Ph.D. positions (f/m/d)

Ph.D. positions (f/m/d)

The Faculty of Chemistry at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen welcomes applications for two Ph.D. positions (f/m/d) at the Theoretical Chemistry group (Group of Prof. Reinhard Maurer). The positions are remunerated with 65% E 13 TV‑L (corresponding to 25.87 hours per week) under a limited contract of 4 years and should be filled by at the latest. Salary: Pay grade 13 TV‑L (65 %).

Responsibilities

• Conduct individual and collaborative research in theoretical chemistry and computational simulation.
• Continuously update your knowledge, translate advances into research activity, and write up results for publication.
• Present research progress and outcomes to team members and collaborators.
• Support students and participate in group activities such as meetings and seminars.
• Contribute to teaching of courses as defined in Section 31 of the Higher Education Act of Lower Saxony (NHG) and administer examinations.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Physics or a related discipline (or in the process of concluding such a degree).
• Ability to work collaboratively within an interdisciplinary and diverse team.
• Experience in academic writing and an interest in surface chemistry, quantum chemistry, or computational simulation.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Experience with programming (e.g., Python, Julia) and simulation methods (e.g., molecular or quantum dynamics) is advantageous.

Research Projects

• Project 1 : Simulation of catalytic nanoparticles and their interaction with adsorbed molecules for light‑induced chemical reactions. State‑of‑the‑art electronic structure calculations and mixed quantum‑classical dynamics simulation tools will be employed to study industry‑relevant reactions such as CO hydrogenation or ammonia decomposition. The goal is to design nanostructured catalytic materials with high selectivity and efficiency through doping and to develop dynamic software and machine‑learning methods for computational catalyst design.
• Project 2 : Development of novel quantum mechanical and quantum embedding based methods to simulate excited states at metal‑organic interfaces. First‑principles calculations will be carried out, advanced embedding techniques designed and implemented, and integrated into spectroscopic prediction workflows and machine‑learning surrogate models to enable accurate simulations of excited‑state dynamics for small molecules interacting with complex surfaces.

About the Group

In the Maurer group, we develop computational simulation methodology to study quantum phenomena at surfaces with applications ranging from photocatalysis to nanotechnology and electrochemistry. Our goal is to combine electronic structure theory, molecular and quantum dynamics methodology, and machine‑learning methods to achieve an accurate yet computationally feasible description of complex phenomena in materials and at solid/gas and solid/liquid interfaces. You will join a large, international and interdisciplinary research group that provides a collaborative and supportive environment.

Equal Opportunities

The University of Göttingen is an equal‑opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family‑friendly institution and supports employees in balancing work and family life. The mission of the University is to employ a greater number of severely disabled persons. Applications from severely disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference.