Location: King's College London, Strand Campus
The Nano-optics group at King’s College London is seeking a post-doctoral researcher with a strong experience in nonlinear and ultrafast optics in applications to plasmonic or dielectric metamaterials and metasurfaces to join our team working on the ERC Advanced Grant Integrating Complex Vector Beams and Active Metasurface Devices. The project is led by Professor Anatoly Zayats.
A post-doctoral research associate will be responsible for investigation of nonlinear interactions of complex beams with nanostructured media. We are looking for the experimentalist with the relevant experience in ultrafast laser systems and nonlinear measurements or metasurface design and fabrication. The experience with optical vortex beams will be advantage. Exceptionally qualified candidates in theoretical methods applied to complex optical beams and their nonlinear interactions will also be considered. Furthermore, the role holder will be responsible for the supervision of PhD and MSc students working in the relevant areas.
It is an excellent opportunity for a researcher to further their skill set in a rapidly advancing field, as well as providing opportunities to manage and take responsibility for both research tasks and people.
Deadline: 15-Apr-2021
Location: King's College London
Nanomaterials are a promising class of materials characterized by unique and often size-dependent properties that are distinct to those of their bulk equivalents. Since their discovery, they have become a prominent feature in the material science research landscape. Yet, their translation into technologies have been limited, owing in part to a lack of techniques for controllable manipulation and localization of colloidal nanomaterials into well-ordered heterostructures. As such, the development of facile, scalable and low-cost fabrication of nanoparticle heterostructures is a pre-requisite for many technological applications of nanomaterials, including light-harvesting, quantum information and photocatalysis.
In parallel to the developments in the synthesis of colloidal nanomaterials, the last decade saw great developments in combinatory self-assembly and localization methods involving the use of optical, dielectrophoretic, capillary and chemical forces. The project aims to explore the realm of what is achievable with such self-assembly methods, with respect to the fabrication of highly ordered heterostructures of nanoparticles and with regards to the tailoring of physico-chemical properties of such heterostructures. The project will also aim to extend the scope of the applicable techniques by developing new approaches to high-accuracy organization of colloidal nanomaterials of various compositions.
As part of the PhD, the candidate will have an opportunity to work with nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles, semiconductor quantum dots, conjugated polymer nanoparticles and carbon nanoparticles. The candidate will be introduced to a number of self-assembly, localization and nanofabrication techniques (e.g. EBL), as well as surface functionalisation methods. The investigations of the physical and chemical properties of the developed heterostructures will involve a variety of microscopies and spectroscopic techniques such as Tunnelling and Scanning Electron Microscopies, Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscope, UV-visible spectroscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy. These studies will be supported by numerical simulations via finite-element methods, using software packages such as Comsol Multiphysics, CST Microwave Studio or Lumerical.
Supervisor: Dr A Rakovich
Deadline: Monday, May 31, 2021
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
