PostDoc for Cultural Heritage Beamline at Inverse Compton Source Smart Light

at  TU Delft

PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL HERITAGE? JOIN US IN BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION X-RAY INSTRUMENT FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY!

Job description
The most advanced X-ray based techniques are availble at synchrotron radiation sources, such as the ESRF in Grenoble or DESY in Hamburg. Access to these extremely bright sources is limited, and Dutch researchers are in a disadvantageous position as the Netherlands are not directly involved in any of these centres of research. The SmartLight project (https://interregvlaned.eu/en/smart-light-2-0/) aims to make advanced X-ray analysis techniques available in the Netherlands. Several institutes in The Netherlands (TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, DIFFER) and Flanders (UAntwerpen, UGent) collaborate to develop a compact instrument that comprises an intense and energy-tunable X-ray source, X-ray optics and detectors. The source is based on the Inverse Compton Effect, where visible laser light, scattered by a relativistic electron beam, is promoted into the X-ray range, yielding a brilliant, coherent X-ray beam with a narrow bandwidth.
Your main task will be to build and commission the experimental endstation of Smartlight. This endstation is meant for a characterisation of the beam and proof of principle experiments with a focus on cultural heritage objects (art objects or archaeological objects). This involves testing different components in the laboratory with X-ray tubes, verify their integration into the control software, determine spectroscopic figures of merit, optimize the instrument and demonstrate its capabilities in the first experiments. Based on the early experiments you will be involved in the planning of future SmartLight upgrades, especially regarding optics and beam shaping.
This work will be done within the team of the Alfeld Lab at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of the Delft University of Technology. The Department of Materials Science is a diverse institution, working in small laboratories, headed by independent PIs on a range of topics, including optimising steel microstructure, corrosion, recycling and the investigation of cultural heritage. The Alfeld Lab is working on the multi-modal investigation of cultural heritage, with a special focus on X-ray investigations and the development of new instruments and data evaluation approaches.
You will work with the PI of the group, M. Alfeld, on the SmartLight endstation in the lab in Delft and with the team of the TU/e on the installation of the endstation in Eindhoven. It is possible to supervise Master students during the project and to pursue independent research endavours related to spectroscopy and/or cultural heritage.

Requirements

• You have experience in the operation and configuration of X-ray instruments for spectrometry, diffraction, imaging or similar techniques.
• You need to have a PhD in science (preferrably physics or chemistry) or engineering (materials science).
• You can work independently in an interdisciplinary environment with multiple stakeholders.
• You have at least moderate programming skills in python or the readiness to acquire these during the project.
• You have a good command of the English language, as you will be working in an international environment, and preferably of Dutch.
• You do not need to have worked with cultural heritage before, but it is a definite bonus.

Conditions of employment
Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.
From 1 September next, a salary increase of 3.7% applies due to a Collective Agreement amendment, followed by an additional 1% increase on 1 January 2025. In addition, most employees employed on 1 September 2024 will receive a one-off payment of €300 gross based on full-time employment.
For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.
TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.
At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.
Challenge. Change. Impact!
Faculty Mechanical Engineering
From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.
ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.
Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.
Additional information
For more information about this vacancy, please contact HR advisor, Anita van Vianen, e-mail: recruitment-me@tudelft.nl.
Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 15 September 2024 via the application button and upload your motivation and CV.

• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

For questions contact Matthias Alfeld, e-mail: m.alfeld@tudelft.nl.

Please refer the Job description for details