Vacant job

Admission to doctoral studies in Technical Physics with a focus on Materials Science, starting October 2026.

Division of Applied Materials Science, Department of Materials Science, Uppsala University

Join us!

The Department of Materials Science aims to be a hub for successful and valuable research and education focused on materials science solutions for major societal challenges.

About the Division

The Division of Applied Materials Science is part of the Department of Materials Science at the Ångström Laboratory. Researchers at the division have extensive experience in materials science, materials analysis, materials synthesis, and nanostructuring of materials. We develop materials and tailor their properties for a wide range of applications, and our research activities are primarily experimental. The research groups specialize in materials for medicine, tribology, electron microscopy, nanotechnology, and diamond optics.

The doctoral studies are conducted within the Diamond Optics group, which focuses on applications in astronomy and life sciences.

Project Description

The project aims to design and manufacture next-generation coronagraphs for space telescopes and large ground-based telescopes. A coronagraph is an instrument in a telescope that blocks a bright light source to reveal nearby faint light sources. For direct observations of Earth-like exoplanets, one must overcome an extremely high contrast in brightness within a very small viewing angle. The difference in brightness between the star and the planet can be on the order of 10¹⁰, and the angle between the planet and the star a few tenths of an arcsecond. To enable this, you will, with the support of your supervisors and in collaboration with international colleagues in astronomy and instrument design, design and manufacture micro-optical components aimed at extinguishing the star's light through destructive interference.

As a doctoral student, you will be part of the Swedish Space Research School (SSRS), which aims to strengthen Sweden's long-term competence supply, offer coordinated doctoral education, and promote interdisciplinary collaboration within the Swedish space sector. A number of courses, workshops, and conferences common to the space school are included in the doctoral studies. SSRS is a national research school in space science and space technology, jointly run by a consortium of Swedish universities and research institutes and funded by the Swedish National Space Agency. The Director of SSRS is Christer Fuglesang.

Responsibilities

The main task for a doctoral student is to pursue their doctoral education, which includes participating in research projects and doctoral education courses. The responsibilities may also include involvement in teaching and other departmental work, but no more than 20% of working time.

Being a doctoral student means independently driving projects within a specific doctoral education subject. You collaborate continuously with other doctoral students and researchers to jointly create results in various projects and have one or more supervisors for support during your doctoral education. However, you work largely independently, e.g., through work in a laboratory environment, writing articles for journals, and producing results for your doctoral thesis.

The responsibilities include:

• programming for optical simulation and optimization
• nanofabrication in diamond and other optical materials in our cleanroom
• characterization of manufactured components using SEM and profilometry
• design and installation of test setups on an optical bench
• reporting scientific results in international journals

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility for higher education at the advanced level is granted to those who have completed an advanced degree or completed at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level, including an independent project of at least 15 higher education credits, or have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Qualification Requirements

A Master's degree or Civil Engineer degree with studies in technical physics, physics, materials science, micro- and nanosystem technology, or a related field, or alternatively other education assessed to correspond to these qualifications.

We require good oral and written proficiency in English.

Regulations for doctoral students can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100) Chapter 5, Sections 1-7, as well as in the university's rules and guidelines.

Desirable/Additional Merits

Documented experience in one or more of the following areas is considered an asset:

• astronomy/astrophysics
• optics
• instrument design
• micro- and nanofabrication in a cleanroom environment
• programming and simulation
• measurement technology
• integration of microsystems
• optical characterization of materials and systems

Your application should include:

• A short letter describing yourself, why you want to pursue a doctorate, and why you are suitable for this position.
• CV (max 2 pages)
• A certified copy of your Master's/Civil Engineer degree and your course grades.
• Copies (or drafts) of your advanced level thesis and other documents, such as publications, that you wish to reference.
• Name and contact details of at least two referees who have agreed to serve as references for you, along with any additional recommendation letters. It should also be clear what relationship you have had with each referee.

The application should be written in English. We will review applications continuously and invite candidates for interviews.

About the Position

The employment is fixed-term, according to HE Ordinance Chapter 5, Section 7. The position is full-time. Start date: 2026-10-19 or as soon as possible. Location: Uppsala

Information about the position is provided by: Mikael Karlsson, +46 18 471 72 37, [email protected].

Please submit your application by August 14, 2026, Ref: UFV-PA 2026/1387

See full version at uu.se/jobb

Open to all. We focus on your competence, not your other prerequisites. We are open to adapting the role or workplace to your needs.