Postdoc in Mspd Group

**Reference**

2024-207

**Deadline**

20/01/2025

**Division**

Experiments
- Institution
- ALBA is the Spanish synchrotron light source, a large research infrastructure operating ten beamlines, complementary facilities, and an Electron Microscopy Center, this last in partnership with other institutions. Currently constructing multiple more beamlines, expanding the Electron Microscopy Center, and integrating advanced data analytics, it sums up a wide range of infrastructures geared toward finding solutions to societal challenges.

Located in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain), it is funded by the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación) and the Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya, Departament de Recerca i Universitats). The synchrotron light produced by 3 GeV electrons is used by thousands of researchers to analyse and understand the properties and functionality of matter, spanning a wide variety of fields, such as catalytic research, health, energy production/storage, environmental research, communication technologies, or cultural heritage.

Facing an upgrade to ALBA II, a 4th generation facility, which will increase dramatically brightness and coherent flux, ALBA is in a phase of growth and dynamics.

Being a part of the ALBA team will promote your career and will give you the opportunities to explore new territories.

We are offering a post-doctoral position in the MSPD beamline group to safely collaborate, run, maintain, and develop the beamline as well as conduct research activities in collaboration with users and/or ALBA colleagues. As member of the MSPD group, you will be part of the interdisciplinary team and exploit the potentiality of the powder diffraction techniques available on the BL04-MSPD beamline. This position will be of interest for enthusiastic scientists holding a degree in Physics Chemistry, Material Science, or scientific technology.

For more information, you can take a look on our history watching this video:

- Tasks- Provide user support to public and proprietary users including performing Local Contact duties.
- Collaborate with your colleagues to maintain the beamline and contribute to the upgrade of the beamline within the ALBA II context.
- Engage with other groups of the Experiments Division and ALBA to find synergies between the scintific programs and develop new opportunities for the facility.
- Develop your own scientific program in one of MSPD focus areas : energy related materials, catalysis, functional materials, using X-ray diffraction techniques, either standard Powder Diffraction or micro diffraction, in Situ or Operando.
- Engage in projects and collaborations of the transversal research program of the section (for example on energy storage and/or catalysis) at internal, national and European level. This may also include the involvement in new projects if appropriate.
- RequirementsApplications that do not present the aforementioned or required documentation during the selection procedure will not be accepted.
- Hold a PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Material Science or similar disciplines.
- Have at least 1 year of work experience (including PhD work) using Powder Diffraction techniques.
- Have a good level of English.
- Selection Process Development
- The selection will be carried out through the competition-opposition system.

As a first phase, an analysis of the curriculum will be carried out (assessment of previous experience and / or scientific history, degree, training and other professional information relevant to the position). Career breaks or variations in the chronological order of CVs will be regarded as an evolution of a career, and consequently, as a contribution to the professional development.

The assessment of the CV in the competition phase will be scored up to 40 points, which will consider the following aspects:

- Scientific and technical experience in Powder Diffraction techniques. (15 points)
- Work experience and publication record in a scientific field like catalysis, energy storage, high pressure or functional materials with strong emphasis on using Powder Diffraction. (15 points)
- Experience and knowledge in complementary synchrotron techniques and/or laboratory practices supporting research program (10 points)

Provided they meet the minimum requirements and have ranked among the top five after the assessment of the CV phase, at least one person from the underrepresented gender in the division/office will be interviewed.

The interview will include at least:

- Capability of running synchrotron experiments and exploiting the experimental results. (10 points)
- Knowledge of powder diffraction specific software for analyzing data (10)
- Capability of running, maintaining and developing instrumentation, sample environments. (10 points)
- Good interpersonal and communication skills, including the capability to work within a multidisciplinary team. (10 points)
- Clearly identified research projec