[Academic] PhD Studentship in collision induced astrochemistry

[Dr Helen Jane Fraser]

*READVERTISMENT - PhD - Nanotemplated Surfaces: Model Interstellar Dust 
Systems
*
Important dates: start of review of applications Sept 1st 2012

closing date Sept 7th 2012

Interview date Sept 17th 2012


A 3-year full-time PhD position is available starting 1st October 2012 
in the Astrochemistry group of Dr Helen J Fraser working on 
“Nanotemplated Surfaces: Model Interstellar Dust Systems”, in the 
Department of Physical Sciences, Open University, United Kingdom 
(http://www8.open.ac.uk/cepsar/). The aim of the PhD is to study the 
effects of particle size, shape, material and porosity on the physical 
and chemical processes occurring on icy interstellar dust grains - 
utilising a combination of nanotechnology and surface science techniques.

Applicants must have graduated with a Master's level undergraduate 
degree in Physics, Chemistry, or Materials Science, or a very closely 
related discipline. Furthermore, the student should have strong 
practical skills and enthusiasm for experimental work. A solid 
undergraduate-level knowledge of physical chemistry or solid-state 
physics is preferable. A clear demonstration of enthusiasm or 
understanding of astronomy is also desirable.

The PhD will be conducted in collaboration with Prof D Chakarov at 
Chalmers University, Sweden. The successful candidate will be employed 
at Chalmers from Nov 1^st 2012 - Jan 30^th 2014, under the auspices of 
the EU LASSIE ITN network (http://lassie.u-cergy.fr/). For this reason 
candidates MUST meet the eligibility criteria of the Marie Curie Action; 
therefore Swedish Nationals or those having resided permanently in 
Sweden for the last 3 years are ineligible to apply. Applicants must not 
yet have a PhD from elsewhere, or more than 4 years research experience 
since graduating their Masters level undergraduate course.


For the remainder of the period (i.e. Oct 2012 & Feb 2014 - Aug 2015) 
the successful candidate will receive a tax-exempt stipend of £13,590 
per year, and tuition fees will be covered by the Open University. The 
required start date is 1^st October 2012. The PhD will be overseen 
entirely by the OU and some travel between Sweden and the UK will be 
required for training and scientific purposes. Potential candidates are 
requested to send (by email as PDF attachment) a 2-page CV, list of 
publications (if any), a cover letter describing their suitability and 
enthusiasm for the post, as well as any questions to Dr Helen Fraser 5pm 
(UT) Sept 7^th 2012. As this is a re-advertisement, existing applicants 
need not re-apply; review of all applications will begin from Sept 1^st 
2012. Candidates should also arrange for two letters of recommendation 
to be emailed directly to Dr Fraser, under separate cover, by the same 
date. The name, occupation, address, email and phone contact of each 
referee, including their relationship to the candidate should be 
attached as a separate sheet to the back of the CV. Candidates 
short-listed for interview will be contacted by Sept 8^th 2012, noting 
that interviews will be held on Sept 13^th 2012 at the OU, Milton Keynes 
UK from 10am - 4pm. A final decision will be made shortly thereafter.

CLOSING DATE Sept 7^th 2012

_________________________________________________________________________


Further details are available, or questions and queries can be answered, 
by emailing helen.fraser at open.ac.uk <mailto:helen.fraser at open.ac.uk>


*Detailed Project Description:*

Interstellar dust consists of small nano- to micron-sized grains of 
silicaceous or
carbonaceous material with complex morphology. From their formation is 
known that the
material is dominated by either graphene or 'PAH' type carbon material 
and Fe-Mg-Al
silicates, sometimes with metal inclusions. From a plethora of 
nanoscience studies it
is clear that the surfaces of nanosized materials have two key 
properties that differ from bulk materials when contemplating their 
catalytic properties;

a) The electronic structure of a nanoparticle is neither molecular nor 
solid-state (with
valence and conduction bands) and is strongly size dependent. This 
explains the
variety of particle excitations (plasmons, excitons etc.) promoting 
interesting photon induced
chemical and desorption processes that might not otherwise occur at a 
surface or
interface.
b) As a consequence of the huge surface/volume ratio, reaction kinetics 
(reaction rates)
can vary widely between reactions involving nanoparticles and those 
conducted on 'single
crystal' or 'flat' surfaces. An additional complexity arises when the 
nanoparticle is porous.
For these two reasons it is likely that interstellar dust grains promote 
an even richer
chemistry than so far envisaged. Furthermore, when covered by icy 
(condensed) material, it
is likely that the 'bare' and 'icy' grain surfaces could co-exist, and 
equally provide sites for
chemical reactions.

The aim of this project is to study the effects of nanoparticle size, 
morphology and
porosity (as well as the material) on interstellar surface chemistry. In 
a unique
collaboration between Chalmers and the OU, the student will first work 
at the OU to
understand the fundamentals of ice desorption and reaction from 
surfaces, studying some
key chemical systems of interest, driven by our recent observations. 
During a 15 month
secondment in Chalmers the student will work to design, fabricate and 
characterize
number of nanotemplated dust model systems. The samples will be used in 
Chalmers to
study photo-induced chemistry at the nanoparticle surface, and compare 
it with control
experiments on 'untemplated' surfaces, focusing on the morphology of 
ices formed reactively on the nanotemplated surfaces.

The system samples will then be returned to the OU and experiments 
undertaken there to study thermal and electron induced chemistry under 
the same conditions, along with reaction chemistry, attempting to 
differentiate diffusion desorption and reaction processes of the same 
chemical processes with different underlying surfaces.


-- 
The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302).
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://phys.strath.ac.uk/pipermail/academic/attachments/20120829/978a1503/attachment-0001.html