PhD studentship in XFEL science at Imperial College London, UK

Fully funded PhD studentship in XFEL science at Imperial College London

A fully funded 4-year PhD position is available in the group of Professor Jasper van Thor at Imperial College London. The PhD is supported by the STFC UK Hub for the physical sciences on XFELs (HPSX) and Imperial College. The project will involve all aspects of executing and analysing ultrafast X-ray crystallography experiments at X-ray Fee Electron Lasers (XFELs). The project involves developing methods and experiments in order to increase the time resolution towards few-femtosecond and attosecond resolution. The PhD project will include experimental components involving sample environment, optics, diagnostics, beamline instrumentation and detector data processing, as well as computational aspects involving crystallographic data analysis and modelling. The project will be co-supervised by Professor Jon Marangos in the physics department. A part of the project will include work in the physics department on the configuration and use of a laser driven plasma hard X-ray source ‘The Imperial College Laboratory for Ultrafast X-ray Diffraction (LUXD)’. The new LUXD facility will allow pump-probe femtosecond chemical crystallography. Informal questions can be asked by email to JvT (email j.vanthor@imperial.ac.uk) or JPM (email j.marangos@imperial.ac.uk).

Requirements and eligibility
You will have either a physics, chemistry or biochemistry undergraduate degree with a 2:1 result or better. Additionally, a Masters degree with Merit or better in a relevant physics or chemistry topic will be preferred. Only students classified as Home (UK) for fees purposes are eligible to apply.

How to apply:
The 4-year PhD studentship is jointly funded by STFC XFEL Physical Sciences Hub and Imperial College London Life Science Department. Applications should be sent to Jasper van Thor by email (j.vanthor@imperial.ac.uk) and should include a CV and a cover letter with a personal statement. The CV should contain names and contact details for three references and details for courses taken and marks obtained.

Start date: 1 October 2024 or sooner
Duration: 4 years
Level of support: Home Studentship, fees and stipend
Supervisor: Prof Jasper van Thor, Molecular Biophysics, Imperial College London
Co-Supervisor: Prof Jon Marangos, Physics Department, Imperial College London
Location/Departments: Joined Life Science and Physics