PhD student -ResolutionTime-Resolved Microstructural Evolution Under Ion Irradiation via TEM

Overview

ETH Zürich is one of the world’s leading universities, specializing in science and technology. It is renowned for its excellent education, its cutting‑edge fundamental research and its efforts to put new knowledge and innovations directly into practice. The Laboratory of Metal Physics and Technology (LMPT), part of the Department of Materials at ETH Zürich, conducts research and teaching in areas ranging from basic science to technology, mostly in metal‑related areas.

It is led by Jörg

F. Löffler and brings together physicists, materials scientists, chemists and biomedical engineers from across the world. It creates novel materials and explores emerging phenomena in metal physics and technology via detailed materials analysis and modeling.

The Ernst Ruska‑Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons (ER‑C) at the Jülich Research Center (FZ Jülich) hosts one of the world’s most advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) facilities. It houses an unparalleled collection of state‑of‑the‑art instruments, which enable ultrahigh‑resolution studies of materials and devices with unparalleled spatial, energy and temporal resolution.

Are you ready to dive into Materials Science? We are looking for a PhD candidate to work at ER‑C (Forschungszentrum Jülich) and LMPT (ETH Zürich) to investigate high‑resolution, real‑time microstructural evolution in materials under ion irradiation and thus to understand in detail the performance of materials in e.g. future fusion reactors or particle accelerators and in general to understand materials driven far out from equilibrium.

In situ TEM and Dynamic TEM (DTEM) are powerful techniques that can be used to reveal microstructure–property relationships in materials under operational conditions, which remains largely unexplored for ion‑irradiated materials. Despite decades of research, the fundamental mechanisms governing the sub‑nanosecond displacement cascade evolution, and the resulting defect dynamics and irradiation‑induced phase transitions are incompletely understood, especially in the presence of realistic external stimuli.

The successful candidate will utilize advanced analytical and high‑resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM)—including collaborations at the ER‑C—to directly observe structural changes at the atomic level. Fast scanning calorimetry and synchrotron radiation techniques will be employed to probe the kinetics and thermodynamics of phase transformations. The project will explore how temperature, mechanical strain, and irradiation induce changes in atomic structure and dynamics.

The influence of atomic arrangement on stability, transformation kinetics, and crystallization will be systematically investigated.

• Studies of defect dynamics and phase transitions:
  Insitu and Dynamic TEM using controlled ion irradiation
• Nanoscale microstructure analysis:
  Time‑resolved TEM and complementary exsitu characterization
• Simulation and modelling:
  Molecular dynamics, kinetic Monte Carlo and kinetic rate theory
• Data analysis and interpretation:
  Drawing conclusions from experimental and simulated data
• Scientific reporting:
  Publishing and presenting research findings
• Collaborative research:
  Contributions to group projects at ETH Zürich and FZ Jülich
• Teaching:
  Contributions to practicals and lecture assignments at ETH Zürich and FZ Jülich

A Master’s degree in physics, materials science, or a related discipline, including:

• Background in solid‑state physics and a demonstrated interest in experimental research
• Familiarity with scientific programming or atomistic simulations
• Proficiency in oral and written English

Additional assets (advantageous but not a requirement):

• Experience with electron microscopy (TEM/STEM)
• Experience with ion irradiation or radiation damage studies
• Experience with synchrotron and calorimetry techniques We offer
  • Access to a world‑class collection of state‑of‑the‑art transmission electron microscopes and analyses instruments at Forschungszentrum Jülich and ETH Zürich.
  • Opportunity to contribute to ground‑breaking research in real‑time microstructural observations.
  • Collaborative and…