Doctoral position in theoretical modeling of nanocrystal growth ETH Zürich in Switzerland

ETH Zurich is offering a doctoral position in the Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory led by Prof. David J. Norris in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT). The project sits at the intersection of theoretical modeling, computational physics, and semiconductor materials research, with a focus on understanding how nanocrystals grow, dissolve, and adopt specific morphologies.

The research addresses a major question in nanomaterials science: why some semiconductor nanocrystals grow continuously, while others form discrete sizes such as nanoplatelets or magic-sized nanocrystals. These size-selected structures are especially promising for optoelectronic applications including displays, infrared cameras, nanophotonics, and quantum technologies. However, the mechanisms governing their formation remain poorly understood. The project aims to build a universal theoretical framework for explaining and predicting these growth modes, ultimately helping to guide experiments toward better control of nanocrystal size, shape, and optical properties.

The doctoral student will develop theoretical and computational descriptions of nucleation and growth for semiconductor nanocrystals, beginning with CdSe nanoplatelets and magic-sized nanocrystals and expanding to conventional quantum dots and other materials such as InP. The work combines three complementary approaches: density functional theory to compute energies of surfactant-terminated surfaces, edges, steps, and vertices; mass-balance and coupled rate-equation models for the growth and dissolution of nanocrystal populations; and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to study early-stage growth and morphology selection. The project also includes close interaction with experimentalists, so that modeling results can inform synthesis studies and experimental observations can improve the models.

The position is based at ETH Zurich’s central campus in Zurich, Switzerland, and uses ETH Zurich’s high-performance computing infrastructure. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary and international group with opportunities for teaching, supervision of student projects, external collaboration, and conference participation. Applicants should have, or be close to completing, an MSc in a related field and a strong quantitative background in thermodynamics, kinetics, statistical mechanics, solid-state physics, physical chemistry, or materials modeling. Fluent English is required. The appointment is a full-time doctoral position for four years, with an intended start date on or after 1 October 2026. Admission to the doctoral program at ETH Zurich is required.