BatMAX PostDoc at MAX IV (NanoCT)

Lunds Universitet; Lunds kommun; On-site; SEK 520,000 - 660,000; Full time

Job summary

MAX IV invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow to advance nanoCT at the DanMAX beamline in close collaboration with the Matic group at Chalmers. The role integrates BatMAX science, cross‑beamline efforts, and battery research within a national consortium.

You will contribute to software development, experimental control and operando imaging. The position is funded for 2–3 years, with emphasis on cross‑beamline projects and dissemination of results through publications and presentations.

Qualifications

• PhD in chemistry, physics, or closely related subject.
• Proven experience with X-ray imaging techniques, e.g. µCT, nanoCT, TXM or similar.
• Experience in computer programming for data analysis, e.g. Python.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent command of the English language, good communication and teamwork skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of nanoCT at the DanMAX beamline in collaboration with the Matic group at Chalmers.
• Participate scientifically and technically in the BatMAX project in collaboration with the consortium.
• Participate in the Battery Matrix, specifically working on cross-beamline projects.
• Support the operation of the beamline, including user support and maintenance of hardware and software.

Skills

X-ray imaging techniques

Python

Independent and team work

English communication

Education

PhD in chemistry/physics/related

Tools

Python

Job description

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Your teams

The project is a collaboration between MAX IV and the DanMAX beamline, the BatMAX hub and Chalmers University of Technology. The position is an exciting opportunity for a candidate looking to work in a highly collaborative environment across many closely connected teams.

The DanMAX beamline, in the Hard X-ray Group at MAX IV, is a materials science beamline specialising in X‑ray diffraction and full‑field imaging techniques. The beamline serves a very wide user community, spanning physics and chemistry to medical science. A significant fraction of the user base is studying batteries and battery materials.

This NanoCT position is hosted by the Division of Materials Physics (Prof. A. Matic) in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Chalmers University of Technology, which has a strong research focus on next generation chemistries and operando characterization of batteries with X‑ray imaging and spectroscopy. Batteries@Chalmers gathers >99 researchers at six departments to develop education, research & infrastructure in battery technology. There is strong research on materials, cell concepts, processing, battery control, monitoring, and ageing, life cycle analysis & recycling.

The project

The project will be run within the BatMAX hub at MAX IV, which is a consortium of 4 universities (Chalmers, Lund, Uppsala and Aarhus) that will closely collaborate to tackle challenges associated with Na‑ion solid state batteries through 6 weeks of beamtime per year across 6 different beamlines. The BatMAX hub links to the Battery Matrix, an internal group at MAX IV to enable lab‑wide collaboration on the topic of battery research. This postdoctoral researcher position will play an active role in cross‑beamline activities through both the BatMAX Hub and the Battery Matrix.

This position is one of three postdocs linked to the BatMAX consortium, each with a different speciality, that links the university groups to MAX IV. The positions are funded through the COMPEL national strategic initiative, which aims to strengthen battery research and education in Sweden. NanoCT has been demonstrated at DanMAX, but it remains in a developmental stage that is not ready for non‑expert users. The goal of the project is to develop both the previously demonstrated X‑ray microscope mode and the holo‑tomography mode. This includes developments of software for experimental control, phase retrieval, and reconstruction. It will also include development of best practices for nanoCT on batteries, focusing in particular on minimizing radiation damage and enabling in operando nanoCT.

MAX IV and the BatMAX consortium are looking for a postdoc who will:

• Lead the development of nano computed tomography (nanoCT) at the DanMAX beamline in close collaboration with the Matic group at Chalmers.
• Participate scientifically and technically in the BatMAX project in collaboration with the consortium.
• Participate in the Battery Matrix, specifically working on cross‑beamline projects.

Your main work tasks will be:

• Work at the DanMAX beamline. Specifically lead the development of nanoCT as a practically usable technique at DanMAX.
• Participate in the operation of the beamline, i.e. user support, and maintenance of hardware and software.
• Develop experimental research exploiting nanoCT for battery research.
• Participate in the BatMAX consortium, including planning beamtimes, conducting experiments, analysing results and writing scientific articles.

To qualify for this role, you need to have the following qualifications/experiences:

• Have a PhD in chemistry, physics, or a closely related subject.
• Proven experience with X‑ray imaging techniques, e.g. µCT, nanoCT, TXM or similar.
• Experience in computer programming for data analysis, e.g. Python.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent command of the English language, good communication, and teamwork skills.

The following are seen as merits:

• Experience with X‑ray optics for imaging.
• Experience with experiments at synchrotron and/or neutron sources.
• Experience and a good understanding of electrochemistry, including batteries.
• Knowledge of solid‑state and/or Na‑ion battery chemistries.
• Experience in user support at user facilities.

Appointment to the position of postdoc requires that the applicant has a PhD or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the application deadline. Under special circumstances the PhD can have been completed before the aforementioned three years.

Further information

This is a full‑time, fixed‑term employment. A postdoctoral fellow is employed under a period of at least two years and at most three years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor‑2022‑02‑01” (“Agreement on fixed‑term employment as a post‑doctoral fellow, 2022‑02‑01”).

We ask that you in your application answer fully on the selection questions asked as part of the application process.

What we offer

When you join our MAX IV team, you enter a world of cutting‑edge science. We make the invisible visible by supporting scientist from all over the world, generating scientific results for the benefit of society. We offer you a multicultural work environment with great opportunities for personal development with respect for a healthy work‑life balance.

For further information, please visit:

• https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about‑lund‑university/work‑lund‑university
• www.sweden.se
• https://www.maxiv.lu.se/about‑us/careers/compensation‑benefits/

MAX IV is a Swedish national large‑scale research infrastructure hosted by Lund University. It provides scientists from Sweden and abroad, with intense X‑rays and state‑of‑the‑art instrumentation for research in areas such as engineering, physics, structural biology, chemistry and nanotechnology. Its 16 beamlines receive up to 2 000 scientists annually, conducting ground‑breaking experiments in materials and life sciences using the brilliant X‑rays.

Contact

• Robert Temperton, [phone], [e-mail]