Post-Doctoral Position

Istanbul Kültür Üniversitesi

Post-Doctoral Position at the Istanbul Kultur University, Istanbul, Türkiye – ERA-Chair Spectroscopy@IKU Project

I – Reference, Place of Work and Salary:

A one-year postdoctoral position (Ref: IKU-ERA-2025-01), with the possibility of  renewal untill the end of the ERA-Chair Project, is available at the Istanbul Kultur University (Türkiye) within the ERA-Chair Spectroscopy@IKU “Manipulating and Characterizing Molecular Architecture: from Isolated Molecules to Molecular Crystals” Project. The gross salary will be €2800 per month, and the contract is expected to start May 2025.A permanent position at the University, compatible with the qualifications of the candidate, will be offered to the recruited candidate after the end of the ERA-Chair Project.

II - Position Objectives, Admission Requirements and Skills:

The applicant will develop his/her work according to the objectives of the ERA-Chair project.

Position Objectives: The project focuses on two main research areas that share the need for precise molecular structure manipulation and characterization, and to which spectroscopy is the fundamental exploration technique: (i) structure and reactivity of atmospheric and astrophysically/space relevant molecules, and (ii) polymorphism in molecular crystals and cocrystals. The first subject centres on the laboratory study of isolated molecules and small aggregates, addressing fundamental chemistry and physics of Earth's atmosphere and space, through exploration of new avenues of chemical reactivity and their underneath physical processes, such as reactions triggered by vibrational excitation of molecules or those taking place via quantum mechanical tunnelling (QTM). The second subject encompasses the development of new approaches for polymorphs screening, based on the development of novel versatile techniques for molecular crystals/cocrystals generation, and the detailed characterization of the synthesized materials, in particular using spectroscopic (IR, UV-Visible, Raman and cryogenic matrix isolation), diffraction and calorimetric methods. The experimental work will be complemented by quantum chemistry calculations, particularly DFT and TD-DFT.

Admission Requirements and Skills: Applicants should demonstrate the professional qualifications and overall well-being necessary to fulfill the role’s demands. The candidates shall hold a PhD in Physics or Chemistry or a related field, and a strong experience in molecular spectroscopy (IR, UV-Vis, Raman, …), knowledge of diffraction, calorimetric, and vacuum and cryogenic techniques, and familiarity with theoretical methods for studying molecular structure and reactivity.

The candidates should be highly motivated, with a collaborative mindset, and eager to work on a combined experimental-theoretical project. The successful candidate will be expected to present his/her work at scientific conferences and take the lead in preparing peer-reviewed publications. Therefore, excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential.

III – Application:

Applications are to be exclusively in digital portable document format (pdf), with the exception of the documents referred inIII.4that can be delivered in other digital formats. If any of the works/papers submitted contains classified information, revealing trade or industrial secrets or literary, artistic or scientific property secrets, candidates must clearly indicate that for each document; otherwise, those works/papers can be freely accessed by any of the other applicants when consulting the tender records.

Applications have to be received within 20 days after publication of this note, i.e., till3 April 2025.

Mandatory documents to be delivered:

III.1. Curriculum Vitae (English) duly dated and signed. The Curriculum Vitae shall include a foreword with a summary of the professional activity of the candidate that clearly demonstrates that the candidate specialises in the scientific areas for which this tender is open. The candidate’s Curriculum Vitae shall be structured in order to separately respond to the following evaluation items:

A.       Authoring or co-authoring of books, book chapters, articles in journals indexed or others of relevant international scientific interest, related to the disciplinary area or subarea for which the competition is open;

B.        Participation and coordination of research projects;

C.        Scientific mentoring and development of human resources training actions related to the disciplinary area or subarea for which the competition is open;

D.       Creation and/or direct involvement in maintaining and managing laboratory infrastructures to support research;

E.        Funding acquisition for research.

III.2. Copy of qualification certificates (certified English translation).

III.3. Separate copies of the 5 of the candidate's most relevant works/papers that have contributed to the development of the scientific field for which this tender is open. In a separate document, the reasons for this choice shall be provided, highlighting the scientific impact of the work (English).

III.4. Any other information considered relevant by the candidate (English).

Demonstrating proofs for the items mentioned in the CV shall be provided (DOI’s for publications are enough). Applications that do not comply with the instructions or that fail to meet the tender’s formal requirements, pursuant to the applicable laws and to this Public Notice, will not be accepted. In the same way, if the required documents or papers are submitted outside the established timeframe, the application shall not be accepted.

For more information on selection methods and criteria, selection process, ranking and voting method, notification of candidates, selection jury, dissemination, and final remarks, please review the announcement text available in the Announcements section on the Istanbul Kultur University website.

Istanbul Kultur University, March 14th, 2025