TRADES (Training & Research in Advanced Dispersion Engineered grating-waveguide Structures) Doctoral Researcher Fellow 1 - Stuttgart Region

TRADES (Training & Research in Advanced Dispersion Engineered grating-waveguide Structures) Doctoral Researcher Fellow 1 - Stuttgart · Universität Stuttgart · Raum Stuttgart · Dein Job · Organization/company: · Institutions across Europe in the TRADES Doctoral Network · Research ...

Jobbeschreibung

TRADES (Training & Research in Advanced Dispersion Engineered grating-waveguide Structures) Doctoral Researcher Fellow 1 - Stuttgart

Universität Stuttgart

Raum Stuttgart

Dein Job

Organization/company:
Institutions across Europe in the TRADES Doctoral Network

Research field:
Physics > Optics > Laser applications, Optical engineering, Metrology and measurement

Researcher profile:
First Stage Researcher (R1)

Application deadline:
February 28, :00 (CEST)

Type of contract:
Temporary

Job status:
Full-time

Hours per week:
35-40

Offer starting date:
July 1 – September 1, 2026

EU research framework program:
Horizon Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions 2024 MARIE CURIE (MSCA-DN)

Grant agreement number:

We are pleased to advertise 15 Doctoral Researcher (PhD) positions to begin in 2026, as part of the Doctoral Network of the European Commission TRADES "Training & Research in Advanced Dispersion Engineered grating-waveguide Structures". The positions will each last three years, and will allow all students to participate in an exciting program comprising international schools, workshops, and secondments at academic, as well as industrial partners.

Important:
Please review the webpages of the individual vacancies via the IFSW website for details:

Overview of the project and of the training offered to all Doctoral Researchers of TRADES
The TRADES doctoral training network aims to address a skills gap in the photonics sector by training a cohort of 15 doctoral candidates with the advanced skills necessary for the development of innovative and enabling photonics components.

The network will deliver a research and training program focused on key steps in product development – from concept, through sustainable production and precise characterization, right up to implementation. It will also equip the doctoral candidates with the interdisciplinary skills necessary to drive the research forward.

The network fellows will design and develop robust dispersive components based on sub-wavelength gratings waveguide structures to produce gratings for both intra-cavity and extra-cavity applications in high power lasers operating in the 1 and 2 µm spectral regions. To do so, the fellows will push state-of-the-art deposition, lithographic, and etching techniques to their limits, and explore how they can be used to optimize the manufacturability, efficiency (>99.9%) and LIDT > 1J/cm2 for sub-ps pulses, of the final gratings.

In parallel, the fellows will be provided with non-academic research exposure and training in innovation management, enterprise, and entrepreneurship in a highly integrated format beyond the normal generic skills training. This will contribute to producing highly sought after graduates, who are capable of inventing, innovating, and converting knowledge into products and services for economic benefit and are fluent in the business planning and innovation management aspects of their research. All this will prepare the fellows for future careers in photonic technology research and development.

FELLOW 1
(IFSW: Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge, Stuttgart, Germany):

Design and characterization of novel, highly tolerant and robust dispersive devices based on grating waveguide structures.
In this project, the selected doctoral candidate (DC) will focus on the implementation of design tools for precise modelling of key parameters of the GWS for the different applications (pulse compression and GTI-like GWS for 1 and 2-micron wavelengths).

• Accomplishment of precise measurement of the refractive indices of coated dielectric layers using ellipsometry and grating-based M-lines spectroscopy.
• Setup of new characterization setup for the 2-micron wavelength range.
• Accomplishment of precise characterization results for the measurement of the polarization and wavelength dependent reflectivity, diffraction efficiencies, absorption, and scattering losses of the different GWS developed in the project.

The characterization results shall be used in design routine to align simulations and experiments.

Dein Profil

FELLOW 1 Specific Requirements
Solid background in optics and laser physics, strong knowledge in programming or simulation tools (e.g. MATLAB, python or C), practical experimentation with optics and lasers. Ability to work in team.

At the University of Stuttgart, we actively promote diversity among our employees. We strongly encourage applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups. Learn more about The University of Stuttgart as an employer on our website: We welcome any good application and are looking forward to yours
TRADES
Additional Information
The successful candidates will receive a 36-month, full-time employment contract as per Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) regulations for doctoral researchers. The monthly salary will be confirmed upon offer, paid in the currency of the host country, and with a correction factor applied to the host country. The approximate monthly salary before employer and statutory deductions is €4,736 (France); €4,058 (Germany); €4,732 (Finland); €5,682 (UK), €3.774 (Czech Rep.), and €4.010 (Belgium), plus an additional mobility allowance of €710/month. Researchers may also qualify for a family allowance of €495/month depending on family situation at the time of recruitment. Please visit the EU MSCA website for further information.

The fellows will be enrolled in an exciting PhD program of leading academic and industrial researchers. In addition to their individual scientific projects, all fellows will benefit from a dedicated training program comprising an integrated curriculum of local and intensive network courses, schools, workshops and engagement with cutting-edge research.

Eligibility criteria
There are strict eligibility requirements within Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks. At the time of appointment, applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies) in the country for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before their appointment; AND shall also be in the first four years of their research careers at the time of appointment and have not been awarded a doctoral degree.

Offer Requirements, Skills And Qualifications

• Must have Masters (or equivalent) degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or Photonics, with solid knowledge of optics and its applications.
• Must be in the first 4 years of his/her career, measured from the date of graduation (MSc degree or equivalent).
• Should not hold a PhD degree.
• Should not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies) in the country of their appointment for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before their appointment. For refugees under the Geneva Convention, the refugee procedure (i.e. before refugee status is conferred) will not be counted as 'period of residence/activity in the country of the beneficiary'.
• Must be able to communicate fluently in English, in oral and written form.
• Willingness to travel for secondments and collaborative activities within the TRADES network.

Important:
Please review the webpages of the individual vacancies via the IFSW website for details:

Selection process
Applicants will need to submit to , for each application:

• Brief description of why the applicant wishes to become a PhD student within TRADES (Letter of motivation).
• Copy of transcripts and of their Bachelor and Master degrees, and a copy of master's thesis and any other publications (if available).
• Curriculum vitae of three pages maximum.
• Two written recommendation letters (e.g. one by the former Master thesis supervisor and their referees contact details).

Deine Benefits

Mobility allowance €710/month

Family allowance €495/month (depending on family situation, see EU MSCA website for more info)