Project description

We have a postdoctoral fellow opening for a candidate to work with Prof. Martin Beye to further develop the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy instrument POLARIS. The instrument is located at the synchrotron radiation facility PETRA III in Hamburg. It enables to study surface reactions at high temperatures and at pressures currently up to 1 bar, depending on the gas composition. Concepts exist to enable studies at even higher pressures that, within this project, should get implemented and applied to relevant scientific studies in this project.

Furthermore, the project should also work towards integrating a pulsed optical laser that allows to trigger chemical reactions that can then be followed with POLARIS at ambient pressures. This development also requires an upgrade of the detector system in POLARIS, but will enable following the reaction dynamics for example in the Haber-Bosch process at close to industrially relevant conditions. The candidate will thus combine operando X-ray spectroscopy with transient studies in order to observe reaction intermediates and follow their evolution under reaction conditions. This project aims to enable the acquisition of basic atomistic knowledge around a suite of fundamental reactions, often using hydrogenation reactions to produce energy carriers or chemical feedstock materials from CO2  – a reaction that will become more and more important for societies that strive for sustainable future.

Main responsibilities

The candidate will realize the upgrades to the POLARIS instrumentation based on developed concepts and then apply them to scientific questions. The latter entails to prepare, coordinate and conduct beamtime experiments at PETRA III, analyze the data set, and write manuscripts. The candidate will be involved in a collaborative team focusing on X-ray spectroscopic characterization of catalysis and other phenomena.

Ref. No. SU FV-2748-25

Closing date: 1 August 2025

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