Predoctoral open position in “Unravelling the Nucleation and Growth of High-Temperature Superconductors through Correlated, Time-Resolved In-Situ X-ray Diffraction and Absorption Spectroscopy at ALBA

Doctorat / PhD Profil chercheur : First Stage Researcher (R1) Type de contrat : Temporary Date limite de candidature : 31 Dec 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid) Programme UE : Not funded by a EU programme Département : Superconducting Materials Domaine : Physics » Condensed matter properties

We offer a position for a predoctoral contract ( Ayudas predoctorales PREX ) in the framework of the forthcoming NEXT-HTS project “Next-Generation High Temperature Superconducting Coated Conductors: From Ultrafast Growth to Disruptive Devices” (PID2025-170440OB-I00) from the “ PROYECTOS DE GENERACIÓN DE CONOCIMIENTO Y FORMACIÓN DE PERSONAL INVESTIGADOR PREDOCTORAL, Convocatoria 2025 ” funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (cofounded by European Union). Main tasks: The project aims to engage talent young students for a doctorate in the field of High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) by investigating the mechanisms of their nucleation and growth by Transient Liquid Assisted Growth (TLAG) method as well as their resulting superconducting performance, a promising ultrafast growth process developed in our group with significant potential for industrial application. Its development was initiated through an ERC Advanced Grant. We perform in-situ X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) and Grazing-Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering (GISAXS) time-resolved and correlated experiments at two of the ALBA synchrotron beamlines, NCD-SWEET and CLAESS, that are complemented by ex-situ experiments, done at The Energy Transition CSIC-ALBA Joint Laboratory (ETJL) . The main activity during this pre-doctoral research will be settled at the ALBA synchrotron´s ETJL and selected beamlines during the beamtime campaigns. The post-nucleation and post-growth characterization includes the following techniques: Optical Microscopy (OM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), superconducting properties (SQUID) as well as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Transport measurements (PPMS) in collaboration with other members of the group. The data analysis will be mainly performed with python and MATLAB programs developed in our group. As part of the InCAEM project , the candidate will also have access to in-situ Raman spectroscopy (ALBA synchrotron site) to investigate the oxygenation of as-grown films. Oxygen incorporation is essential for developing the superconducting phase and controlling the charge-carrier density, yet the mechanisms governing this process remain incompletely understood. Combining these experiments with synchrotron-based characterization will provide an opportunity to investigate the relationships between film growth, oxygen incorporation and the development of superconducting properties About SUMAN group and ICMAB: The candidate will join the Superconducting Materials and Functional Nanoengineered Structures Group (SUMAN) ( https://suman.icmab.es/ ), a…