Job Information
- Organisation/Company: COFUND QuanG
- Research Field: Physics
- Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
- Positions: PhD Positions
- Application Deadline: 7 Sep 2026 - 12:00 (Europe/Paris)
- Country: France
- Type of Contract: Temporary
- Job Status: Full-time
- Offer Starting Date: 1 Feb 2027
- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Horizon Europe – COFUND
Offer Description
General Scope: Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as NbSe₂, have long attracted interest owing to their two-dimensional (2D) layered structure leading to outstanding properties. Among them, we can mention a superconducting ground state or the presence of a charge-density-wave (CDW) phase. In the early 2000s, the effects of light magnetic doping in NbSe₂ and related compounds were investigated, revealing phenomena such as magnetic vortex lattice formation and an apparent variation of superconductivity associated with local magnetic disorder. While increasing magnetic dopant concentration generally suppresses superconductivity through pair-breaking effects, more recent studies (e.g., Phys. Rev. B 106, 224429 (2022)) have shown that superconductivity can persist being stabilized by the presence of strong magnetic fluctuations, rather than being completely quenched. This counterintuitive behavior highlights the complex interplay between spin fluctuations and Cooper pairing. At higher doping levels, these systems may additionally develop unconventional magnetic states, including altermagnetic ordering. Altermagnetism has recently been identified as a distinct magnetic phase of matter, complementary to ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism (Phys. Rev. X 12, 031042 (2022); (Nat. Elec. 5, 735 (2022); Nature 626, 517 (2024); Nat. Comm. 15, 2116 (2024)). Altermagnets combine the absence of net magnetization with highly efficient spin filtering and spin–charge conversion properties. These effects arise from spin-split electronic bands generated without relativistic spin–orbit coupling (SOC), together with broken time-reversal symmetry. The characteristic band degeneracies are dictated by oppositely spin- polarized sublattices related by crystalline rotational symmetries. As a result, altermagnets constitute model systems to explore Berry-phase-driven fundamental phenomena, including zero-field quantum Hall effects at elevated temperatures and unconventional non-relativistic magnetic topologies (Phys. Rev. X 12,040501 (2022)). From an application perspective, these properties open avenues toward quantum technologies, such as spin-filtering elements for qubits, coherent spin injectors, topological superconducting circuits, and THz-frequency quantum control elements enabled by the intrinsically high resonance frequencies of altermagnets. To date, altermagnetism has been predominantly explored in bulk single crystals. However, the rapidly evolving field presents compelling opportunities to extend this phenomenology to thin films and 2D materials. Building on earlier proposals of magnetically doped TMDs, we have recently demonstrated using a combined theoretical and experimental approach that the superconducting polymorph 2H-NbSe₂ can be tuned via site-ordered Co intercalation (Co₀.₂₅:NbSe₂) to stabilize a robust and well-defined altermagnetic state (see figure 1 and (arXiv:2502.20010 (2025)). Furthermore, by varying the stoichiometry away from this ordered phase, we observe a continuous evolution of the magnetic ordering temperature, reaching values as high as 170 K. Similar trends have also been observed upon Fe intercalation, indicating that the phenomenon is not specific to Cobalt. Multiple combinations are also predicted (arXiv:2601.02481(2025)). All these results were obtained on high-quality single crystals synthesized by chemical vapor transport, not in thin-films.
PhD Subject: The aim of this experimental PhD project is to transition from bulk crystals to a thin film platform based on molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown thin films of magnetically intercalated TMDs, with controlled concentrations of transition metal (3d) magnetic elements. The primary focus will be on Se-based compounds. Among the magnetic dopants, Co and Fe will be prioritized, as bulk reference systems have already been extensively characterized (see previous part). Nb and Ta-based TMDs will be favored since they retain superconductivity under moderate magnetic or chemical perturbations, making them especially suitable for investigating competition between superconductivity and altermagnetic order. The specific objectives of this PhD project are as follows.
(i) Synthesis: Develop and stabilize intercalated TMD thin films using MBE under ultra-high vacuum conditions, with precise control over dopant concentration and film thickness. Achieving uniform and well-ordered intercalation will require careful optimization of growth parameters such as elemental fluxes, substrate and annealing temperatures, and growth kinetics. Several approaches will be explored, including alternating layer deposition, co-deposition at elevated temperature, and post-growth annealing. Structural optimization will be guided by in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ex-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) in collaboration with CEA partners.
(ii) Characterization: Investigate the electronic and magnetic structures using a combination of laboratory-based techniques and synchrotron-radiation facilities. These will include spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (Spin-ARPES), bulk magnetometry, element-specific X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and symmetry-sensitive magneto-transport measurements to track outcoming properties such as anomalous Hall effect.
(iii) Theory–experiment interplay: Benefit from close collaboration with Spintec theory group to enable rapid and quantitative comparison between experimental observations and first-principles or model calculations.
(iv) Device integration (more exploratory): Explore the integration of altermagnetic TMD thin films into prototype spintronic devices, such as magnetic tunnel junctions or spin valves, to test spin filtering and spin-polarized tunneling in the absence of a net magnetic moment. To our knowledge, no study has reported the synthesis of intercalated altermagnetic TMDs in large-scale thin-film form. This project therefore constitutes a pioneering effort to extend altermagnetism from bulk crystals to epitaxial thin films, establishing on the road a new family of low-dimensional magnetically doped transition metal dichalcogenide materials compatible with semiconductor technologies. Ultimately, this work could lay the basis for scalable quantum spintronic architectures that are robust against stray magnetic fields.
Required Skills:
- Together with a recent Master’s degree or close to its completion, we expect a PhD candidate with a strong background in solid state physics and chemistry.
- We are looking for candidates who are self-driven highly motivated, creative, and excited to work in an interdisciplinary team.
Where to apply
Website: https://phdquantumgrenoble.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/phd-application/application-form-spring-2026
Requirements
Research Field: Physics
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field: Physics
Additional Information
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification by the application deadline and must not already hold a doctoral degree. Applicants must also comply with the MSCA mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the application deadline. Applicants must not be current employees of the host laboratory. There are no nationality or age restrictions.
Selection process
Applications must be submitted through the QuanG2 online application platform by 7 September 2026 at 12:00 PM (Paris time). After the application deadline, all applications will first undergo an eligibility check. Eligible applications will then be reviewed during the pre-selection phase, scheduled for mid-October 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to online interviews at the end of October 2026. Candidates selected following this first interview stage will then be invited to in-person interviews in Grenoble in early December 2026, with the final selection taking place after these interviews. All candidates will be informed of the outcome of the selection process following the final stage.
Additional comments
About the QuanG2 PhD Call
This PhD position is offered as part of the QuanG2 PhD Call for Applications, a doctoral programme coordinated by Université Grenoble Alpes and dedicated to training the next generation of researchers in quantum science and technology. The programme offers fully funded three-year PhD positions within the Grenoble quantum research ecosystem, providing doctoral candidates with a high-level international research environment and dedicated funding for their research and training activities.
Website for additional job details: https://phdquantumgrenoble.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/sites/default/files/Mediatheque/default/PhD%20Topics%20-%20Autumn%202026/15.%20Polewczyk_2026_2ndcall.pdf
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: SPINTEC LABORATORY
Country: France
Contact
City: GRENOBLE
Website: https://phdquantumgrenoble.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr
Street: 621 avenue centrale
Postal Code: 38400
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