Postdoctoral position in Atomic Force Microscopy

France Bioimaging; Montpellier; On-site; EUR 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

CNRS, Center for Structural Biology (CBS) in France invites applications for a postdoctoral position to develop a novel AFM-based microscopy method capable of imaging the surface of water with nanometric resolution. You will design and construct an AFM integrated within a Langmuir trough to enable real-time study of liquid films at nanoscale.

The ideal candidate has a PhD in physics, engineering, or biophysics and a strong track record in instrumentation development and publications, with a

Qualifications

• Experience in Scanning Probe Microscopy
• PhD in physics, engineering, or biophysics
• Strong interest in instrumentation and technique development
• Publications demonstrating relevant work

Responsibilities

• Design and build AFM instrument integrated in Langmuir trough
• Develop and implement a novel microscopy approach to image liquid surfaces
• Advance AFM capabilities to observe currently unseen phenomena
• Characterize films on liquid interfaces using real-time measurements

Skills

Scanning Probe Microscopy

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

Instrumentation

Publications track record

Education

Master & PhD in physics/engineering/biophysics

Tools

FreeCAD

SolidWorks

Job description

Postdoctoral position in Atomic Force Microscopy

Organization: CNRS, Center for Structural Biology (CBS)

What is the smallest thing we can see on the surface of water? The surface of water is the prevalent interface on our planet. Yet, even the most advanced microscopy techniques do not provide nanoscale images of its surface. Yes, reciprocal-space methods such as X-Ray or neutron scattering & reflectivity can provide indirect structural information, but it is an averaged one.

This project aims to develop a novel microscopy approach capable of directly imaging the surface of water with nanometric resolution. We will design and construct an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) integrated within a Langmuir trough, permitting high-resolution and real-time characterization of films directly on liquid surfaces.

Key responsabilities

In this position, you will go beyond being a typical AFM user who uses a commercial microscope. Instead, you will contribute to advancing AFM and microscopy by designing and developing an instrument capable of observing phenomena that are currently impossible to visualize.

Motivated and ambitious candidates are encouraged to apply. We require:

• Experience in Scanning Probe Microscopy
• A Master & PhD degree in physics, engineering, or biophysics
• A high level of interest in instrumentation, protocols & techniques development
• Relevant scientific experience supported by publication record

Experience in Optics, Electronics (especially, Lock-In Amplifiers, Phase-Locked Loops, PID controllers, Oscilloscopes, Function generators & Multimeters).

Experience with FreeCAD or equivalent (i.e. Solidworks).

Computational skills (i.e. Labview, Python, Matlab).