Role Description
This is a full-time on-site role for a research assistant (PhD student) at the Laboratory for Colloids, Polyelectrolytes and Interfaces, NANORI, University in Rijeka, financed by the Croatian Science Foundation’s program for the development of young researchers careers. The PhD student will be responsible for day-to-day tasks associated with conducting research at the boundary between experimental physical chemistry and applied physics, such as performing sample preparations and measurements, developing experimental and data analysis methods, analysing data, writing reports and scientific papers, contributing to project dissemination activities etc. She/he will be supervised by and reporting to the PI, her/his performance and advance will be subject to evaluation as a prerequisite for a prolonged engagement. She/he will be minorly involved in teaching tasks.
The PhD student will be performing research activities defined within, but not limited to, the EU-funded research project executed by a consortium of partners with strictly defined roles. It is expected that the research assistant will significantly contribute to the development of the experimental and data treatment methodology in the field of optics and spectroscopy (absorption spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, etc.) as well as electrochemical and electrical measurements related to the ion-to-electron charge transfer in composite thin films that may exhibit a range of structural properties resulting in complex optical and electrical response, such as phase inhomogeneity and percolation effects, anisotropy, charge carrier and Mie’s scattering etc.
It is essential that the candidate is motivated in developing her/his skills based on solid scientific knowledge, is dedicated beyond compromise to the high ethical principles and bottom-up approach in scientific research, is self-driven yet highly responsible, ready to plan day-to-day research tasks and report results to the PI, communicate joint tasks with partners, has good practice in time management as well as balanced passion and patience necessary for highest quality research.
Earliest starting date: 1. May 2025.
Application deadline: 17. April 2025. (23:59)
This call is currently open ().
Qualifications
- MSc in physics, chemistry, chemical engineering or related fields.
- Accomplished several courses in some of the fields: optics, spectroscopy, solid state physics, electrodynamics, physical chemistry, courses related to analytical chemistry of ionic solutions and polyelectrolytes, electrochemistry, colloids, mathematical methods in physics or physical chemistry, numerical programming.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and as a part of team.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
- Experience in numerical programming (Igor Pro, Python, Mathematica or similar), good practical knowledge of mathematics or some of the above mentioned experimental techniques, is a plus.
Required documentation:
- Curriculum vitae,
- Motivational letter,
- Citizenship certificate or proof of citizenship of another country,
- Copy of the proof of the BSc and MSc degrees, in English or Croatian language.
- Transcripts of grade records from the BSc and MSc studies, in English or Croatian language.
- Evidence supporting the qualifications listed in the CV and in the Motivation letter.
- Letter of recommendation from the mentor and another experienced scientist in the field of the master dissertation.
Benefits
The salary is regulated by the Croatia’s academic salaries scale. All regulations prescribed by the Croatian law, including the person-specific rights and benefits, apply to this position.
Recruitment
The university reserves the right to conduct a knowledge, skills, and abilities assessment through an interview and/or testing process for applicants, about which the applicants will be timely informed. If an applicant fails to respond to the invitation for testing or an interview, it will be considered that they have withdrawn their application. Incomplete and untimely applications will not be considered. Applicants will be informed of the results of the competition in a timely manner.
Applicants are kindly invited to submit their application and all the required documentation to: dcakara@uniri.hr
The university reserves the right not to make a decision on the selection of candidates without providing specific justification.
An applicant who has obtained qualifications abroad, in the case of selection, is obliged to obtain an opinion on foreign educational qualifications (under the jurisdiction of the National ENIC/NARIC Office of the Agency for Science and Higher Education) before entering into an employment contract.
For all additional information, please contact assoc. prof. Duško Čakara (dcakara@uniri.hr