Research Fellow

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,130 to £45,413 with potential progression once in post to £48,149

Contract Type: Fixed Term contract up to June 2027

Background

Experimental low-temperature physics involving nanofabrication, high pressure measurements, extreme magnetic field and milliKelvin temperature tuning of exotic low dimensional materials with hands-on experiments & development of capabilities, and opportunities for travel to international facilities.

This project is to identify, synthesise and explore new 2D materials, searching for exotic quantum functionalities to form new sustainable electronics and new types of computing. Tuning nanostructures of these materials with extreme pressure will unlock entirely new physics and new applications.

The (Transition Metal)P(S,Se)₃ materials, many of which have yet to be studied, form the focus of this research project. These ‘magnetic graphene’ materials bring magnetism and strong quantum mechanical effects to the domain of 2D materials and comprise exciting new building blocks for exotic new quantum engineering. We seek to control their properties and discover new phases of matter beyond the as-grown crystal properties by controlling the role of dimensionality (2D vs 3D vs.. 2.5D?) in electronic and magnetic states. We do this via ultra-high pressure measurements using opposed diamonds, and you will be a key part of adding in the capability to measure monolayers, bilayers and trilayers of single atomic thickness – and then applying pressure to these nanoscale delicate devices to control their behaviour yet further. This is an ambitious new direction just getting off the ground in the field and we aim to be at the forefront of the exciting new physics this will unlock. 

The group carries out crystal synthesis, transport measurements, structural determination through x-ray and neutron scattering, magnetic measurements and nanofabrication. We target a deliberately broad selection of properties to measure, usually under extreme high pressure conditions, to gain a full picture of the physics in a material’s phase diagram and to understand newly-discovered phases as much as possible. 

You will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the group’s PhD students in all the above and running, maintaining and upgrading our in-house cryostats. You will also lead the commissioning of new gloveboxes and drytransfer setup for exfoliation and assembly of 2D materials nanostructures and developing fabrication practices in our cleanroom utilising photolithography. 

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree relevant to research area or equivalent qualifications
• Experience with high-pressure techniques, nanofabrication, crystal synthesis, low-temperature measurements 
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively 
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes

Informal enquiries to Dr Matt Coak, email: m.j.coak@bham.ac.uk 

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

Closes: 03/04/2025

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