Research Associate

The role

The research group of Dr Sven Friedemann studies high-temperature superconductivity in hydride compounds with high-pressure electrical, spectroscopic, magnetic, and structural measurements. The group has access to a dedicated thin-film system to prepare electrodes on diamonds for electrical measurements, a glove box, a Raman system including an optical cryostat, a laser heating setup at the School of Earth Sciences, and several cryostats for low-temperature electrical and magnetic measurements. Furthermore, we have strong links to international facilities including the European High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the Diamond light source I15 synchrotron beamline. You will be working alongside PhD students and another postdoc. Furthermore, you will have stimulating interactions with many PhD students and postdocs in the Bristol Quantum and Soft Matter theme, e.g. working on high-temperature superconductivity.

This project focuses on new ternary hydride compounds which you will synthesise and probe for superconductivity at high pressures. You will employ novel thin-film methods for sample preparation and synthesis to enable control of sample stoichiometry in binary and ternary compounds. We will study both doping of established high-Tc superconductors and probe ternary compounds. The position offers to conduct high-impact work on record superconductors and to discover new superconductors.

In addition, the role will involve development work for electrodes encapsulated in diamond which aims at an industry collaboration for electrical high-pressure equipment. This will support other projects at the University of Bristol for instance on cuprate high-temperature superconductors

What will you be doing?

Over the next 3 months you will:

• Prepare and conduct high-pressure measurements on selected hydride superconductors. You will prepare custom-design diamond anvil pressure cells. This includes preparation of thin-film electrodes and samples. You will synthesise hydride superconducting compounds using the laser-heating setup at the School of Earth Sciences and study the materials with electrical, Raman, and X-ray diffraction methods.
• Manage the day-to-day design and execution of experiments in collaboration with other members of the group including postdocs, PhD, and MSc students. You will acquire, analyse, and interpret research data and contribute towards preparation and submission of publications.
• Take part in weekly group meetings to present and discuss research data, technical developments, and laboratory management.
• Work to explore commercial exploration of embedded electrodes in diamond anvils. You will conduct tests of different electrode materials and cover layers produced with thin-film growth methods to identify the most promising candidates for commercial exploitation. You will prepare reports and take part in meetings with commercial partners.

You should apply if

• You are excited about undertaking high-pressure research in a very active area of high-temperature superconductivity and the prospect to make some high-impact contributions to the field!
• You have a strong track record in research
• You can manage a research project working together with other postdocs and PhD students
• You have experience with high-pressure research and diamond-anvil pressure cells
• You have good knowledge about superconductivity
• You are keen to work in a dynamic team of motivated postdoc.
• You are someone who can get up to speed quickly, thrives on digesting lots of information, is mindful of competing priorities, and can drive activity forward in a sustainable manner.

We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.