Vacant job

Do you want to work with neutron scattering methods, supported by competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Do you want an employer that invests in sustainable employee relations and offers secure, advantageous working conditions? We invite you to apply for a postdoctoral position at Uppsala University in a project involving the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source and the European Spallation Source (ESS).

Read more about the department here: uu.se/fysik (https://uu.se/fysik).

The work in the currently recruiting research group within the Division of Materials Physics is carried out in collaboration with the two major facilities, ISIS and ESS. The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Facility in the UK is a world-leading centre for natural science research. It houses more than 30 instruments for exploring materials down to the atomic scale, and the facility serves as a base for over 3,000 researchers in fields such as energy, environment, medicine, and health. The research also includes nanoscience, catalysis, and polymers, as well as fundamental studies of material properties. https://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk/ (https://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk/). ESS (European Spallation Source) is a European research centre under construction in Lund, Sweden, with 13 member countries. The facility includes the most powerful linear accelerator ever built, 15 top-class neutron instruments, and a supercomputing centre for data management and software. ESS has approximately 600 employees and will open to users in 2027, following the release of the first neutrons in 2025. https://www.ess.eu/ (https://www.ess.eu/)

Job Description

This postdoctoral researcher will be employed by the Division of Materials Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy and will be part of a group working with neutron scattering methods. The position is based in Uppsala, with longer stays at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source near Oxford (UK) and the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund (Sweden). Both ISIS and ESS are at the forefront of neutron science, combining decades of excellence with the development of next-generation neutron sources and instrumentation. ISIS is a globally leading interdisciplinary institution where curiosity-driven research meets application-oriented science and engineering, while ESS – currently preparing for operation – will be the world's most powerful neutron source, built as a partnership between 13 European countries. The projects offer a unique opportunity to work in collaborative international environments alongside world-leading researchers, engineers, and technicians, and to contribute to groundbreaking instrumentation and scientific discoveries with broad impact on society, technology, and science.

The current postdoctoral researcher will use “Spin-Echo Modulated Small-Angle Neutron Scattering” (SEMSANS) to extend accessible length scales beyond conventional small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and to obtain spatially resolved scattering signals using dark-field imaging. SEMSANS uses polarized neutrons to encode small scattering angles without the need for a well-collimated neutron beam, measures the autocorrelation function over mesoscopic length scales, and investigates structural properties from the micrometer to the nanometer range. The method relies on modulating the neutron beam's polarization using a pair of magnetic Wollaston prisms – superconducting triangular field regions – placed upstream of the sample. The postdoctoral researcher will work on the design and implementation of the Wollaston prisms and a “spin exchange optically pumped” (SEOP) neutron spin analyzer. Both will be developed at a test instrument at ISIS. Once the new features are implemented, they will be utilized on the Larmor and IMAT instruments at ISIS. When ESS becomes available with its new long neutron pulses, the method will be integrated and used on the imaging instrument ODIN and the SANS instrument SKADI, both at ESS. This will enable unique studies of flux lattices in intermediate mixed superconductors, characterization of vesicles in model cell systems, and resolution of hierarchical cellulose microstructures in collaboration with project partners.

Qualifications

A PhD in physics, materials science, or a related scientific field is required, along with the following qualifications:

• Strong documented interest in materials science.
• Understanding of scattering techniques.
• Experience with instrumentation and experimental work performed at photon or neutron facilities or similar.
• Skills in using Python for data processing and evaluation.
• Excellent communication skills in English (written and oral) are required. Non-Swedish speaking candidates are encouraged to learn Swedish during employment.
• Documented experience in presenting scientific results both orally and in writing.
• Publications in relevant subjects in internationally recognized scientific journals.

Ability and willingness to travel internationally and work abroad for extended periods is mandatory for this position.

Desirable/Additional Qualifications

• Experience with small-angle scattering, imaging, polarized neutrons, and spin manipulation techniques such as neutron spin-echo methods or other advanced scattering techniques, such as coherent diffractive imaging and phase contrast imaging.
• Competence in the development and commissioning of instrumentation.
• Experience in research in an international environment and scientific project management.
• Competence in working in interdisciplinary environments.

About the Position

The position is fixed-term for 2 years with the possibility of a 1-year extension according to the central collective agreement. The position is full-time. Start date by agreement. Location: Uppsala, Department of Physics and Astronomy.

For further information about the position, please contact: Max Wolff, +46 18 471 3590, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

Please submit your application by August 14, 2026, Ref: UFV-PA 2026/2143.

Please note that this is a shortened version of the advertisement. To view the full advertisement, please click “Apply here” or visit Uppsala University's website for job postings.