The Adolphe Merkle Institute’s Quantum Sensing & Spin Chemistry Group (Assistant Prof. John Abendroth) invites applications for a fully funded PhD position on “Quantum Sensing of Radical Chemistry in Biomimetic Thin Films.” Project: The project focuses on understanding the growth and chemical reactivity of nanoscale biomimetic coatings using diamond-based quantum sensors.
Polydopamine and related catechol-derived materials form versatile coatings with applications in biomedicine, environmental technologies, and functional interfaces.
However, the radical processes that govern their formation and reactivity remain poorly understood.
The successful candidate will first optimize the growth of polydopamine and related nanoscale films and characterize them using complementary surface and materials analysis methods.
The candidate will subsequently monitor chemical reactions under controlled flow and use ensembles of fluorescent nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers to map stable radical spin populations within the films.
Experiments will investigate film growth in real time and probe changes induced by oxidation, light exposure, and metal binding.
The project combines nanoscale film growth and characterization, interfacial chemistry, and magnetic resonance measurements using wide-field NV microscopy.
The candidate will work closely with researchers developing the quantum sensing instrumentation and flow-cell platform.
The project includes opportunities to present results at international conferences, publish in leading journals, and mentor Master’s-level projects.