Postdoc – Water and Magnetic Dynamics at Nanostructured Interfaces - QENS and INS

Place of Employment: Aachen und Jülich
Start Date: as soon as possible
Working Hours: 39 Hours / Week
Salary: EG 13 TVöD-Bund
Application Deadline: The position will be advertised until it is successfully filled.

Index number: 2026T-0854

Your Job

• QENS and INS experiments to investigate the diffusion dynamics of water and ligand molecules on metal oxide nanoparticle surfaces, accompanied by complementary experimental techniques or theoretical simulations
• Extending neutron spectroscopy studies to energy materials
• Characterization of the magnetic modes in iron oxide nanoparticles using neutron spectroscopy
• Synthesis and physicochemical characterization of iron and other metal oxide nanoparticles and / or energy materials
• Participation in experiments as well as design and construction of instruments and/or sample environments with practical work at neutron sources
• Supervision of students
• Presentation of research results at conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Establishment of cooperation projects with other institutes at Forschungszentrum Jülich

Your Profile

Required qualifications and skills:

• Master degree and PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Material Science or related disciplines
• Experience in neutron spectroscopy, e.g. QENS, INS, NSE
• Good knowledge of the structural characterization of matter with e.g. powder diffraction
• Experience with wet chemical synthesis, e.g. nanoparticles

A distinct advantage would be:

• Experience with high-level programming languages, e.g. Python
• Knowledge in magnetism and nanostructured interfaces
• Very good command of written and spoken English with extensive vocabulary is required (at least B2 level according to the CEFR)
• The ability to work independently, along with a highly motivated and creative approach to research
• Demonstrated teamwork, cooperation and communication skills
• Previous supervision of graduate students, as well as laboratory or instrument responsibilities

Our Benefits for You

• Work-life balance: Optimal conditions for balancing work and private life, as well as a family-friendly company policy. The option of flexible working (in terms of location) is generally available after consultation and in line with upcoming tasks and (on-site) appointments
• Vacation: You will receive 30 days of vacation plus additional days off (e.g. between Christmas and New Year's)
• Flexibility: Flexible working time models, including options close to full-time, allow you to tailor your working hours to suit your individual needs
• Knowledge & further training: Your professional development is important to us – we provide targeted, individual support
• Health & well-being: Your health is important to us. You can look forward to a comprehensive occupational health management program with a wide range of offerings - e.g., a beach volleyball court, running groups, yoga classes, and much more. In addition, our company medical service and an experienced social counseling team are available to assist you on site
• Fair remuneration: Depending on your existing qualifications and the tasks assigned to you, you will be classified in pay grade 13 of the TVöD-Bund (Collective Agreement for the Public Service). All information on the TVöD-Bund collective agreement can be found on the BMI website. The monthly salaries in euros can be found on page 74 of the PDF download
• Additional benefits: Benefit from attractive additional services such as a company pension scheme with employer contribution. In addition to the basic salary, there is an additional year-end bonus under the collective pay agreement amounting to 75% of a monthly salary, as well as capital-forming benefits
• Perspective: After a 2-year fixed-term contract, our goal is to hire you on a permanent basis. Let's use this time to find out how well we fit together
• Support for international employees: Our International Advisory Service makes it easier for international employees to get started
• Career Center: You will receive explicit support with regard to your career development opportunities

In addition to exciting tasks and a collegial working environment, we offer you much more: https://go.fzj.de/benefits

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.

The following links provide further information on diversity and equal opportunities: https://go.fzj.de/equality and on specific support options for women: https://go.fzj.de/womens-job-journey. International applicants can find more information here: https://go.fzj.de/job-journey-internationals