PhD projects
PhD projects in the group combine instrument development with the physics of quantum materials: microcrystal calorimetry, elastocaloric and uniaxial-stress measurements, quantum oscillations and transport, and the study of new superconductors and magnets. Funded places are available through several routes:
- the NexGenTech Centre for Doctoral Training — a University of St Andrews interdisciplinary programme across Chemistry and Physics & Astronomy focused on materials, energy, imaging and sensing technologies;
- the International Max Planck Research School for Chemistry and Physics of Quantum Materials (IMPRS-CPQM), for projects run jointly with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden;
- doctoral studentships of the School of Physics and Astronomy, including China Scholarship Council and project-linked studentships.
All students join the SUPA graduate school. Application deadlines are set by each scheme and typically fall early in the calendar year for September entry; prospective students are encouraged to get in touch well before applying.
An example project:
Intro
Artificial designer heterostructures of correlated electron systems open up a wide range of exciting possibilities for the creation of new materials. The atomic-layer-by-atomic-layer deposition now achievable in thin films gives a unique potential to manipulate the properties of this new class of materials, ultimately allowing the creation of new phases with properties difficult to attain in bulk compounds. St Andrews has recently opened a new dedicated MBE growth facility with the aim of exploiting the possibilities of such tailored materials.
The Project
A key challenge to experimentalists is the measurement of such basic thermodynamic properties as specific heat and magnetisation. The extremely low ‘thermal mass’ of thin films makes the development of new innovative experimental tools for measurement highly desirable. Enabling such fundamental measurements on nanoscale thin films is the key aim of a new fully funded 5 year research program.
What to expect
During your PhD you will be part of a team developing these new tools with the scientific aim of applying them to the study of designer quantum materials spanning phenomena such as superconductivity, novel (topological) Dirac- and Weyl- systems and (quantum) spin liquids. Tools and techniques will touch on a wide range range of skills. These include basic numerical simulations and modelling of the setups (a design study is shown on the right), hands-on-work installing them, instrumentation control for the (low temperature) experiments and advanced data analysis.