Research Fellow in High-resolution SPM imaging of organic semiconductors - Chemistry - 103136 - Grade 7

Full Job Description

Position Details

School of Chemistry

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £34,980 to £44,263 with potential progression once in post to £46,974

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to June 2026

Closing date: 19^th February 2024

UK and Global travel will be required as part of this role 

Background

The School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham is a vibrant and thriving academic community, with over 100 academic and research staff, 20 professional services staff and over 600 students. We provide an inclusive and supportive environment where we strive to support every member of staff in realising their career potential.  With a strong focus on our four Research Themes of Energy, Sustainability, Environment and Health, and a number of interdisciplinary Interest Groups serving as testbeds to explore new and emerging areas of interest, we are a dynamic place to work. We have ambitious plans to expand our research activity and are in an exciting period of growth: major investment from the University have delivered a state-of-the-art research building (opening in 2024), and new multi-million-pound high-performance computing facilities, which will ensure UK-leading compute capability. These investments build on a major recent expansion of our academic staff and investment in our teaching and learning provision, with our Collaborative Teaching Laboratory, which opened September 2018, already revolutionising how we teach undergraduate practical chemistry. 

The University is a family-friendly employer and the School of Chemistry welcomes flexible working to suit family or other commitments. The University has on-campus childcare facilities. The School of Chemistry holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award in recognition of its work in promoting women’s careers in STEM subjects in higher education. 

Role Summary

We are looking for a Research Fellow to work in the area of experimental nanoscience at surfaces. The post holder will join the Group led by Prof. Giovanni Costantini in the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham. For over 20 years, the CostantiniLab has been exploring the fundamental interactions and properties of functional molecular units on solid surfaces as well as developing novel cutting-edge methods for characterising these systems at the molecular and atomic scale.

The project will be based on the innovative methodology – electrospray deposition combined with scanning tunnelling microscopy, ESD-STM – recently developed by the Costantini Group (see for example Sci. Adv., 2018; Adv. Mater., 2020; JACS, 2021; ACS Nano, 2022; Adv. Funct. Mater., 2023). The aim of the project is to apply the high precision and rigour of surface science – in particular the ultimate spatial resolution of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) – to solve analytical problems that are intractable with any other current characterisation technique. A specific emphasis will be on studying functional organic semiconductors used in organic electronics, photovoltaics, sensing and thermoelectric applications. As such, this project holds the potential to yield groundbreaking outcomes of high fundamental and applied impact. 

The postholder will be responsible for all aspects of the project which will include sample preparation by ESD, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) measurements and analysis and interpretation of the SPM data. Training will be provided in some of the component techniques but demonstrable experience in a number of aspects pertinent to the research project is required (see details in “Person Specification” section below). 

Given the multidisciplinary nature of the project and the extensive network of collaborations by the Costantini Group with world-leading synthetic, device and theoretical groups across the globe (e.g. at the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, Stanford University, Peking University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Tech, etc.), this role offers an outstanding opportunity to deepen one's knowledge of organic semiconductors and their application in materials and devices, as well as to work in close cooperation with the main players in the field. 

The role will also offer the opportunity to contribute to the development of research strategies within the Costantini Group as well as co-supervise PhD and Master students. Additionally, you will be expected to contribute towards the scientific health of the School of Chemistry through outreach and teaching activities and should therefore possess good skills and ideally experience in these areas. 

In summary the role requires:

To undertake research into the development of ESD-STM methodology and to employ this new analytical technique to characterise a series of organic semiconductors under the supervision of Prof. Giovanni Costantini

To produce regular written and oral reports pertaining to the project as requested; attend regular project meetings; give regular presentations to the Group; write papers for publication in high-impact peer reviewed scientific journals

To play an active role within the research Group, participating in all Group meetings and activities. You may co-supervise research students, be responsible for installation and maintenance of equipment and training of personnel on equipment

To participate in the collaborative meetings and work with the project collaborators

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Perform research and collect data in the specified area to a high level of competency and quality.
• Maintain and develop the highly sophisticated instruments required to perform this research.
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results generated from all aspects of the project.
• Write papers for publication in high-impact peer reviewed scientific journals.
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to support staff and students in the Group.
• Disseminate research through national and international conferences, departmental seminars, outreach activities, etc.
• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required.
• Contribute to School research-related activities and research-related administration.
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding.
• Promote equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines.
• Contribute to developing new ideas, directions, techniques and methods in order to advance the project and enhance its quality.
• Maintain a high level of knowledge of the immediate and surrounding literature.

Person Specification

• Hold a first degree in area of specialism (typically Physics, Chemistry, Material Science) and have completed a higher degree (PhD or one near to completion or equivalent qualifications) relevant to research area 
• Practical mindset with a strong focus on problem solving and hands-on experience in a laboratory environment including instrumentation maintenance
• Excellent research profile in the area of experimental surface science and/or molecular systems at surfaces
• Record of publishing in leading international journals and of presenting at conferences 
• High-level expertise of and proven experience in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) technology and the use of standard surface science preparation – e.g. sputtering, annealing, organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD) – and analytical techniques – e.g. LEED, AES, etc. 
• High-level expertise of and proven experience in using advanced UHV analytical techniques such as scanning probe microscopy (SPM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc. 
• Desirable: experience in one of more of the following techniques 
• Low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (LT-STM)
• Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS)
• Non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM)
• Electrospray deposition (ESD) and/or electrospray ion beam deposition (ESIBD)
• Synchrotron-based surface science measurements such as XPS, NEXAFS, SXRD, NIXSW, etc.
• Ability and experience to install, optimise, maintain and repair relevant equipment and to train other personnel on operation of this equipment.
• Desirable: experience in developing new surface science instrumentation (e.g. designing UHV systems, developing new techniques, building set-ups, etc.)
• Interest in interdisciplinary research and willingness to learn new techniques.
• Ability to keep up to date with new developments in the fields relevant to the project.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team on research programmes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary project area of research.
• Ability to initiate, plan, organise, implement and deliver programmes of research work to tight deadlines.
• Ability to write and give presentations to both national and international audience standard and communicate complex information clearly.
• Excellent writing skills and record of success in published papers.

For further information and informal enquiries please contact Prof. Giovanni Costantini,  

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is one of our values . You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone  on our website .