Our brains are incredibly energy efficient and can process incredible amounts of data a million times more energy efficient than the best supercomputers. Therefore, there is now a global wide effort to develop neuromorphic devices for energy efficient computing enabling new technologies and to reduce energy consumption to combat climate change. To create brain-like computers, new materials are needed that are dynamical and switch in a time dependent manner like our synapses do. We aim to create multi-functional molecular switches that evolve and learn based on dynamic covalent bond formation with the goal to increase switching rates and to improve our understanding of an electrically driven out of equilibrium system. These insights are needed to establish the design rules for devices that mimic basic synaptic function needed to develop artificial neural networks. The challenge is to synthesize and characterize these new switches and study their dynamical behavior, to improve their stability and speed, and to investigate in detail their switching mechanisms.

The fully financed 4-year PhD position is available at the University Of Twente (UT), The Netherlands, within the Faculty of Science and Technology in the Nijhuis group of Hybrid Materials for OptoElectronics (HMOE). At the UT you are part of the unparalleled possibilities at MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Molecules Center and BRAINS (Center for Brain-Inspired NanoSytems).

• You have a MSc degree in chemistry, surface chemistry, or physical chemistry, or similar.
• You have demonstrated experience in the synthesis and characterization of molecular switches, ideally including electrochemical analysis, systems chemistry, or optical characterization techniques.
• You have affinity with the development of new or extending existing characterization techniques.
• You are fluent in English and able to collaborate intensively with industrial and academic parties in regular meetings and work visits.

• The university has a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important part of the strategic agenda.
• We offer a very challenging fulltime position in an inspiring multidisciplinary and international environment.
• The gross monthly salary starts with € 2.541,- in the first year and increases to € 3.247,- in the fourth year of your employment.
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%
• A solid pension scheme.
• Minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment.
• Professional and personal development programs.

The PhD-candidate will work in Nijhuis group of Hybrid Materials for OptoElectronics (HMOE) located in the department of Molecules and Materials, Faculty of Science & Technology. Our group has a strong history in the development of molecular opto-electronic devices to unravel new mechanisms of charge transport and the interplay between nanoscale electronics and plasmonics which are important in various areas of science ranging from biology, green energy and energy storage, catalysis, to nano-electronics and modern-day data processing. Recently, we have developed multi-functional molecular switches that are highly efficient diodes and memory devices, which we are now extending to applications in neuromorphic electronics.