PhD Position in Time-Resolved Nanothermometry by Electron–Photon Spectroscopy (M/F)

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Understanding heat transport at the nanoscale has become a major challenge for future electronic and energy technologies. When device dimensions approach the phonon mean free path, heat transport enters regimes that strongly deviate from classical descriptions and remain only partially understood.
Recent advances in electron microscopy now enable the investigation of these phenomena with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. In particular, our group has developed an original dynamic nanothermometry approach combining synchronized optical excitation with electron spectroscopy, providing both nanometer-scale spatial resolution and nanosecond temporal resolution.
The goal of this PhD project is to exploit this unique platform to investigate thermal and phonon transport in a variety of nanostructures. Research topics will include semi-ballistic heat transport in nanostructured semiconductors, thermal boundary resistance in heterostructures, and phonon propagation in two-dimensional materials.
The candidate will perform advanced electron spectroscopy experiments in an electron microscope equipped with optical excitation capabilities and will also contribute to nanostructure fabrication through electron-beam lithography and to thermal transport modeling. This highly exploratory project relies on a unique experimental platform and lies at the interface of condensed matter physics, nanoscience, thermal transport, and advanced electron microscopy.

Your Work Environment

The Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS, UMR 8502) is a joint research unit of Université Paris-Saclay and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is affiliated with the CNRS Institute of Physics and is a member of the Friedel–Jacquinot Federation, which coordinates physics research on the Moulon campus in Orsay, near Paris.
LPS brings together around one hundred researchers and faculty members, both experimentalists and theorists, supported by approximately sixty engineers, technicians, and administrative staff. Each year, the laboratory hosts numerous undergraduate and graduate students, including many PhD candidates, as well as postdoctoral researchers and visiting scientists.
Despite its name, the laboratory covers a broad spectrum of condensed matter physics. Its research is organized around three main themes:
• Novel electronic states of matter;
• Physical phenomena at reduced dimensions;
• Soft matter and physics–biology interfaces.
The first theme encompasses both experimental and theoretical studies of systems with strong electronic correlations, giving rise to remarkable phenomena such as superconductivity, magnetism, and metal–insulator transitions. The second focuses on nanoscience, investigating the fundamental properties of materials and devices when their dimensions become comparable to characteristic physical length scales, such as the coherence length or the mean free path. The third extends the concept of soft matter to biological systems, covering topics ranging from polymers, liquid crystals, foams, and granular materials to living tissues, at the interface between physics, chemistry, and biology.
The successful candidate will join the STEM group at the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (CNRS–UMR 8502). This research project is funded by the ESTEEM project.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions