PhD Student in Charge-to-Spin Conversion and Magnetotransport in Altermagnetic Thin Films, HZDR Dresden
Job Description
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has a PhD position on altermagnetic thin films. Altermagnets are a newly found class of magnetic materials. You will grow thin films and measure how they turn charge currents into spin currents. The post starts on 1 February 2027.
At a glance
- Position: PhD student, 29.25 hours a week, 36 months (Job-Id 2026/124)
- Where: Department of Magnetism, Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
- Pay: TVöD-Bund public-sector scale; the ad says it may be group 13. No amount is stated
- Contact: Dr Kilian Lenz
- Start: 1 February 2027; the contract ends by 31 January 2030
- Apply: 15 November 2026
What the altermagnet spintronics PhD involves
- Grow and improve high-quality altermagnetic thin films and layered structures
- Check their crystal structure and magnetic properties
- Measure magnetotransport in the films
- Study charge-to-spin interconversion
- Explore the basic spintronic properties of altermagnets
Why this role matters
Altermagnets have no net magnetisation, yet their electrons carry spin like a ferromagnet. That could give fast, dense memory that stray fields cannot disturb. The field is only a few years old, so a PhD now puts you near the front of it. HZDR also gives you access to large lab facilities.
What HZDR is looking for
- A completed master’s or diploma in experimental physics or a related field
- A background in electrical transport and magnetism
- Experience in making and characterising thin films
- A team-minded way of working
- German and/or English
Pay and location
Pay follows the German federal public-sector agreement (TVöD-Bund). The ad says the post may be placed in salary group 13, depending on your qualifications, but it gives no figure. The post is 29.25 hours a week, so pay is pro rata. You also get 30 days of paid leave, a company pension, a public-transport ticket subsidy and flexible working. HZDR runs a structured PhD programme with training and networking.
How to apply
Apply through the official HZDR page. The closing date is 15 November 2026. Apply through the HZDR online application system. Upload a cover letter, CV, and your degree certificates and transcripts. Quote Job-Id 2026/124.
See all our PhD positions, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)
Official advertisement: www.hzdr.de
How to prepare for this application
- Read recent reviews on altermagnets and the materials named in them, such as RuO2 and MnTe
- Describe thin-film growth you have done, with the method and how you checked quality
- Revise anomalous and spin Hall effects and how they are measured
- Show transport data you took and how you separated real effects from artefacts
- Ask which university will award the degree; the ad does not say
About HZDR
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf is a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest research organisation. It studies energy, health and matter. It runs the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the ELBE accelerator centre.
