Characterization of solid-liquid and solid-solid electrochemical interfaces operando at the nanoscale.

I am looking for highly motivated Doctoral Candidate to join my research department at the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials (Saarbrücken, Germany) as part of the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) e-ChemIn: ElectroChemical Interfaces for Energy Conversion and Storage. The network brings together leading academic and industrial partners across Europe to develop the next generation of sustainable energy technologies.
Within this project you will work on revealing the nanoscale details of the ionic transport at electrode-electrolyte interfaces in operando focusing on the specific role of composite materials in improving sodium ion batteries (SIBs) and zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) performances. You will design and test microbattery closed-cell setups based on MEMS chip technology and perform operando characterizations of solid-solid (S-S) and solid-liquid (S-L) interfaces using probe corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and related spectroscopy techniques. Processes at Na-ion carbonaceous anode and their composites for SIBs will be compared. Zn composite cathodes for ZIBs will be tested. Tight cooperation with other partners, assisting with nanoscale characterisation of carbonaceous, composite covalent anode materials in SIBs, and multifunctional ion-conductive polymers in rechargeable aqueous ZIBs, is expected. Operando experiments will be compared with ex-situ TEM analysis of materials from coin cells at different states of charge to ensure comparability of the results. Chemical composition, electronic structure at S-L, S-S and S-S-L interfaces will be probed by EELS.

Why join e-ChemIn?
✅ Work at the forefront of energy storage research and advanced electron microscopy.
✅ Access state-of-the-art aberration-corrected STEM and spectroscopy facilities.
✅ Collaborate within an international network of 12 academic and 6 industrial partners across 9 countries. Building your network.
✅ Contribute to research supporting the transition toward a carbon-neutral society.

Who should apply?
We are looking for candidates with a Master’s degree in:
• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Chemistry
• Applied Physics
• Or a closely related discipline
Experience in electrochemistry, nanomaterials, electron microscopy, spectroscopy, or energy storage research is highly desirable. Most importantly, we seek curious, enthusiastic researchers who enjoy interdisciplinary science and international collaboration.
📍 Location: INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken, Germany
🎓 PhD enrollment: Saarland University
📅 Application deadline: 20 September 2026
⏳ Duration: 36 months, fully funded through the MSCA Doctoral Network programme.
Please note that MSCA mobility rules apply, meaning applicants must not have lived or worked in Germany for more than 12 months during the 36 months preceding recruitment.