One or two postdoctoral Senior Research Assistant positions are available, to
work in Prof. Jeremy Hutson's theoretical chemical physics group. The
appointments will be for 1 year in the first instance, starting as soon as
convenient. 

Further particulars of the posts and application forms are available from the
Personnel Office, University of Durham, Old Shire Hall, Old Elvet, Durham, DH1
3HP, UK, or by email from [log in to unmask] Please quote reference
A170D. Completed forms, accompanied by a full curriculum vitae and the names of
two academic referees, must be received by the Personnel Office by 13 August
1999.

The Research Projects and Job Descriptions

Position 1 is for a Senior Research Assistant to work with Prof.\ Jeremy Hutson
and Dr. Pavel Soldan on an EPSRC-funded research project entitled ``Long-range
interactions involving atomic and molecular ions''. The main thrust of the
project is to use the spectra of near-dissociation states of ionic complexes
such as Ne_2^+, Ar_2^+, NeN^+ and HeH_2^+, which have recently been measured by
Carrington and coworkers (Southampton), to learn about the potential energy
surfaces for ionic interactions and the dynamics of near-dissociation
states. We have used similar spectra of HeAr^+ and HeKr^+ to develop reliable
potential surfaces (or, equivalently, sets of potential curves and the
couplings between them), and have carried out high-level ab initio calculations
on He-H_2^+ designed to assist in assigning its spectra.  See
J. Chem. Phys. 102, 2379 (195) and 105, 8602 (196) and Chem. Phys. Lett.  260,
395 (1996) for more details.

The current project is to extend these studies to:

   polyatomic systems
   homonuclear systems, where the $g/u$ symmetry of the states 
      may be broken sufficiently close to dissociation
   triplet states

An exciting recent development is the possibility of ``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.

Position 2 has a wider remit. Jeremy Hutson Hutson is currently Head of the
Chemistry Department, and the Department has agreed to fund a postdoctoral
Research Assistant to underpin his group's research activities during his term
as Chairman. The Senior Research Assistant will be expected to:

  Undertake research on intermolecular forces, especially on 
  extending the ``morphing'' approach described above;

  Organise group meetings, and assist with the day-to-day supervision 
  (and recruitment) of research students and undergraduate project students; 

  Assist with research grant management. 

There will also be opportunities for the successful applicant 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 -- 24,479 pounds per annum, 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.

Other theoretical chemistry research groups at the University of Durham include
those of:

- Mark R. Wilson (atomistic modelling of molecular materials)
- David J. Tozer (fundamental studies of density-functional theory)
- Stuart C. Althorpe (theory of chemical reaction dynamics)

There are also close links with the Durham Physics Department, including

- David Flower (molecular collisions)
- Robert Potvliege (multiphoton processes)
- Charles Adams (laser cooling and trapping)
- Brian Bransden (electron and positron collisions with molecules)
- Stewart Clark (materials modelling)

Note that Jeremy Hutson will be in the USA for almost all the period from now
to the closing date, and may not be able to answer email promptly.

-- 
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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