Postdoctoral position in Materials Physics Full-time

Postdoctoral 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 Postdoctoral 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 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 Postdoctoral researcher 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. 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 Postdoctoral researcher 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 Postdoctoral researcher will work on the design and implementation 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, characterizing vesicles in model cell systems, and resolving hierarchical cellulose microstructures in collaboration with the project partners.

Applicants must hold a PhD in physics, materials, or a similar area of science and have the following skills:

• Strong documented interest in material science
• Understanding of scattering techniques.
• Experience with instrumentation and experimental work performed at photon or neutron user facilities or similar.
• Proficiency in Python for data treatment and evaluation.
• Excellent communication skills in English, writing and speaking, are required. Non-Swedish speaking candidates are encouraged to learn Swedish during employment.
• Documented experience of presenting scientific results both orally and in writing.
• Publications in relevant subject areas in internationally recognized scientific journals.
• The ability and willingness to travel internationally and work abroad for an extended period is mandatory for this position.

Additional qualifications:

• 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.
• Proficiency in development and commissioning of instrumentation.
• Experience of research in an international environment, and scientific project leading.
• Proficiency in working in multidisciplinary environments.

The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement, with the possibility of a 1-year extension. Full time position. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

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

Please submit your application by 14 August 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2143.