Doctoral Position in Theoretical Modeling of Nanocrystal Growth

The Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory at ETH Zurich invites applications for a fully funded doctoral position focused on the theoretical modeling of semiconductor nanocrystal growth. The successful candidate will combine density functional theory, mass-balance rate equations, and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to investigate how diverse nanocrystal morphologies emerge. Working closely with experimentalists, the doctoral student will use ETH Zurich's high-performance computing infrastructure to establish a universal theoretical growth framework. Applicants are expected to hold a relevant master's degree and demonstrate a strong quantitative foundation in physics, chemistry, materials science, or related computational disciplines.

• Develop theoretical frameworks and computational models for semiconductor nanocrystal nucleation and growth.
• Perform density functional theory calculations to evaluate surface, edge, and vertex energies of surfactant-terminated nanocrystals.
• Construct mass-balance and rate-equation models to analyze the coupled growth and dissolution of nanocrystal populations.
• Conduct kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to study early-stage morphological development and growth condition selections.
• Collaborate closely with experimentalists to align simulation predictions with optical and stability measurements.
• Contribute to general laboratory activities, assist with teaching duties, and supervise bachelor and master students.