PhD in Time-Resolved Nanothermometry, Thermal Transport and Phonon Dynamics Université Paris-Saclay in France

PhD position in time-resolved nanothermometry, thermal transport, phonon dynamics, and ultrafast spectroscopy is open at the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS), Orsay, within Université Paris-Saclay.

The project uses a recently developed photon-electron pump-probe approach inside an electron microscope to study heat flow and phonon propagation in semiconductor and metallic nanostructures. The research targets non-classical transport regimes such as semi-ballistic transport, interface thermal resistance (Kapitza resistance), and phonon hydrodynamics in 2D materials.

The work is embedded in the STEM group at LPS-Orsay and is co-supervised by Mathieu Kociak and Florian Castioni. The experimental platform includes advanced STEM, EELS, cathodoluminescence, pulsed laser excitation, nanostructure fabrication, and data analysis/modeling. The project is strongly experimental and exploratory, with support from engineers and collaboration with LPENS (ENS Ulm).

Eligibility: candidates should have a Master’s degree or engineering school background in physics, especially condensed matter, optics, or materials science. The post also highlights interest in experimental physics, photon-electron interactions, thermal properties of solids, phonon physics, and programming skills in Python.

Funding: the thesis is funded from 01-10-2026 to 30-09-2029 through an EDOM doctoral scholarship under the Programme blanc GS-Physique.

Deadline: 2026-04-30. Interested applicants should review the full call and apply via the linked page.