As a postdoctoral fellow, you will carry out the experimental work needed to validate the working principle of a new, patented photoacoustic sensor for gas analysis. You will also engage with different stakeholders of the value chain that should bring this sensor to market (e.g., business experts, external companies, NGOs). You will have thus the opportunity to get the best of both worlds: research (development of a unique optical fiber sensor) and knowledge transfer (deployment of that sensor to a specific application).

Your duties

• carry out simulations and experiments to optimize and validate the performance of an optical fiber gas sensor
• contribute to formulate a business case to deploy the developed sensor in the gas/oil and/or agro/food industries
• coordinate in-field experiments to validate the technology-market fit
• report the results in closed-door meetings, papers, contribution at conferences, and confidential reports

• PhD degree in physics, engineering, or equivalent
• proven experience in testing equipment and performing experiments in the lab
• knowledge of and experience with at least one of the following: optical fiber sensing, interferometry, photonics integrated circuits, numerical simulations 
• excellent command of the English language
• interest in knowledge transfer and idea-to-market

Fixed-term contract: 18 months.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,709 (scale 10) and a maximum €4,274 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 1.0 FTE.

The appointment will be for 18 months, and it is immediately available.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. And to be a university where personal education and societal involvement play a leading role. Where people from different disciplines and backgrounds work together on innovations and on generating new knowledge. Our teaching and research embrace the whole spectrum of science – from the humanities, the social sciences and the pure sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 24,500 students. We employ more than 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible, located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
Diversity is one of our university’s core values. We are an inclusive community, and we believe that diversity and international activities enhance the quality of education and research. We are always looking for people who can enhance diversity on our campus thanks to their background and experience.

The Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to around 6,000 students.
 
About the department, institute, project
The project is embedded within the Department of Physics and Astronomy - Faculty of Science, as well as the LaserLab Amsterdam (a state-of-the-art laser laboratory). For the idea-to-market process, we can rely on a strong knowledge transfer agenda, driven by our new pre-incubator laboratory - the Demonstrator Lab.
The research activity is coordinated by Prof. Davide Iannuzzi (PhD, MBA) and Ass. Prof. Imran Avci (PhD, ir.), and will be supported by a user committee that includes business experts and professionals from different private firms.