established Solid-State Materials Chemistry Group at the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences (D-CHAB), ETH Zurich, is seeking a highly motivated doctoral candidate. The research focuses on how crystal chemistry, structure, and dimensionality can be used to control and create functionality in complex inorganic solids, with the goal of developing materials for potential technology transfer to semiconductor and photonic industries, as well as energy conversion and storage applications.

The laboratory is being set up for thin-film synthesis using physical vapor deposition methods, structural modification via wet-chemistry-based approaches, and advanced structural and functional characterization.

• Grow epitaxial thin films and heterostructures by pulsed-laser deposition and magnetron sputtering, using epitaxial strain and interfacial effects to stabilize metastable phases with desired structural, electronic, and magnetic functionality.
• Characterize thin-film structure and function using X-ray diffraction, scanning-probe microscopy, magnetometry, and synchrotron-based experiments (e.g., at Paul Scherrer Institute).
• Fabricate thin-film devices in a cleanroom and perform electrical and transport characterization.
• Use first-principles calculations and machine-learning foundation models during the initial stage of the project to identify promising metastable compositions for experimental stabilization as thin films.
• Present results at scientific conferences, publish work, and collaborate with researchers within the group and internationally.