PhD position in Applied Physics

The Department of Applied Physics and Electronics , Umeå University, currently has around 100 employees and conducts research in energy technology, applied optics, electronics and medical technology.

We are recruiting a PhD student in Applied Physics with a focus on hollow-core fiber technology towards telecom applications. Application deadline is May 9, 2025.

Project Description

The Internet is enabled by a network of silica fibers with a step-index profile. Since the invention of the optical fiber 50 years ago, its design has not been radically changed. During the last 10 years, it has been discovered that a new class of hollow-core fibers (HCFs) can potentially provide several key advantages over conventional fibers, including lower propagation loss, lower latency (due to the faster speed of light in air than in glass), lower nonlinearity and dispersion, and the liberty of choosing light wavelengths in a wider spectral range. These HCFs are based on anti-resonant reflection by sub-micron-thick silica membranes. Despite recent breakthroughs, significant challenges remain in both HCF design and fabrication. Further development of HCFs requires fundamental understanding of light-guidance principles as well as material properties of extremely thin silica membranes. In this project, you as a PhD candidate will carry out:

• detailed theoretical studies and optimization of light guidance in HCFs,
• characterization of fabricated HCFs (on both structural and optical transmission properties),
• experimental investigations of material properties of ultra-thin silica membranes (through e.g. transmission electron microscopy).

There exist opportunities for being involved in the HCF fabrication process.

The project is part of a consortium project supported by Vinnova (Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems) with partners including RISE High-Speed Transmission Lab (Kista, Stockholm), RISE Fiberlab (Hudiksvall), Chalmers University of Technology (Gothenburg), as well as the companies Ericsson, Telia, and Telenor.

Qualifications

To be admitted for studies at third-cycle level the applicant is required to have completed a second-cycle level degree or least 240 credits of courses, of which at least 60 credits are at second-cycle level, or have an equivalent education from another educational system, or equivalent qualifications.

To fulfil the specific entry requirements to be admitted for studies at third-cycle level in applied physics, the applicant must have completed courses of at least 120 credits within the field of physics or other related subject areas considered to be relevant for the project. The requirements must be fulfilled at the time of admission to postgraduate education and need not be met at the time of application.

The requirements for prior knowledge as set out above are also considered to be fulfilled by a person who otherwise within or acquired equivalent knowledge abroad and which can be proven.

The applicant should have a strong interest in physics, especially optics, and basic knowledge of material science. Applicants with one or more of the following skills/qualities will be considered with priority:

• experience and/or thorough understanding of theoretical/numerical methods for simulating optical phenomena,
• experience in fabrication and/or characterization of micro- or nanostructures,
• hands-on experience with fiber-optic transmission experiments.

We are looking for a highly motivated and goal-oriented candidate who has the ability to think critically and handle constructive feedback positively, and who demonstrates good collaboration skills with other members of a research team. Fluency in English, both in oral and written forms, is mandatory.

Terms of employment

The employment is expected to result in a doctoral degree and the main assignment for the doctoral student is thus to be active in research, study doctoral courses, and possibly participate in teaching courses at undergraduate level (up to 20%).

The employment is limited to four years at full time or up to five years in case teaching and/ or other departmental work is performed. The salary is fixed according to the established salary level for doctoral students at Umeå University.

Application
Your application should include the following:

The application, including attached documents, must be written in English or Swedish. Documents sent electronically must be in PDF format. The application is made through our electronic recruitment system Varbi (https://umu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:816202/ ). Application closing date is May 9, 2025.

Starting date: as soon as possible or according to mutual agreement.

Information

For more information, contact the project supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Max Yan (max.yan@umu.se ) or the Head of Department, Prof. Britt Andersson (britt.andersson@umu.se ).

Other open positions in the same research group: 

We look forward to receiving your applications!