Job details

Recruitment result
Place of work

INSTITUTE OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY PAS TEAM 26: SEMICONDUCTING MATERIALS AND OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES

Funding institution

NATIONAL SCIENCE CENTRE

Project description

Project title, type and project number

Development of strategies for improving stability of perovskite solar cells, SONATA BIS 10 Project No. 2020/38/E/ST5/00267 entitled, 58/2023

Project leader

Dr hab. inż. Daniel Prochowicz

Description

Hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites (LHPs) have emerged as promising light absorber materials in next generation of thin film photovoltaic technology due to their simple solution-processed technique and high-power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 25%. The outstanding performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is ascribed to the excellent physicochemical properties of these ambipolar semiconductors, however, their instability under high thermal, moisture and operational conditions are issues that needs to be addressed. In this context, a great deal of current interest in the perovskite community has been focused on the understanding of chemical instability of LHPs and developing strategies for making more robust PSCs.

The overall goal of the project is to develop advantageous strategies in enhancing the stability of PSCs. To realize the aims, the compositional and additive engineering will be applied to develop the fabrication of high quality perovskite thin films with improved stability. In addition to engineering of the perovskite layer, the formation of appropriate charge-selective contacts, electron transport layers (ETLs), with suitable energy-level alignment for perovskite plays a vital role in PSCs performance and stability. In this project this issue will be addressed by surface engineering of the ETL/perovskite interface with novel fullerene derivatives and hybrid 3D porous metal organic-framework (MOF) materials, which would promote the development of stable and efficient PSCs. Integral part of the proposal will be the fully physicochemical characterization and stability analysis in complex conditions of temperature and humidity of the resulted solar cells.

Job description

Number of vacancies

1

Key responsibilities include

The successful candidate will investigate issues related to the fabrication of perovskite solar cells and understand the phenomena and processes that determine their efficiency and stability under working conditions.

Primary responsibilities are as follow:

  • Designing, planning, and carrying out experimental work described in project;
  • Scientific initiative and contribution through regular reporting and publishing, as well as presenting at group meetings, national and international conferences;
  • Providing supervision to junior members of the group;
  • Contribution to the efficient functioning of the lab, including necessary organizational tasks.
Offer

Position in the project

Postdoc

Job type

Type of contract: temporary, Status: full-time employment, Hours Per Week: 40

Salary

gross salary amounts to ca 8270 PLN

Position starts on

1.05.2024

Maximum planned period of contract/stipend agreement

7 months

We offer

The successful candidate is expected to start work within the project no later than 1st of May 2024. 100% of the work time of Postdoc will be devoted to the realization of the proposed project.

Career development prospects at IPC PAS

The successful candidate will benefit in form of new knowledge and methods added to his/her toolbox. The project deals with physics and physical chemistry, so any profile of candidate will find some new knowledge to be gained upon realization of the project.

We plan to publish the results of the work in high impact factor journals.

The successful candidate will be able to take advantage of all programs in the IPC PAS, including Young Scientists of IPC PAS competition and Mobility of Young Scientists of IPC PAS competition.

Institute provides an opportunity to participate in ERASMUS+ programme.

Link to Euraxess website

see website
Requirements

Scientific discipline

Engineering

Scientific profile of a candidate

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Requirements

1.  PhD degree in chemical, physical or engineering sciences, obtained no earlier than 7 years before the starting year of the employment in the project (this period might be longer due to family reasons (according to NCN rules).

2.  Publication record and rich scientific experience.

3.  Ability to work independently as well as in a group.

4.  Experience in the electrochemical analysis e.g. impedance spectroscopy) of metal halide perovskite-based solar cells.

5. Good experimental skills in the fabrication processes and understanding of charge transfer mechanisms in perovskite based devices.

6.  Ability to communicate fluently in English (written and spoken).

7.  Strong motivation to work and pursue scientific questions, creativity, and analytical thinking.

Key assessment criteria

The Commission will consider the following criteria:

a) competencies of candidates for specific tasks in a research project (max. 60 points),

b) previous scientific achievements of candidates (max. 30 points),

c) awards and distinctions of the candidate resulting from the conducted research (max. 10 points).

The commission evaluates applications on a point scale (max. 100 points).

Required documents
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Cover letter
  • Scan or photocopy of candidate's MSc and PhD degree
  • List of publications (highlighting most important studies), patent applications, research projects
  • At least one letter of recommendation from a reputable expert
Recruitment procedure

How to Apply: Send application directly to rekrutacja@ichf.edu.pl;

 IMPORTANT: email title “Recruitment 58/2023”;

• Complete application should include the following items: curriculum vitae, cover letter, university degree diploma and PhD certificate, a list of scientific achievements (publications, patents, conference presentations, etc.), at least one letter of recommendation.

• The incomplete applications will be not considered.

The application deadline is on 11th of December 2023.

• Top candidates will be invited for an on-line or in person interview (on 12th of December 2023). Good command of English is required. We reserve the right to contact and reply to only selected candidates.

• A position will be offered to the person who obtains the highest number of points.

• Candidates who have been issued a negative opinion by the Competition Committee or candidates not selected for employment have the right to appeal against the results of the evaluation. The appeal shall be lodged with the Director of the Institute within 7 days from the date of receipt of the appropriate information. The decision of the Director of the Institute shall be final.

• The results of the competition are made public.

• The results of the recruitment will be announced on 20th of December 2023.

• Employment will take place in accordance with the Employment policy of the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS https://ichf.edu.pl/files/csr/ipc-procedures.pdf  and the provisions of the competition documentation of the National Science Center (NSC) for the SONATA BIS 10 https://www.ncn.gov.pl/ogloszenia/konkursy/sonata bis 10

• If the top candidate does not sign the contract, due to the resignation, we reserve the right to choose the next candidate from the ranking list.

Additional information

Candidate needs to meet formal requirements:

a) at the time of employment, he/she do not receive any other remuneration from the NCN funds in any form;

b) the project manager was not a supervisor / auxiliary supervisor in his/her doctoral thesis;

c) during the period of employment, he/she does not receive any other remuneration on the basis of an employment contract with any employer (also applies to an employer having its registered office outside the territory of the Republic of Poland)

By submitting the application, you consent to the processing of your personal data in the recruitment process. The controller of your personal data is the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences with its registered office in Warsaw, NIP: 5250008755 (the "Institute"). The Institute will process your data for the purpose of carrying out scientific and research activities, providing services and contact with the Institute, on the basis of a contract (in connection with the performance of the contract or in order to take action on your request before the contract is concluded – Article 6, paragraph 1, letter b) of GDPR), the legitimate interest of the Institute (Article 6, paragraph 1, letter f) of the GDPR) and legal provisions (Article 6, paragraph 1, letter c) of the GDPR) - depending on the circumstances.

You have the right to: request access to your data, receive a copy of it; rectify (correct) it; delete it; limit its processing; transfer it; lodge a complaint to the supervisory body; withdraw your consent for processing at any time (withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of the processing carried out prior to its withdrawal) or to lodge an objection to data processing. More information is available on the Institute's website.

https://ichf.edu.pl/theme/ichf/pliki/RODO_klauzula_informacyjna.pdf

How to Apply: Send application directly to rekrutacja@ichf.edu.pl;

IMPORTANT! email subject: “Recruitment no. 58/2023”

Deadlines

Application deadline

12.12.2023 23:00

Deadline for the settlement of the competition

20.12.2023

Archival announcement. We would like to thank all candidates for their submitted applications.

Date of announcement: 30.11.2023

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