Postdoc Position: Gas Sensing with Infrared Spectroscopy

Are you an enthusiastic young scientist who likes to work with and/or develop new spectroscopic instruments? And do you hold a PhD degree in physics (photonics), electrical engineering or a related field? Would you like to be involved in the research and development of instruments based on the latest ultrabroadband, mid-infrared, intrapulse difference-frequency generation source to perform multispecies detection in demanding applications as in environmental monitoring, exposure assessment and the green hydrogen industry? If so, then you have a part to play as a postdoctoral researcher in our research team.

Gas sensing plays an important role in many fields. It is used to monitor climate change, optimise industrial control, as well as observe important chemical or biological reactions related to life sciences. Among several optical methods for measuring gas concentrations, absorption spectroscopy with broadband, laser-based infrared sources is emerging as a promising and effective tool. In particular, the newly developed high-power intrapulse difference-frequency generation (IDFG) based sources extend deep into the mid-infrared wavelength range with unprecedented spectral coverage (2–11.5 µm). In our lab, we have recently demonstrated a system comprising an in-house built Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) with such a source for multispecies trace gas detection. This system has shown an excellent performance during in-situ measurements of a wide range of molecular species with high sensitivity (Opt. Express 32, 14506: 2024).

Here, coherent open-path spectroscopy (COPS) will be used for field measurements. In contrast to conventional absorption spectroscopy, COPS eliminates the use of a gas cell and guides the light beam over an outdoor path for direct interaction with the area of interest.

This 3-year postdoc project aims to further explore the potential of developing a robust system using COPS. The system will be deployed in the field for gas measurements in real-life applications, i.e. environmental monitoring and chemical exposure assessment at workplaces. You will design and develop a field-deployable spectrometer, guide one or two PhD candidates, coordinate research with the other Dutch partners in the project, and contribute to the dissemination of results.

Requirements:

• You have a PhD degree in physics, engineering, photonics or a related discipline.
• You have a good basis in optics, laser spectroscopy and signal-processing techniques.
• You have experience with lasers and/or spectroscopy and programming (i.e. Matlab, LabView/Python).
• You are a highly motivated, enthusiastic, critical, communicative, creative and team-oriented young scientist with a particular interest in laser-based spectroscopy and experimental work.
• You can work independently, but you also enjoy interacting within a group and supervise PhD candidates.
• You are fluent in English (written and spoken) and have good communication skills.
• You demonstrate integrity and positivity and motivate others to do the same.

Salary Benefits:

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 3 years.
• Your salary within salary scale 10 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

38 hours per week

Houtlaan 4