Organisation/Company: Swansea University
Department: Central Research
Field: Engineering » Electrical engineering
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Positions: PhD Positions
Country: United Kingdom
Application Deadline: 31 Mar 2025 - 11:59 (Europe/London)
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Hours Per Week: 35
Offer Starting Date: 1 Oct 2025
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
Thin-film layered materials composed of the group V elements materials (pnictogens) have attracted significant attention due to their outstanding electronic properties. At the same time, the comparatively strong interaction between bilayers of these materials offers interesting perspectives for materials design.
The successful applicant will use state-of-the-art atomistic simulation methods to study few-layer quasi-van-der-Waals heterostructures of antimony with other suitable layered materials, such as Indium Selenide, and assess their potential for applications in highly sensitive thin-film photodetectors or similar optoelectronic devices. The main focus will be exploring the possibility of using twist angle and/or mechanical homo- and heterostrain as tuning knobs for the electronic and optical properties of the heterojunction. Besides a sizeable band gap variation, the manipulation of the interlayer interaction might also lead to structural phase changes. A secondary focus will be put on the effect of structural defects on the electronic properties of the investigated heterojunctions.
While we will mainly use density functional theory (DFT) to achieve these goals, we will also exploit machine-learning techniques to train more approximate simulation methods with highly accurate reference DFT results. This will allow simulation of system sizes that are difficult to treat with fully ab initio theoretical approaches.
Due to the project nature, a base requirement for applicants is an interest in simulations of nanosystems using quantum-mechanical methods.
Qualifications
Ideally, applicants should have:
* Prior experience with density functional theory or similar theoretical methods
* A basic knowledge of solid state physics
* Prior knowledge (or an interest to attain) of programming languages, such as Python or Julia
English Language:
IELTS 6.5 Overall (5.5+ each comp.) or Swansea University recognised equivalent. Full details of our English Language policy, including certificate time validity, can be found here.
ATAS:
Please note that the programme requires some applicants to hold ATAS clearance, further details on ATAS scheme eligibility are available on the UK Government website.
ATAS clearance IS NOT required to be held as part of the scholarship application process. Successful award winners (as appropriate) are provided with details as to how to apply for ATAS clearance in tandem with a scholarship course offer.
Additional Information
This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition fees and an annual stipend at UKRI rate (currently £20,780 for 2025/26).
Additional research expenses of up to £1,000 per year will also be available.
Eligibility Criteria
Scholarship open to UK and International fee eligible students
Applicants for PhD must hold an undergraduate degree at 2.1 level (or Non-UK equivalent as defined by Swansea University) in Engineering or a similar relevant science discipline.
EPSRC DTP studentships are available to home and international students. Up to 30% of our cohort can comprise international students; once the limit has been reached, we are unable to make offers to international students. We are still accepting applications from international applicants. International students will not be charged the fee difference between the UK and international rate. Applicants should satisfy the UKRI eligibility requirements.
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