Correlative electron microscopy and optics of perovskite thin films

Work Activities
The optical properties of halide perovskite thin films are set by the positions of their atoms, including defects. Local variations in crystal phase, grain orientation, and defect density govern the photoluminescence (PL) yield and spectrum and, ultimately, solar-cell efficiency and stability. Quantifying these atomic-scale variations currently requires transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which is slow and low-throughput compared with optical measurements.

In this project we ask whether the atomic structure of a perovskite film, including its defects, can be inferred from its PL and absorption alone. If so, a fast, non-destructive optical measurement becomes a quantitative crystallographic probe. To find out, we combine two major AMOLF facilities: HELIOS, an AI-guided robotic platform for perovskite film deposition and characterization, and SHINE, a unique in situ TEM with laser excitation. The resulting optical and electron-diffraction data, acquired on exactly the same regions of the same films, are used to train a neural network that infers structure from light.

As a postdoc on this project you will work on:

• High-throughput PL screening: together with the HELIOS team, screen the photoluminescence of perovskite films prepared under varied conditions, to identify atomic structures with interesting properties that are stable in time.
• Correlative structural and optical mapping: combine 4D-STEM (spatially resolved electron diffraction) with PL and absorption measured on the same regions of films on TEM grids.
• In situ TEM under laser excitation: reproduce transient or metastable states that do not survive ex situ transfer inside the SHINE TEM.

You will work in the Hybrid Nanosystems group of Wiebke Albrecht at AMOLF, in close collaboration with the Nanoscale Solar Cells group of Erik Garnett. You will be part of the HELIOS team and join its weekly work discussions.

Qualifications
We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with a PhD in physics, materials science, nanoscience, or a related field, and a strong background in transmission electron microscopy, including STEM-based techniques such as 4D-STEM. Experience with TEM on halide perovskites or other beam-sensitive materials is a strong plus. Experience with optical spectroscopy, data analysis in Python, or machine learning is an advantage. We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

Work environment
The Hybrid Nanosystems group, led by Wiebke Albrecht, uses light as a tool to probe, program, and reshape nanomaterials. By combining advanced electron microscopy, single-particle optical spectroscopy, and electromagnetic simulations, we uncover how the atomic-scale structure of nanoparticles governs their response to light, and how light can drive these structures to transform. The group runs AMOLF’s light-coupled in situ TEM facility. In this project you will collaborate closely with the Nanoscale Solar Cells group of Erik Garnett, which leads AMOLF’s robotic perovskite platform. Both groups are part of AMOLF’s LMPV–Sustainable Energy Materials department, where about 50 scientists work on semiconductors for solar energy conversion and photocatalysis, with weekly departmental colloquia.

AMOLF is a national institute that is part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of 2 years, with the possibility of extension by one year.
• Salary is in scale 10 (CAO-OI) which starts at 4.552 Euro’s gross per month, and a range of employment benefits.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Wiebke Albrecht: w.albrecht@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Correlative electron microscopy and optics of perovskite thin films

Work Activities
The optical properties of halide perovskite thin films are set by the positions of their atoms, including defects. Local variations in crystal phase, grain orientation, and defect density govern the photoluminescence (PL) yield and spectrum and, ultimately, solar-cell efficiency and stability. Quantifying these atomic-scale variations currently requires transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which is slow and low-throughput compared with optical measurements.

In this project we ask whether the atomic structure of a perovskite film, including its defects, can be inferred from its PL and absorption alone. If so, a fast, non-destructive optical measurement becomes a quantitative crystallographic probe. To find out, we combine two major AMOLF facilities: HELIOS, an AI-guided robotic platform for perovskite film deposition and characterization, and SHINE, a unique in situ TEM with laser excitation. The resulting optical and electron-diffraction data, acquired on exactly the same regions of the same films, are used to train a neural network that infers structure from light.

As a postdoc on this project you will work on:

• High-throughput PL screening: together with the HELIOS team, screen the photoluminescence of perovskite films prepared under varied conditions, to identify atomic structures with interesting properties that are stable in time.
• Correlative structural and optical mapping: combine 4D-STEM (spatially resolved electron diffraction) with PL and absorption measured on the same regions of films on TEM grids.
• In situ TEM under laser excitation: reproduce transient or metastable states that do not survive ex situ transfer inside the SHINE TEM.

You will work in the Hybrid Nanosystems group of Wiebke Albrecht at AMOLF, in close collaboration with the Nanoscale Solar Cells group of Erik Garnett. You will be part of the HELIOS team and join its weekly work discussions.

Qualifications
We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with a PhD in physics, materials science, nanoscience, or a related field, and a strong background in transmission electron microscopy, including STEM-based techniques such as 4D-STEM. Experience with TEM on halide perovskites or other beam-sensitive materials is a strong plus. Experience with optical spectroscopy, data analysis in Python, or machine learning is an advantage. We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

Work environment
The Hybrid Nanosystems group, led by Wiebke Albrecht, uses light as a tool to probe, program, and reshape nanomaterials. By combining advanced electron microscopy, single-particle optical spectroscopy, and electromagnetic simulations, we uncover how the atomic-scale structure of nanoparticles governs their response to light, and how light can drive these structures to transform. The group runs AMOLF’s light-coupled in situ TEM facility. In this project you will collaborate closely with the Nanoscale Solar Cells group of Erik Garnett, which leads AMOLF’s robotic perovskite platform. Both groups are part of AMOLF’s LMPV–Sustainable Energy Materials department, where about 50 scientists work on semiconductors for solar energy conversion and photocatalysis, with weekly departmental colloquia.

AMOLF is a national institute that is part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of 2 years, with the possibility of extension by one year.
• Salary is in scale 10 (CAO-OI) which starts at 4.552 Euro’s gross per month, and a range of employment benefits.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Wiebke Albrecht: w.albrecht@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Internship/Master project: Encapsulation Efficiency of PURE in Synthetic Cells

Work Activities
This internship is part of a research project within EVOLF, a large Dutch research consortium that aims to build a fully functional synthetic cell from the bottom up. A key challenge in synthetic cell construction is the efficient encapsulation of cell-free gene expression systems inside membrane-bound compartments.

The project will focus on the PURE system (Protein Synthesis Using Recombinant Elements), a well-defined in vitro transcription-translation platform widely used in synthetic biology. You will investigate how efficient PURE system components can be encapsulated in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and how encapsulation efficiency affects gene expression within synthetic cells.

Fluorescent protein expression is commonly used as a readout for successful encapsulation. However, protein production only occurs when all components required for transcription and translation are present inside a vesicle. As a result, it is difficult to determine whether non-expressing vesicles lack essential components altogether or contain sufficient machinery for transcription but not for translation. In this project, you will compare RNA production and protein production within individual GUVs to determine the encapsulation efficiencies of the transcriptional and translational machinery. These measurements will help identify bottlenecks in current GUV preparation methods and provide insight into the sources of gene expression variability in synthetic cells.

Qualifications
You hold a Bachelor's degree in (bio)physics, nanobiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, or a related field, and are currently enrolled in a Master's program in one of these disciplines.

You have a nationality of an EU-member state and/or you are a student at a university in the Netherlands. The internship has to be a mandatory part of your curriculum. We expect you to be available for at least 5 months, although longer is preferable. The preferred start date is early 2027.

Experience with confocal microscopy, synthetic biology, or quantitative data analysis is an advantage but not required.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Physics of Cellular Interactions (Ganzinger) group – We are a supportive and social research group of about 10 PhD students and postdocs, which work together in small teams on various projects from immunological signalling to signalling in synthetic cells. The collaborative and social atmosphere includes to the other research groups at the AMOLF institute at the Science Park in Amsterdam and other universities.

We study how immune cells communicate when they touch. At these contact points, called immune synapses, proteins move, cluster, and reorganize to send signals that tell cells how to react. The group investigates how these physical movements and chemical signals work together to control immune responses.

We use powerful microscopes, synthetic biology, and simplified model systems (e.g. lipid bilayers) to observe signaling one molecule at a time. By combining experiments in living cells with synthetic biology approaches, we can see how immune cells process information and make decisions, including in situations that could improve cancer immunotherapy. We also design artificial signaling systems and synthetic cells to test new ideas and principles behind biological sensing and signaling.

https://amolf.nl/research-groups/physics-of-cellular-interactions

Working conditions
At the start of the traineeship your trainee plan will be set out, in consultation with your AMOLF supervisor. During the internship, you will receive training in all necessary experimental methods and techniques. You will be closely integrated into the research team and receive day-to-day supervision from a PhD candidate, while also interacting with other members of the PCI group and the wider EVOLF consortium.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Kristina Ganzinger: k.ganzinger@amolf.nl or Franziska Giessler: F.Giessler@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

The dynamic atomic interface between halide perovskites and metals

Work Activities
The Hybrid Nanosystems group and the Hybrid Solar Cells group at NWO-Institute AMOLF are looking for two PhD candidates to watch, in real time and at the atomic scale, how interfaces between halide perovskites and metals change under light and electrical bias, using a unique in situ transmission electron microscope (TEM).

Halide perovskites are promising semiconductors for solar cells, LEDs, photocatalysis, and brain-inspired (neuromorphic) electronics. In almost every device they are contacted by a metal, and because the perovskite lattice is soft and its ions are mobile, these contacts are not static: defects migrate, bonds break and reform, and metal atoms can diffuse into the perovskite. These “living” interfaces can degrade a device or enable new functionality, yet how they evolve under operating conditions has never been observed directly. This project uses AMOLF’s in situ TEM, which is unique in its ability to apply light and electrical bias while imaging at atomic resolution, to watch these processes as they happen and link them to charge transfer and device performance.

PhD position 1 – Hybrid Nanosystems group (Wiebke Albrecht). You will develop low-dose, time-resolved TEM methods for beam-sensitive perovskites, including event-driven nanodiffraction with a nanosecond-resolution direct electron detector to track local electric fields and strain. You will apply these methods to gold-perovskite nanostructures, combining single-particle optical spectroscopy with in situ TEM under laser excitation to reveal how light-driven charge transfer reshapes the interface.

PhD position 2 – Hybrid Solar Cells group (Bruno Ehrler). You will design and fabricate lateral perovskite-metal devices that fit inside the TEM, measure their electrical and memristive behavior, and study in situ how bias and light drive ion migration and metal filament growth. You will extend drift-diffusion simulations to dynamically changing interfaces, connecting the observed atomic-scale changes to device function.

The project is funded by an NWO Open Competition Domain Science (M-2) grant. The two PhD candidates will work closely together, with shared samples, joint experiments on the TEM, and regular meetings across both groups. The project further benefits from international collaborations with leading groups in perovskite materials, electron microscopy, nanoparticle synthesis, and computational imaging.

Qualifications
You have a MSc degree in physics, chemistry, nanoscience, or a related field.

Work environment
You will perform this research in the Hybrid Nanosystems group headed by Wiebke Albrecht (position 1) or the Hybrid Solar Cells group headed by Bruno Ehrler (position 2) at AMOLF. Both groups are part of AMOLF’s LMPV–Sustainable Energy Materials department, where about 50 scientists work on semiconductors for solar energy conversion and photocatalysis.

The Hybrid Nanosystems group uses light as a tool to probe, program, and reshape nanomaterials. By combining advanced electron microscopy, single-particle optical spectroscopy, and electromagnetic simulations, we uncover how the atomic-scale structure of nanoparticles governs their response to light, and how light can drive these structures to transform.

The Hybrid Solar Cells group focuses on perovskite materials science, both on the fundamental level and for device applications. By combining electrical and optical spectroscopy with drift-diffusion simulations, the group studies the dynamic nature of halide perovskites, from ion migration in solar cells to artificial synapses for neuromorphic computing.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 3.115 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the positions, please contact Wiebke Albrecht (position 1): w.albrecht@amolf.nl, or Bruno Ehrler (position 2): b.ehrler@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below. Please indicate in your motivation letter whether you are applying for position 1, position 2, or both.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

The dynamic atomic interface between halide perovskites and metals

Work Activities
The Hybrid Nanosystems group and the Hybrid Solar Cells group at NWO-Institute AMOLF are looking for two PhD candidates to watch, in real time and at the atomic scale, how interfaces between halide perovskites and metals change under light and electrical bias, using a unique in situ transmission electron microscope (TEM).

Halide perovskites are promising semiconductors for solar cells, LEDs, photocatalysis, and brain-inspired (neuromorphic) electronics. In almost every device they are contacted by a metal, and because the perovskite lattice is soft and its ions are mobile, these contacts are not static: defects migrate, bonds break and reform, and metal atoms can diffuse into the perovskite. These “living” interfaces can degrade a device or enable new functionality, yet how they evolve under operating conditions has never been observed directly. This project uses AMOLF’s in situ TEM, which is unique in its ability to apply light and electrical bias while imaging at atomic resolution, to watch these processes as they happen and link them to charge transfer and device performance.

PhD position 1 – Hybrid Nanosystems group (Wiebke Albrecht). You will develop low-dose, time-resolved TEM methods for beam-sensitive perovskites, including event-driven nanodiffraction with a nanosecond-resolution direct electron detector to track local electric fields and strain. You will apply these methods to gold-perovskite nanostructures, combining single-particle optical spectroscopy with in situ TEM under laser excitation to reveal how light-driven charge transfer reshapes the interface.

PhD position 2 – Hybrid Solar Cells group (Bruno Ehrler). You will design and fabricate lateral perovskite-metal devices that fit inside the TEM, measure their electrical and memristive behavior, and study in situ how bias and light drive ion migration and metal filament growth. You will extend drift-diffusion simulations to dynamically changing interfaces, connecting the observed atomic-scale changes to device function.

The project is funded by an NWO Open Competition Domain Science (M-2) grant. The two PhD candidates will work closely together, with shared samples, joint experiments on the TEM, and regular meetings across both groups. The project further benefits from international collaborations with leading groups in perovskite materials, electron microscopy, nanoparticle synthesis, and computational imaging.

Qualifications
You have a MSc degree in physics, chemistry, nanoscience, or a related field.

Work environment
You will perform this research in the Hybrid Nanosystems group headed by Wiebke Albrecht (position 1) or the Hybrid Solar Cells group headed by Bruno Ehrler (position 2) at AMOLF. Both groups are part of AMOLF’s LMPV–Sustainable Energy Materials department, where about 50 scientists work on semiconductors for solar energy conversion and photocatalysis.

The Hybrid Nanosystems group uses light as a tool to probe, program, and reshape nanomaterials. By combining advanced electron microscopy, single-particle optical spectroscopy, and electromagnetic simulations, we uncover how the atomic-scale structure of nanoparticles governs their response to light, and how light can drive these structures to transform.

The Hybrid Solar Cells group focuses on perovskite materials science, both on the fundamental level and for device applications. By combining electrical and optical spectroscopy with drift-diffusion simulations, the group studies the dynamic nature of halide perovskites, from ion migration in solar cells to artificial synapses for neuromorphic computing.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 3.115 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the positions, please contact Wiebke Albrecht (position 1): w.albrecht@amolf.nl, or Bruno Ehrler (position 2): b.ehrler@amolf.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below. Please indicate in your motivation letter whether you are applying for position 1, position 2, or both.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.