About the position 

Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Semiconductor Physics available at the Department of Physics.

The fellowship period is 3 years. A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25 % that may consist of teaching, supervision duties, and/or research assistance. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant and the current needs of the department.

Starting date no later than October 1, 2025.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

Job description

The field of quantum technology (QT) aims to exploit the most exotic consequences of quantum mechanics for real-world applications, and promises massive impacts on fields ranging from communication and cryptography to sensing and computing. However, it has proven challenging to find the balance between control of the quantum state, robustness to noise, signal detection and, importantly, scalability. Thus, there is an ongoing race to discover and characterize new quantum compatible platforms that satisfy these fundamental criteria.

In the LENS (Light and electricity from novel Semiconductors) research group at UiO we explore and develop point defects in semiconductors - imperfections in the material that are often seen as something to avoid - for QT applications. Point defect-based QT facilitates quantum bits based on either the electron spin or photon polarization and is well suited for optical readout using the single photon emitter (SPE) property. Importantly, point defect SPEs can operate at room temperature (RT), in contrast to most other available QT platforms that require milli-kelvin temperatures to function.

Specifically, the current project is related to theoretical studies on the formation, control and understanding of single-photon emitters in the well-explored materials like SiC, diamond and Si, and more novel materials like AlN and c-BN. We will, among other topics, explore how quantum emitters in these materials interact with their environment and can be utilized for quantum sensing applications. In this Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, we seek a candidate who will take part in the development of semiconductor point defects for QT applications. The work of the Postdoctoral candidate will mainly be of theoretical character, and in particular related to modeling of semiconductor materials and defects using density functional theory (DFT) and/or related methods.

Relevant tasks may be a combination of: 

• Investigation of defect formation and thermodynamic stability in Si, SiC, AlN, and other materials using DFT. 
• High-throughput studies of quantum defects and materials.
• Modeling of electrical, optical and spin properties of color centers. 
• Studies of interactions between quantum emitters and surrounding material including full lineshape calculations with DFT. 
• Development of methodology for studying interactions between defect color centers and external perturbations like strain, temperature, electric fields and magnetic fields. 
• Design and modeling of electronic and nanophotonic devices. 
• Supervision of MSc and PhD students.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be closely knit with the supervisor’s other projects and activities, and in several cases work in a larger team with colleagues at the University of Oslo and partners internationally.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be affiliated with the semiconductor physics group LENS (Light and electricity from novel Semiconductors) with around 50 highly dedicated professors, researchers, postdocs, PhD fellows, engineers, admin and master students. The research group has an excellent infrastructure covering chemical, structural, optical and electrical characterization methods, device fabrication and simulations. The infrastructure includes the Micro- and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MiNaLab) with a clean room area in excess of 400 m2 with a multitude of modern fabrication and characterization facilities.

The LENS group is part of the Physics Department and the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN). SMN is an interdisciplinary collaboration between five research groups in physics and chemistry, and spearheads the MN faculty’s efforts for sustainable energy solutions. The Centre comprises UiO’s focus on renewable energy, materials science, and nanotechnology.

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of their fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

Qualification requirements:

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Required qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in materials science, physics or electronic/electrical engineering. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment. 
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• Solid background in semiconductor physics including semiconductor modelling using density functional theory (DFT) or comparable methods 
• Strong data analysis skills
• Experience in writing and publishing scientific manuscripts and articles
• Experience in preparation and presentation of scientific talks in English
•  The position's subject area may require licensing under the Norwegian Export Control Act. In order to be considered for the position, it is a prerequisite that UiO must be able to be granted such licence. 

Desired qualifications:

Two or more of the following; 

• Experience with semiconductor material and defect modeling using density functional theory (DFT)

 • Competence on point defects in semiconductors for quantum technology applications

 • Experience with lineshape modeling for semiconductor point defects

• Knowledge on optical and electrical semiconductor defect characterization

• Experience with semiconductor device modeling such as TCAD 

• Experience with data analysis using, e.g., Origin, Python or MatLab

• Programming skills, e.g. proficient with Labview or Python

• Experience in supervision and mentoring of PhD and master students 

 Personal skills 

• We seek a candidate who is flexible, good at taking initiative and has excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Having to work in a setting with many co-workers, we seek a candidate who enjoys working in a team. 
• Ability to write in a scientific, structured, clear and concise manner.
• Enthusiasm, personal drive, and genuine curiosity about the subject. 

We offer :

• Salary NOK 579 700 – 657 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
• Good welfare schemes.
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities. 
• Postdoctoral development programmes
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

The application must include:

Your application should include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity) 
•  Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records 
•  Up to one letter of recommendation (optional)
• A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the project description , and the quality of the project as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. 

Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations:

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years)

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to 

Contact persons:

For further information please contact: Marianne E. Bathen, phone: +47 99107859, e-mail: m.e.bathen@fys.uio.no 

For questions regarding Jobbnorge, please contact HR Adviser Elin Thoresen, email: elin.thoresen@mn.uio.no

Apply for this job