Doctoral Researchers in Non-Equilibrium Soft Matter Physics

The Active Matter group at the Department of Applied Physics of Aalto University School of Science is looking for outstanding Doctoral Researchers to pursue a degree in the field of non-equilibrium soft matter physics.

The role and goals of the doctoral researcher

The goal of the doctoral researcher is to investigate the behavior soft materials out of the thermodynamic equilibrium at nano-, micro- and millimeter length scales – aiming at unravelling previously unknown behaviors and explaining them by building on existing theoretical frameworks. The Active Matter group is now recruiting students especially in the fields of

• Bacterial biophysics, motility, and active turbulence (advised by Dr. Kazusa Beppu)
• Advanced imaging and scattering for non-equilibrium systems & photonics (advised by Dr. Johannes Haataja)
• Mechanical properties and motility of cellular aggregates (advised by Dr. Grégory Beaune)

The chosen doctoral candidates will utilize various experimental techniques (microscopy, spectroscopy, and scattering) and theoretical/computational methods suited for probing and controlling the complex spatiotemporally correlated dynamics in the abovementioned systems. The doctoral candidates work closely with other doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers in the group.

Your experience and skills

• You are extremely interested in the physics of soft and living materials – including but not limited to colloids, gels, polymers, bacteria, mammalian cells and interfaces
• You have passion towards designing, constructing, and testing novel experimental setups – especially related to advanced microscopy and scattering with streamlined data acquisition and processing
• You already possess some skills in numerical modelling and solving inverse problems, and are interested to learn more
• You are proficient in searching and processing scientific and technical information
• You can work both independently and as a part of a multidisciplinary international team consisting of researchers with different backgrounds
• You hold a Master’s degree and have written an excellent Master’s thesis in the same field of research (or a closely related field), demonstrating your existing knowledge and skills
• You have excellent skills in English. Finnish language is not required

What we offer

We offer exciting research projects for up to three talented doctoral researchers interested in working in the frontier of non-equilibrium soft matter physics. You will join the Active Matter research group led by Prof. Jaakko V. I. Timonen that consists currently of 8 postdoctoral researchers and 4 doctoral researchers. The group is multidisciplinary with researcher backgrounds ranging from experimental and theoretical physics to chemistry, microbiology and even microrobotics.

The positions are initially filled for 2 years. The contract is continued for another 2 years after a successful midterm progress review. The annual workload of research and teaching staff at Aalto University is 1612 hours. Aalto University follows the salary system of Finnish universities. The starting salary is approximately 2600 €/month (gross), and it increases as you progress in your research and studies. The contract includes Aalto University occupational healthcare.

The primary workplace will be the Otaniemi Campus at Aalto University.

Ready to apply?

To apply for the position, please submit your application (in English) and attachments through our online recruitment system by using the link on Aalto University’s web page ("Apply Now”). Include the following documents:

• Cover letter
• CV including a list of publications
• Degree certificates and academic transcripts
• PDF copy of your Master’s thesis or a link (URL) to it
• Contact details of at least two referees

The deadline for applications is 30 June 2023. We will start evaluating the applications on 1 July 2023. Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period, reopen the application process, and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

Please note: Aalto University’s existing employees and visitors should apply for the position via our internal system Workday -> find jobs (not external aalto.fi webpage on open positions) by using their existing Workday user account.

Contact Dr. Kazusa Beppu (kazusa.beppu@aalto.fi), Dr. Johannes Haataja (johannes.haataja@aalto.fi) or Dr. Grégory Beaune (gregory.beaune@aalto.fi) if you want to learn more about the offered projects before applying.

About Finland

Finland is a great place for living with or without family – it is a safe, politically stable, and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life and was just listed again as the happiest country in the world: https://worldhappiness.report/news/its-a-three-peat-finland-keeps-top-spot-as-happiest-country-in-world/. For more information about living in Finland: https://www.aalto.fi/services/about-finland

About Aalto University

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and a staff of more than 4000, of which 400 are professors. Our main campus is located in Espoo, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness in the future as well. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos: Aalto University – Towards a better world, Aalto People , and Shaping a Sustainable Future.