PhD position in Materials Physics Full-time NEW

PhD Position in Materials Physics

Are you interested in working with neutron scattering methods, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University jointly with the ISIS Neutron and Muon source as well as the European Spallation Source (ESS).

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden's most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 45,000 students, more than 7,000 employees and a turnover of around SEK 7 billion.

The research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy encompasses a wide range of physics topics, distributed over nine divisions. The department is located in the Ångström Laboratory and employs nearly 400 people, 100 of whom are doctoral students. It offers a broad physics curriculum to undergraduate and graduate students, participation in nationally and internationally leading projects for researchers, and opportunities for partnership with industry and various outreach activities.

The research within the division of Materials Physics, at Uppsala University, is centred around understanding the physical properties of materials by analysing their structure and composition across multiple length scales, from the atomic to the macroscopic, and linking them to functional properties. Core areas are magnetism, hydrogen, energy materials, soft matter and ion-solid interactions.

The PhD student will be affiliated with the Division of Material Physics and be part of a group working with neutron scattering methods. Employment will be in Uppsala with extended stays at the ISIS Neutron and Muon source near Oxford (UK) and the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund (Sweden). ISIS and ESS together represent the forefront of neutron science, combining decades of operational excellence with next-generation source and instrument development. ISIS is a globally leading multi-disciplinary facility where curiosity-driven research meets application-led science and engineering, while ESS—currently preparing for operation and instrument finalisation—will be the world's most powerful neutron source, built as a partnership of 13 European member countries. The position offers a unique opportunity to work in highly collaborative, international environments alongside world-leading scientists, engineers, and technicians, contributing from an early stage to cutting-edge instrumentation and scientific discovery with broad societal, technological, and scientific impact.

The PhD student will utilize Spin–Echo Modulated Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SEMSANS) to extend accessible length scales beyond that of the conventional SANS and to obtain spatially resolved scattering signals by dark-field imaging. SEMSANS uses polarised neutrons to encode small scattering angles without the need for a highly collimated neutron beam and measures the autocorrelation function over mesoscopic length scales, probing structural features from the micrometer range down to the nanometer regime. The method relies on spatial modulation of the neutron beam's polarisation using a pair of magnetic Wollaston prisms – superconducting triangular field regions – placed upstream of the sample. The PhD student will work on the design, implementation and verification of the performance of the Wollaston prisms and a spin exchange optically pumped (SEOP) neutron spin analyser, both will be developed on a test beamline at ISIS. Once implemented, the new capabilities will be exploited on the already operating instruments Larmor and IMAT at ISIS. When ESS becomes operational with its novel long neutron pulse, the setup will be integrated and used on the dedicated imaging instrument ODIN and the SANS instrument SKADI. This will enable unique studies on mapping flux lattices in intermediate mixed-state superconductors and characterizing vesicles in model cell systems in collaboration with the project partners. The PhD student will resolve hierarchical cellulose microstructures with the developed capabilities.

The duties of the PhD candidate also include data analysis and writing scientific papers for publication in international journals, as well as giving research presentations in national and international contexts.

To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must:

• hold a Master's (second-cycle) degree in physics, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master's level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Excellent communication skills in English, writing and speaking, are required. Non-Swedish speaking candidates are encouraged to learn Swedish during employment.

The ability and willingness to travel internationally and work abroad for an extended period is mandatory for this position.

Additional qualifications:

• Completed courses in condensed matter physics, materials science, or similar areas.
• Understanding of scattering techniques.
• Experience with small angle scattering, imaging, polarised neutrons and spin manipulation techniques like neutron spin echo methods or other advanced scattering techniques like coherent diffractive imaging and phase contrast imaging.
• Experience with development and commissioning of instrumentation.
• Proficiency in Python for data treatment and evaluation.

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala, Department for Physics and Astronomy.

For further information about the position, please contact: Max Wolff, +46 18 471 3590, max.wolff@physics.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 21 September 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2506.