About us King's College London is consistently ranked among the UK's top 10 universities by the QS World University Rankings and is home to one of the country's leading Physics departments.
Our department brings together internationally renowned scientists engaged in cutting-edge research across a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary fields. This work extends across the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences and is further strengthened by flagship initiatives such as the Net Zero Research Centre.
About the role This is a full time role (35 hours per week), offered on a fixed term contract under the supervision of Dr. Ivana Savic at the Department of Physics, King's College London and the co-supervision of Prof. Johannes Lischner at the Department of Materials, Imperial College London. The successful applicant will start on September 1st, 2025 or soon thereafter, and the position is fully funded up to August 31, 2028.
The purpose of this role is to carry out research on the Leverhulme Trust Research Project titled " Harnessing electron-phonon interactions in nanoplasmonic solar energy conversion". The goal is to develop new computational methods that will enable design of metallic nanoparticles with dramatically increased efficiency of solar to chemical energy conversion by exploiting the interactions of hot carriers generated by light with lattice vibrations (phonons) .
The key obstacle to exploiting phonon-assisted processes in accelerating chemical reactions on the nanoparticle surface is the lack of computational approaches that can describe these processes in realistic nanoparticles (which contain more than one million atoms). In this project, we will develop a new atomistic modelling approach based on the Kernel Polynomial method that will overcome this challenge.
The successful applicant will carry out ab initio calculations of electronic and vibrational properties and electron-phonon coupling in bulk materials, small nanoparticles and surfaces. S/he will then use these calculations to parametrize and verify the Kernel Polynomial method to calculate electron-phonon coupling in large nanoparticles, which will be developed by another postdoc working on the project based at Imperial College London. S/he will use the Kernel Polynomial method to study physical processes driven by electron-phonon interactions in large nanoparticles for applications in photocatalysis.
The successful candidate will work both independently and as a part of the team to deliver the outputs of the Leverhulme Trust Research Project. S/he will report results to team leaders and collaborators. S/he will effectively communicate research findings, usually in the form of journal publications and conference presentations. S/he will also partially supervise/assist postgraduate and/or undergraduate students.
About you To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:
Essential criteria 1. PhD awarded in Physics, Material Science or a related area or PhD in Physics, Material Science or a related area
2. Demonstrated experience in first principles calculations of electron-phonon coupling in materials.
3. Track record of high-quality peer reviewed publications.
4. Demonstrated experience in first principles calculations of electron-phonon coupling in materials.
5. Proven ability to conduct research independently, as well as a part of a team.
6. Excellent communication and writing skills.
7. Demonstrated knowledge of physical processes of relevance to nanoplasmonics and solar energy conversion.
Desirable criteria 1. Demonstrated experience in development of computational methods to simulate material properties.
2. Demonstrated knowledge of the Kernal Polynomial methods.
3. Demonstrated experience in nanoplasmonic materials for solar energy conversion.
4. Demonstrated experience in collaborative projects.
Downloading a copy of our Job Description Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click "Apply Now". This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.
* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.
Further Information We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.
We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.
As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.
We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.
To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ' How we Recruit ' pages.
Interviews are due to be held on July 14th and 15th, 2025