Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Dynamics of Magnetic 3D Nanoscale Metamaterials

Environment, Science and Economy

This new full-time post is available from April 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter on a 2-year fixed term contract.

Join us in Exeter at the heart of the UK Metamaterials community and be part of the of the £20 million EPSRC MetaHUB – the UK’s largest investment yet in the vibrant and strategically important field of Metamaterials research.

We’re looking for people who have a passion for science, with ambition to apply their own ideas, perspectives, and their personal skillset to the discovery and development of new 3D nanoscale magnetic metamaterials.

We’d like you to be part of the team that helps drive translation of energy efficient data storage and neuromorphic computing innovations to commercial success across a range of sectors.

The Post

You will explore the dynamic processes that occur in magnetic 3D nanoscale metamaterials to design next-generation high-performance computational devices. Specifically, you’ll investigate how vortex and spin wave dynamics can be modified in a curvilinear geometry and how this leads to the collective modes of lattice structures (e.g. artificial spin ice).

You will have access to the unique low-temperature, high-magnetic-field environments of our ultrafast laser facility, EXTREMAG, using techniques such as wide-field Kerr microscopy (WFKM), vector network analyser ferromagnetic resonance (VNA-FMR), time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy (TRSKM) and time-resolved beam scanning Kerr microscopy (TRBSKM). You will continue to develop the technical capabilities of the facility, pushing the boundaries of novel near-field magnetic probe design.

About You

You should have a PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in Physics or Engineering, in a field related to this project. Training in unique techniques will be provided, but we expect you to have prior experience of one or more of the following areas:

• Time-resolved optical measurements
• Near-field optical sensing
• Magnetic and/or spintronic materials

MetaHUB is a multi institution research collective, with projects shared across partner universities, so you must be willing and able to work collaboratively. You will be based in Exeter’s world leading experimental laboratories at the Centre for Metamaterials Research & Innovation, while also working closely with Cardiff University colleagues to coordinate time critical outputs.

What You Will Get:

• A role at the forefront of Metamaterials research in the UK.
• A flexible, supportive and inclusive team environment at a research-intensive university, where your work is seen and has meaning.
• Opportunities to collaborate, learn and utilise resources from a deep pool of connections in academia, industry, policy, and government, to develop your career alongside the fundamental science.
• The potential to take your metamaterials discoveries to market, affect government policy and national investment in this field.
• A role where your contribution to metamaterials science can make a real-world impact on people’s lives and the environment.

Univeristy of Exeter

The University of Exeter is an equal opportunity employer. We are officially recognised as a Disability Confident employer and an Athena Swan accredited institution. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented in the workforce.

Informal Enquiries

If this opportunity interests, you and you'd like to know more—or if you're unsure whether your experience is the right fit—we encourage you to contact the supervisor directly: Prof. R. J. Hicken at 44 1392 264153 or r.j.hicken@exeter.ac.uk. They will gladly discuss any technical questions about the role or the working environment within their research team.

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