University of Durham, England
Two Postdoctoral Research Assistants,
in Theoretical Chemistry and Molecular Physics,
to work with Prof. Jeremy M. Hutson
Applications are invited for two postdoctoral Senior Research
Assistantships to work with Prof. Jeremy Hutson on theoretical
chemistry and molecular physics. The appointments will be for 1 year
in the first instance, starting as soon as convenient (preferably
before 1 August 2000). Application may be made either online (via
http://www.dur.ac.uk/Personnel/vacancies/lra.htm
or on forms available from the Personnel Office, University of Durham,
Old Shire Hall, Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HP
( email: [log in to unmask] ).
Please quote reference A116C. Completed forms, accompanied by a full
curriculum vitae and the names of two academic referees, must be
received by the Personnel Office by 27 April 2000.
When applying, please make it clear whether you are interested in
both of the positions available or just one of them.
The Research Projects and Job Descriptions
Position 1: Long-range forces and cold molecules
It is now possible to trap gas-phase molecules at very low
temperatures (below 1 K), and molecule formation in a Bose-Einstein
condensate at 10^-7 K has just been reported for the first time (Wynar
et al., Science 287, 1016: February 2000). We have been working on an
EPSRC-funded project on long-range interactions between atoms and
molecules; the spectra of near-dissociation states of ionic complexes
such as He-Ar+, Ne-Ne+. HeN+ and He-HH+, which have been measured by
Carrington and coworkers (Southampton), have been used to learn about
atomic and molecular interactions at very long range and the dynamics
of near-dissociation states (see J. Chem. Phys. 102, 2379 (1995), J.
Chem. Phys. 105, 8602 (1996), Chem. Phys. Lett. 260, 395 (1996) and J.
Chem. Phys. 110, 3418 (1999) for more details).
The Research Assistant will work Prof. Jeremy Hutson and Dr. Pavel
Soldan to understand the role of long-range forces in cold collisions
and the properties of cold and ultracold molecules. Interesting
questions involve the role of 2-body and 3-body collisions and the
behaviour of inelastic and reactive scattering cross sections at very
low energies (from 1 K to 10^-8 K).
Position 2: Fitting potential energy surfaces
We have recently developed a procedure for "morphing" ab initio
potential energy surfaces to fit experimental data. The original
potentials need not be of "spectroscopic" quality, but are "bent
and stretched" to bring them into agreement with experiment. The
morphing procedure offers the prospect of obtaining potentials of
"spectroscopic" quality for much larger systems than previously.
[See M. Meuwly and J. M. Hutson, "Morphing ab initio potentials: a
systematic study of Ne--HF", J. Chem. Phys. 110, 8338-8347 (1999).]
The current project is to extend the morphing procedure in a variety
of directions:
Systems involving flexible and vibrating molecules
Systems involving non-linear molecules
Systems involving open-shell atoms and molecules
There may be be opportunities for the successful applicants to participate
in
making research grant proposals and to undertake some teaching duties.
Further information on the research group and the University of Durham is
available at
http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dch0www/Staff/jmh
For both positions, the successful applicant will require either a Ph. D.
or postdoctoral research experience in theoretical chemistry or chemical
physics.
The salary will be on the standard RA 1A scale for research staff in UK
Universities. The scale runs from 16,286 to 24,479 pounds per annum
(under review) according to age and experience, but the funding available
is such that these appointments will have to be made near the lower end of
the scale.
Unless otherwise requested before appointment, the Research Assistant will
be a member of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, under which the
employee's contribution is 6.35% of salary and the University currently
contributes an amount equivalent to 12.5%.
Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Durham
Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Durham has been expanding
in recent years. There are now four theoretical research groups, which
are housed in refurbished space in the newly created Wolfson Centre
for Molecular Interactions. The research group leaders are:
Jeremy Hutson
Theoretical chemical physics, especially:
spectroscopy and dynamics of Van der Waals complexes and clusters;
intermolecular forces; molecular collisions; spectroscopic lineshapes
and the greenhouse effect.
Mark Wilson
Atomistic simulations of molecular materials, especially
liquid crystals.
David Tozer
Fundamental aspects of density-functional theory, especially
the development of new functionals that behave properly at long range.
Stuart Althorpe
Chemical reaction dynamics, especially wavepacket
methods and their extension to larger reacting systems.
Computers
We have an 8-processor Silicon Graphics Origin 2000 system with 4 GB
of shared memory. An additional large multiprocessor machine is
currently being purchased.
In addition, the group uses a variety of workstations for program
development, and has access to the CRAY T3E supercomputer at
Manchester. There is also access to Departmental and central
University facilities. All the machines are of course fully networked,
with a well-integrated local Ethernet and access to remote sites via
SuperJanet.
The Durham/Newcastle Theoretical Atomic & Molecular Physics Group
The Universities of Durham and Newcastle have a very active research
community in atomic and molecular physics. The group is
interdisciplinary, with members in the Physics and Chemistry
Departments at Durham and Newcastle.
The research group leaders outside the Durham Chemistry Department are:
Alan Dickinson (Newcastle Physics)
Semiclassical methods for molecular collisions; non-adiabatic processes in
atomic collisions; transport and relaxation properties of ions and molecules
in gases; collision kernels.
David Flower (Durham Physics)
Charge-transfer collisions between atoms; molecular collisions of
astrophysical
importance.
Ian Cooper (Newcastle Chemistry)
Calculation of potential energy surfaces for charge transfer and
photoionization applications; use of algebraic methods in molecular
spectroscopy, structure and dynamics.
Robert Potvliege (Durham Physics) Multiphoton processes in atoms:
theoretical study of multiphoton ionization and of harmonic generation in
intense laser fields, laser-assisted scattering processes.
Charles Adams (Durham Physics)
Experimental and theoretical studies of laser cooling and atom optics.
Brian Bransden (Durham Physics)
Charge-transfer collisions between atoms; positron scattering.
Further information on the Atomic & Molecular Physics
group and its activities is available on the
World-Wide Web at http://massey.dur.ac.uk/
--
Prof. J. M. Hutson
Dept. of Chemistry
University of Durham
Durham Tel. (0191) 374 3110 (UK)
DH1 3LE Tel. +44 191 374 3110 (International)
England FAX: +44 191 386 1127
World-Wide Web home page: http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dch0www/Staff/jmh/
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