We invite applications for two PhD positions, one with Prof. Claudia Filippi at the University of Twente and one with Dr. Remco Havenith at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. We are looking for talented and highly motivated candidates to work on a collaborative project between the two groups on the combined development of advanced valence bond and quantum Monte Carlo methods for the study of excited-state processes in complex systems.

The project will focus on the development and implementation of non-orthogonal configuration interaction as well as quantum Monte Carlo methods for an accurate and chemically interpretable description of excited states. The resulting methods will be applied to potential upconversion materials.

The starting date is flexible, but preferably before July 2024.

We are looking for PhD candidate with;

• An enthusiastic and highly motivated research attitude;
• A master’s degree in chemistry or physics, with a specialization in theoretical chemistry/physics or related fields;
• A strong interest in method and software development;
• Preferably, some programming experience in Fortran or C/C++;
• English writing and presentation skills.

• A full-time position for four years, with a qualifier (Twente) and a similar assessment (Groningen) in the first year;
• Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU);
• You will receive a gross monthly salary ranging from € 2.770,- (first year) to € 3.539,- (fourth year);
• There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis;
• Free access to sports facilities on campus;
• You will have a training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School of the University of Twente or Graduate School of Science and Engineering of the University of Groningen where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision.

We are a computational group focusing on the theory and simulation of physical phenomena which span wide spatial and dynamical scales, from photoexcitations of electrons to the dynamics of structure formation of biomolecular systems. Our methodology ranges from electronic structure theory and quantum Monte Carlo approaches to coarse grain molecular and Brownian dynamics. Using similar methods, we also investigate the flow properties of soft matter. Our activities encompass both practical problems and the development of novel computational methods when needed.

The Computational Chemical Group is embedded in the Nano Electronic Materials (NEM) Department.