Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x)

TUD Dresden University of Technology, as a University of Excellence, is one of the leading and most dynamic research institutions in Germany. It offers a modern, interdisciplinary, and international working environment in the city of Dresden, one of Germany’s most vibrant places. For TUD diversity is an essential feature and a quality criterion of an excellent university. Accordingly, we welcome all applicants who would like to commit themselves, their achievements and productivity to the success of the whole institution.

The Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry offers, subject to the availability of resources, a position as

Research Associate / PhD Student (m/f/x) (subject to personal qualification employees are remunerated according to salary group E 13 TV-L)

starting October 1, 2025. The position entails 75% of the full-time weekly hours and is limited to 30 months with the option of extension to a total of 42 months max. until March 31, 2028. The period of employment is governed by the Fixed Term Research Contracts Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz - WissZeitVG). The position aims at obtaining further academic qualification (usually PhD).

The position is offered within the Research Training Group 2861 "Planar Carbon Lattices" (), which is a collaboration between TUD Dresden University of Technology and Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and is funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Our goal is to achieve atomic-precision synthesis and exploration of new planar carbon lattices (PCLs) for next-generation quantum materials, functional precision membranes, optoelectronic and electrochemical devices, by employing advanced experimental and theoretical methods in an interdisciplinary approach bridging synthetic chemistry, condensed-matter physics, and materials science. Our research encompasses three research areas of new approaches in precision synthesis of PCL (A), PCLs’ properties and functions (B), and Experimental and theoretical tools for their description (C).

Tasks for project RTG2861-A4 (Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Stefan Kaskel, Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I, Research area A):

Research topic: Microstructured PCL-based electroadsorption devices

Specific requirements: Expertise in advanced synthesis of organic and inorganic materials. The candidate is expected to have expertise or quickly become familiar with powder X-ray diffraction, SEM and electrochemical characterization techniques.

General Requirements:

• very good university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent) in chemistry or materials sciences; specialization in synthetic chemistry
• excellent results on individual performance criteria (e.g., manuscript/publication resulting from Master thesis, awards) and timely completion of higher education
• strong motivation to independently conduct research and to work in interdisciplinary collaborations
• excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language

We offer:

• cutting-edge research and training in the field of advanced nanomaterials with focus on PCLs beyond the state of the art
• a dedicated supervision concept with a dual mentoring strategy of TUD and FAU (supervisor and co-supervisor from the partner university)
• dual-site research and training facilitated by a virtual research environment (VRE) where digital classes are combined with online tools to share information and research data
• a comprehensive qualification program incorporating hybrid lectures, weekly seminars (hybrid and on-site), lab rotations and hands-on training
• annual summer/winter schools and complementary skills workshops

TUD strives to employ more women in academia and research. We therefore expressly encourage women to apply. The University is a certified family-friendly university. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. If multiple candidates prove to be equally qualified, those with disabilities or with equivalent status pursuant to the German Social Code IX (SGB IX) will receive priority for employment.

Please submit your complete application ( in English or German ) including:

• one-page motivation letter specifying your interest in the announced project/topic,
• curriculum vitae (CV),
• master/diploma certificate and transcript of grades (and, if available, a link to your Master’s or diploma thesis),
• names and contact details of a referent we can contact

by July 24, 2025 (stamped arrival date of the university central mail service or the time stamp on the email server of TUD applies), preferably via the TUD SecureMail Portal by sending it as a single PDF file quoting the reference number "RTG2861-A4" in the subject header to [email protected] or to: TU Dresden, Fakultät Chemie und Lebensmittelchemie, Professur für Anorganische Chemie I, Frau Kristin Rausch, Helmholtzstr. 10, 01069 Dresden, Germany. Please submit copies only, as your application will not be returned to you. Expenses incurred in attending interviews cannot be reimbursed.

Reference to data protection: Your data protection rights, the purpose for which your data will be processed, as well as further information about data protection is available to you on the website: .

Company

TU Dresden

Excellence – A matter close to our hearts

Excellence? Elitism? Opportunity or risk? The Excellence Programme, initially launched in 2005 by the German government has aroused passionate debate right from the start and still has the potential to polarise opinion.

TU Dresden (TUD) looks at it this way: excellence is all about performance and having the right attitude. For everyone here at TU Dresden – one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany since 2012 – it is also a matter very close to our hearts. Firstly because of the extra motivation and impetus generated, and secondly, because of the way we handle this role.

Our vision for the future can be summed up as follows: “Let us become one of the leading centres for research and teaching, with our own individual character and a special talent for networking, able to attract the best minds in Germany and from further afield.” After all, it is a well-known fact that excellence in research and teaching presupposes excellent conditions. Or, to put it figuratively, for excellent crop yields, you need the right soil and weather.

TU Dresden is a comprehensive university with 18 faculties and works in close collaboration with its top performers: three Clusters of Excellence, including the “Centre for Tactile Internet” (CeTI) , the Cluster “Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter” (ct.qmat) and the Cluster “Physics of Life” (PoL) . The guiding principle here is that strong individual elements become even stronger when they work together.

The vision for the future takes this principle beyond the confines of the university: with the research network DRESDEN-concept ( D resden R esearch and E ducation S ynergies for the D evelopment of E xcellence and N ovelty), TU Dresden has been creating an alliance of research and cultural facilities in the city, an “excellent playground for excellent people”. This bond is unique in Germany and has evolved over many years. It is not necessary to create anything new here, as it is simply a matter of building further storeys on top of an already solid structure. The measures envisaged as part of the DRESDEN-concept contribute to the overall development of TU Dresden and form an integral part of the university strategy.

Excellence is understood and practised in Dresden as an opportunity for the entire university, and in this spirit, TU Dresden takes those measures that lead to excellence – by the university, for the university – in cooperation with colleagues here and all over the world. But at the same time neither elitist nor exclusive. TUD’s excellence comes from the heart – from and for our about 32,400 students, 600 professors and about 8,400 members of staff. In this way, excellence becomes the basis, the objective, the approach and the driving force. And that’s why being a top performer can also be so rewarding and enjoyable.

Campus Image © Nils Eisfeld

Company info

Location

Dresden
01069 Dresden
DE