Research Fellow – Ferroelectric Devices with 2D Semiconductors

You will join the 2D-MINDs team, led by Dr Soumya Sarkar within the Sustainable Electronic Technologies research group in the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton. You will also be part of the interdisciplinary ECS Centre for Neuromorphic Technologies (CeNT).

The position is funded by the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship "2D semiconductors for intelligent non-volatile memory devices" (2DMINDs). The post will be full-time for a period until 31/01/2029 in the first instance, with the possibility of extension for another 12 months.

You will investigate two-dimensional semiconductors and ferroelectric materials to develop non-volatile memory that co-locates storage and processing for low-power AI hardware. Your research will combine materials characterisation, interface engineering and device fabrication at Southampton Nanofabrication Centre to develop foundry-compatible fabrication protocols alongside specialist electrical and optical characterisation facilities. Training and support will be provided to develop the skills required for your research.

The role is well suited to candidates who wish to develop their expertise in emerging memory devices and neuromorphic technologies within a supportive, interdisciplinary research environment. We welcome applicants with complementary experimental backgrounds; experience across all the areas listed below is not expected.

You should be a resourceful and passionate researcher who will plan and conduct experiments, develop measurement techniques and generate high-quality research data. You will contribute to the project's scientific direction, prepare manuscripts, undertake short research visits to project partners (University of Cambridge, NPL), present findings at international conferences, write project reports and support the supervision of master's and PhD students.

The role offers support for conference travel, collaboration, industry engagement and outreach. Extensive leadership training and transferable skills development will support your progression towards research independence and future leadership in ferroelectric neuromorphic devices.

Essential requirements:
- A PhD, or near completion of a PhD, in materials science, physics, electronic engineering or a related discipline.
- Experience in one or more of the following: fabrication and characterisation of devices based on 2D semiconductors, or ferroelectric materials.
- Strong experimental and analytical skills, with the ability to plan research, interpret results and solve technical problems.
- Clear written and verbal communication, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively within interdisciplinary teams.

Desirable experience:
- Ferroelectric transistors, tunnel junctions or diodes, or other non-volatile memory and neuromorphic devices.
- E-beam lithography, thin-film deposition or dry-transfer assembly of van der Waals heterostructures.
- Temperature-dependent electrical transport or pulsed electrical measurements.
- Optical spectroscopy, including Raman, photoluminescence or reflectance, or scanning probe microscopy, including AFM, PFM or KPFM.
- Contributing to academic publications, collaborative research or student supervision.

We warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in the field. ECS holds an Athena SWAN Silver award in recognition of its continued commitment to improving equality for women in science and engineering. We have a range of staff development programmes and a unique mentoring and wellbeing scheme. We recognise that research careers follow different paths and welcome applications from candidates whose PhD completion or career progression has been affected by caring responsibilities, health conditions or other personal circumstances. International applicants are encouraged to apply.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Soumya Sarkar ([email protected]).