Research Fellow (Terabotics)

at  University of Warwick

Location
University of Warwick Campus, Coventry
Department
School of Engineering
Position Type
Fixed Term, Full Time
Duration
Ending 31 August 2027
Salary
£33,966 to £44,263 per annum
About the Role
For informal enquiries, please contact John Murphy (Professor) at John.d.murphy@warwick.ac.uk.
This fixed term post will commence as soon as possible with funding potentially available until the project end date, which is currently 31st August 2027.
You will undertake experimental research on a EPSRC Programme Grant entitled “Terabotics - terahertz robotics for surgery and medicine”. This is a £10m interdisciplinary research project which includes activities at the University of Warwick (Physics, Engineering, and Medical School), the University of Exeter (Physics), and the University of Leeds (Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and Medicine). The overarching aim is to develop THz technology and combine it with surgical robotics to bring a step change in cancer diagnosis and surgery.
This post in the School of Engineering will focus on the development of the modulators of the THz radiation, working in the Electronic Materials and Interfaces Group under the supervision of Prof. John Murphy. You will have expertise in semiconductor materials/ device engineering and will develop the photomodulator devices used to control the properties of the THz radiation. You will understand the fundamentals of carrier lifetime and recombination in semiconductors, and will develop and fabricate novel device designs to achieve the required modulation properties. Our work to date has used silicon-based photomodulators with passivation and lifetime control approaches from the field of silicon photovoltaic solar cells, so candidates with a background in that field are encouraged to apply. We are also interested in exploring the use of other materials systems in this project.
You will use the Science City Cleanroom/ Nanofabrication Research Technology Platform at Warwick. This contains excellent relevant facilities including wet benches (for chemical cleaning and etching), state-of-the-art plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (for dielectric deposition), annealing furnaces, and lithographic facilities. The willingness and ability to conduct cleanroom work, including performing chemical processing of semiconductor samples, is required. You will also characterise the modulators produced by using techniques such as photoconductance lifetime measurements and photoluminescence imaging. You will be expected to supply photomodulators to other members of the project team, who have expertise in THz-based characterisation and imaging for medical applications.
This post is based at the University of Warwick and requires a commitment for regular on-site work experimental work. You will be required to make occasional trips to project partners in the UK so the willingness to travel occasionally is required. There will be opportunities for presenting work at international conferences.
You will be expected to write up your research for publication and work with project partners to produce joint publications. You will be expected to deal with any management/ administration problems that may arise from the project and produce and present regular project reports ensuring that the project objectives and deadlines are met.
We will consider applications for employment on a part-time or other flexible working basis, even where a position is advertised as full-time, unless there are operational or other objective reasons why it is not possible to do so.
About You
You will have a PhD or equivalent in a relevant discipline (including Electronic/ Electrical Engineering, a relevant branch of Materials Science, or a relevant branch of Applied Physics). You will possess experimental research skills relevant to semiconductor materials and devices. Prior experience with cleanroom-based processing techniques and characterisation of semiconductors is required. Prior knowledge of THz and/ or medical imaging is not an essential requirement.
If you are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD but have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant at the top of level 5 of the University grade structure. Upon receipt of evidence of the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure.
About the Department
The School of Engineering is committed to the principles of the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises work undertaken to address gender equality, representation and progression for all staff working in an academic environment. The School currently holds the Athena SWAN Silver award and the University holds an Institutional Silver award.
For more information, please see here.
About the University
Born in the 60s with a mindset of boldness, imagination and collaboration, the University of Warwick is a world-leading research-intensive university with the highest academic and research standards. We’re one of the world’s top universities, ranked 67th in the world and 10th in the UK, with 92% of our research assessed to be ‘world leading or internationally excellent’*.

You’ll be joining a diverse, innovative and globally connected community committed to igniting real world progress. Here at Warwick, we offer you opportunities to follow your ambitions as long as you bring the energy and determination to succeed.

• QS World University Rankings 2024

** Research Excellence Framework 2021
How to Apply

Please refer the Job description for details