Job Information
- Organisation/Company: KAUST
- Department: Physical Science and Engineering Division
- Research Field: Engineering » Materials engineering
- Research Field: Physics » Other
- Researcher Profile: Other Profession
- Positions: Postdoc Positions
- Application Deadline: 4 Dec 2026 - 23:59 (Asia/Riyadh)
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Type of Contract: Temporary
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours Per Week: 40
- Offer Starting Date: 4 Jun 2026
- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Not funded by a EU programme
Offer Description
The FuN Lab has made significant advances in III–V colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) and extended-SWIR PbS materials for high-performance infrared photodetectors and imaging systems. We invite applications for two postdoctoral positions focused on next-generation SWIR and room-temperature MWIR photodetectors based on III–V, Ag₂Te, and related CQDs.
We seek a postdoctoral researcher to develop novel SWIR and exploratory room-temperature MWIR photodetectors based on CQDs. The position focuses on device architecture design, charge-transport-layer engineering, dark-current suppression, metasurface integration, optical-field manipulation, and low-noise detector characterization. The successful candidate will translate optimized CQD solids into high-performance infrared photodetectors with enhanced light absorption, carrier extraction, and operational stability.
Key Objectives
- Design novel infrared photodetector architectures integrating CQD thin films with metasurfaces, optical cavities, plasmonic resonators, and other light-management structures.
- Develop high-performance SWIR CQD photodetectors using III–V CQDs and related materials.
- Explore room-temperature MWIR detection using narrow-bandgap CQDs and heterostructures.
- Design device architectures that suppress dark current and enhance photocarrier extraction.
- Study charge transport, recombination, noise, response speed, and operational stability.
- Develop photodiode and LED platforms for infrared detection.
- Establish quantitative structure–property–device relationships in collaboration with the surface-chemistry postdoc.
Where to apply
Website: https://apply.interfolio.com/187598
Requirements
- Research Field: Engineering » Materials engineering
- Education Level: PhD or equivalent
- Research Field: Engineering » Electrical engineering
- Education Level: PhD or equivalent
- Research Field: Physics » Applied physics
- Education Level: PhD or equivalent
- Research Field: Engineering » Chemical engineering
- Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
PhD in materials science, electrical engineering, applied physics, photonics, chemical engineering, or a related field.
- Strong experience in thin-film optoelectronic device fabrication.
- Knowledge of photodetector physics, semiconductor junctions, charge transport, and recombination.
- Experience measuring optoelectronic device performance.
- Ability to analyze current–voltage behavior, spectral response, noise, and transient photocurrent.
- Strong publication record in photodetectors, CQD devices, infrared optoelectronics, or semiconductor devices.
Specific Requirements
- Fabricate CQD infrared photodetectors using solution-processed thin films.
- Optimize device structures, transport layers, electrodes, and interfacial layers.
- Measure and analyze responsivity, EQE, detectivity, dark current, noise spectral density, linear dynamic range, response time, and stability.
- Investigate dark-current mechanisms, trap-assisted transport, carrier mobility, and recombination dynamics.
- Develop strategies for room-temperature SWIR and MWIR operation.
- Collaborate with the CQD chemistry team to correlate ligand chemistry and surface passivation with device performance.
- Prepare high-quality manuscripts and present results at conferences.
Required Research Experience
- Experience with CQD photodetectors, especially SWIR or MWIR detectors.
- Experience with photodiodes, phototransistors, or photoconductive detectors.
- Knowledge of low-noise measurements and detectivity analysis.
- Experience with interfacial engineering and transport-layer optimization.
- Familiarity with narrow-bandgap semiconductors such as InAs, InSb, Ag₂Te, HgTe, PbS, PbSe, or related CQD systems.
- Experience with optical-field enhancement, cavity structures, plasmonic enhancement, or photogating mechanisms.
Languages
ENGLISH — Level: Good
Additional Information
Benefits
- Good salary
- Free housing
- Comprehensive medical insurance
- Annual travel allowance
- Access to cutting-edge research facilities
- Opportunity to work on advanced infrared imaging technologies
- Collaborative and multidisciplinary research environment
- Opportunities for publishing in high-impact journals and participating in international conferences
- Access to state-of-the-art nanofabrication and characterization facilities at KAUST
Additional comments
Successful candidates are expected to:
- Work independently while contributing to a collaborative research program.
- Maintain rigorous experimental records and reproducible protocols.
- Develop mechanistic understanding beyond empirical optimization.
- Publish in high-impact journals in materials chemistry, nanoscience, and optoelectronics.
- Mentor graduate students and contribute to a strong laboratory culture.
- Communicate results clearly in manuscripts, presentations, and group meetings.
Website for additional job details: https://apply.interfolio.com/187598
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available: 1
- Company/Institute: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
- Country: Saudi Arabia
Contact
- State/Province: Saudi Arabia
- City: Thuwal, Makkah
- Website: https://pse.kaust.edu.sa
- Street: KAUST Campus
- Postal Code: 23955-6900
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