Understanding ion adsorption and transfer in electrodes on 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.
You will develop operando scanning TEM (STEM) and EELS approaches to characterise adsorption phe­nomena and the formation of the electric double layer with the high­est spatial resolutions reported. You will use room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs) as electrolytes and test their: (1) structur­ing in nanoconfined envi­ronments of differ­ent dimensionality (e.g., inside carbon nanotubes, 3D porous carbons), (2) their behaviour under applied bias in confinement. Spatially resolved data from STEM and EELS will be correlated with volumetric measurements from NMR and operando XPS, ena­bling direct observation, and quantification of charge storage mechanisms in electrode materials and processes of electro­lyte degradation. In co­operation with DC5, who performs comple­mentary atomistic simula­tions, you will work towards obtaining a comprehensive in­sights in the structure and dynamics at S-L interfaces at dif­ferent states of charge.
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.