Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Nano-electronics (24 Months Fixed-term)

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is a distinctive, unique institution, rooted in the Liverpool City Region and with a global presence. Our students and staff, past, present, and future, are the beating heart of our city and can be found in every corner of every industry and community. We couldn’t exist anywhere else and have shaped the city in which we belong. Working with the people of Liverpool to improve lives and support communities is at the heart of why we were founded and why we exist today.

We are now looking for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (PDRF) in our School of Engineering, working in an innovative research project co-funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the US.

This project will be in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin, and with the world-leading institute IMEC in Belgium whose consortium members include top companies such as Intel, TSMC, Micron, Samsung, Kioxia and Western Digital, and also with a number of other industrial project partners in the UK and US.

This project will focus on overcoming the endurance and reliability challenge in atomic non-volatile resistive switching (RRAM/ReRAM) memristors (Atomristor) and 2D MOSFET transistors (2DFET) made in monolayer two-dimensional semiconductor materials. These novel devices can substantially reduce the interelectrode distance or channel thickness to sub-nanometres, resulting in the thinnest memory and logic devices with smaller switching voltages (~300 mV) and the potential for several orders of higher energy efficiency than existing devices. To address this challenge, rigorous study is required to gain physical and operational insights that can translate into better-engineered devices (e.g., defects, interfaces, fields) and tailored testing protocols for improved switching cycles and reliable performance. This project will lay the groundwork for a new paradigm of deployable atomic devices that can be used ubiquitously towards ultra-low energy AI, neuromorphic and in-memory computing systems, 6G, and logic systems with unprecedented efficiency and scalability.

You will have a strong background and keen interest in nanoelectronics, microelectronics, semiconductor devices and VLSI technology. You should hold or be nearing completion of a PhD and have strong ability in either electrical and electronic engineering, physics, material, or a related discipline. While experience in nanoelectronic device characterisation, modelling, IC circuit design, or simulation is preferred, but it is not mandatory. The post requires excellent communication and team work skills.

In return, we offer an excellent benefits package including generous annual leave entitlement, pension scheme, induction, and development support as well as family-friendly policies.

This is an exciting time to join the university as we deliver the LJMU Strategy 2030 and its vision of LJMU as an inclusive civic university transforming lives and futures, by placing students at the heart of everything we do.

The expected starting date is by 01 March 2026.

Informal enquiries may be made to Prof. W. Zhang (w.zhang@ljmu.ac.uk).

If you feel that this is the role you have been looking for and your skills and experience can make a real difference at LJMU, we look forward to hearing from you.

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