The Luber group at University of Zurich focuses on forefront computational first-principles methods at the interface of chemistry, biology, physics, and materials science (for more information, see http://luber-group.com, https://www.chem.uzh.ch/en/research/groups/luber.html). In particular dynamic approaches for an accurate and realistic description of chemical systems have been in the focus of the research.
The projects will deal with development of challenging approaches, for instance, in the field of spectroscopy and/or accurate study of functional compounds (e.g. for environmentally friendly hydrogen production). Possible directions for the project are the development of pioneering spectroscopic approaches by means of forefront dynamic methods, efficient excited state dynamics or highly accurate (wavefunction-based) methods for complex systems such as catalysts in the framework of sustainable energy research. The projects may be carried out in close collaboration with experimental or other computational groups. We are, for instance, involved in the "Solar light to chemical energy conversion" (www.lightchec.uzh.ch) priority program.
For a (Senior) postdoc position: The candidate must hold an excellent PhD and MSc degree in chemistry, interdisciplinary natural sciences, physics, or related, and have profound English and autonomous learning ability skills. The successful candidate will be highly creative, ambitious, motivated, and able to work independently. Excellent programming skills and experience in high performance computing and method development, in particular for electronic structure theory / ab initio molecular dynamics (ideally with CP2K), are essential.
For a PhD position: The candidate must hold an excellent Master's degree in chemistry, interdisciplinary natural sciences, physics, or related, and have profound English and autonomous learning ability skills. The successful candidate will be highly creative, ambitious, and motivated. Strong programming skills and very good knowledge about electronic structure theory, (ab initio) molecular dynamics and/or catalysis are an advantage.
We offer a 1-year contract (extensions are possible), a competitive salary as well as a vibrant, inspiring environment in a brand-new building with cutting-edge resources and research, access to world-leading supercomputers, and high-profile interdisciplinary collaborations. Moreover, the (Senior) postdoc will be involved in supervision of (PhD) student(s).
Interested applicants are encouraged to send their application documents (cover letter, CV, diplomas, description of research experience/interests and motivation, names of at least two academic references, publication list if applicable) as one pdf document per e-mail to Prof. Sandra Luber (sandra.luber@chem.uzh.ch). The pdf should preferably also include a one-page statement discussing one or two publications of the group with respect to what the applicant finds particularly interesting and what could be possible future improvements of the research described in the publication(s).