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Job Title PDRA Soft X-ray Core Level Spectroscopies for Applied Research
Job Reference DIA1065_TH
Post Type Full time / 3 year, fixed term contract
Division CEO
Salary information Circa £35k
Application deadline 06/09/2015


Job Description

Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located on the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire a 20 minute drive south of Oxford in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Diamond Light Source conducts world-class research in virtually all fields of science and offers rewarding career opportunities covering both technical and scientific disciplines.

We are seeking a self-motivated PDRA to join our Industrial Liaison Group to develop and deliver the service offered to industrial users of Diamond in the field of soft X-ray science in collaboration with Sven Schroeder’s research group at the University of Leeds.
 

Chemical product and process engineering can now take advantage of structure analysis with a broad range of X-ray techniques that have become available at Diamond. The candidate should have an interest in determining structure information across different length scales, ideally in situ under process conditions, from molecular to macroscopic dimensions. The long-term aim of research in this area is to combine such experimental information with multi-scale models to generate a seamless understanding of the relationships between microstructure, processing conditions and product performance.
 

All candidates with a suitable background, e.g., engineers, physicists, chemists or materials scientists, and an interest in areas such as applied nanoscience, soft matter, colloid and interface science, surface science of molecular materials or physical organic solid state chemistry will be considered. Particularly advantageous would be familiarity with one or several of the following analytical techniques: near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron and in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopies, imaging with chemical contrast (e.g. via XANES).
You would join the industrial liaison group of Diamond, working on the soft X-ray spectroscopy projects with industrial relevance. There will be opportunities to join existing projects, and you will be encouraged to establish your own research.
You are expected to have a good background in X-ray absorption spectroscopies. The nature of the project requires that you have very good computing skills and are familiar with data analysis techniques for the interpretation of X-ray core level spectra.
 

PDRA Soft X-ray Core Level Spectroscopies for Applied Research  - to develop industrial applications of soft X-ray core level synchrotron methods.

  • Working with the Industrial Liaison team and the Royal Academy of Engineering Bragg Centenary Chair co-appointed between University of Leeds and Diamond Light Source Ltd;
  • Carrying out research activities independently or in collaboration with others as appropriate;
  • Performing internationally competitive experiments on soft-X-ray beamlines at both Diamond and other synchrotron facilities on industrially-relevant projects, analysis data and publication of results;
  • Keeping up with latest results and research directions internationally;
  • knowledge transfer from relevant facilities at other synchrotron radiation sources;
  • Interactions with industrial users of Diamond, including providing advice and expertise;
  • Data collection and analysis;
  • Present in-house research, beamline developments and scientific papers at meetings and conferences.

Qualification & Experience - Essential

  • Hands-on experience in X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy;
  • Experience in using synchrotron beamlines;
  • Experience in the use of relevant DFT and other electronic structure calculation codes;
  • Experience with Windows/Linux/Unix;
  • Good interpersonal, communication and presentational skills;
  • Ability to interact with staff and facility users at all levels;
  • Ability to work flexibly with occasional weekend and out-of hours working;
  • Ability and initiative to get to the heart of the problem and take it effectively through to completion;
  • Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team;
  • Self-motivation.

Qualification & Experience - Desirable

  • Experience with soft X-ray absorption methods for materials analysis;
  • Experience with handling liquids and soft matter systems on soft X-ray absorption beamlines;
  • Experience of data analysis software using tools that are relevant for soft X-ray methods;

Further Information

Must be able to travel occasionally within the UK and abroad, including overnight absences.

 

Applying for employment

For further details on applying for employment at Diamond, please visit our 'Application Form' page.

Appointments will be made depending on the skills and experience of the candidate. Electronic Diamond application forms in MS-Word are preferred. These should be emailed to recruitment@diamond.ac.uk



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