If you want to design the electronic properties of a material rather than simply measure them, this PhD puts the tools in your hands. When two-dimensional crystals are stacked with a controlled twist, or when a periodic pattern is imprinted into them, an artificial superlattice emerges in which the band structure can be reshaped and bandgaps opened by design, using a novel combination of 2D materials and freestanding oxide membranes.

You will create such materials yourself in a group that has worked with 2D materials for two decades and with full access to the cleanroom and microscopy infrastructure at DTU Nanolab. The project is part of METRIQS and is carried out together with national and international partners.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Your overall focus will be to create and control superlattices in graphene and other 2D materials, and to establish how the engineered structure translates into an engineered electronic band structure. You will pursue two complementary routes: assembling hybrid van der Waals heterostructures in which the moiré periodicity is set by twist angle and lattice mismatch and imprinting periodic patterns directly into the 2D material or its supporting layers by nanofabrication. Both routes call for careful design, reproducible processing and close comparison between intended and realised structure. You will work with colleagues at DTU Physics and DTU Nanolab and with partners in the METRIQS collaboration.

Your primary tasks will be to:

Design superlattice geometries and device layouts, using modelling and simulation to decide what is worth fabricating.
Assemble hybrid van der Waals heterostructures from graphene, hBN, transition metal dichalcogenides and related materials with controlled twist and alignment, using a newly developed semi-automatic stacking system, and collect data on stacking recipes and results to obtain and document optimal parameters through datamining and statistics.
Imprint periodic patterns into 2D materials and their supporting layers using electron beam lithography, etching, thin film deposition and related nanofabrication.
Fabricate devices in which the engineered materials can be contacted, gated and measured.
Characterise structure and electronic properties by scanning probe microscopies, electron microscopies, Raman spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy and electrical transport at cryogenic temperatures.
Connect the measured electronic response back to the intended superlattice design, and iterate on the design.
Establish reproducible fabrication and measurement protocols, analyse your data and present the results in publications and at conferences.

We are looking for a candidate with a background in physics, nanotechnology, materials science, electrical engineering or a related field. You should have hands-on experience with micro- or nanofabrication or comparable experimental laboratory work, and be comfortable with systematic work, data analysis and programming for design, automation or modelling. Experience with 2D materials, layout and CAD design, electron microscopy or electronic transport is an advantage, but the project spans several techniques, and we do not expect you to bring all of them with you. We value curiosity, persistence and the ambition to take ownership of your own project.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education.

Assessment

The assessment of the applicants will be made by Professor Peter Bøggild and Timothy John Booth.

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Please see DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures.

The period of employment is 3 years. The expected starting date is 1 January 2027, or according to mutual agreement. The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Professor Peter Bøggild, [email protected].

You can read more about DTU Physics and DTU Nanolab at https://physics.dtu.dk/ and www.nanolab.dtu.dk.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 1 November 2026 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
Curriculum vitae
Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to obtaining your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Physics conducts research across a broad range of fundamental and applied physics. The position will be based in the department's 2D Materials Physics and Engineering section (2DPHYS), where we study the synthesis, fabrication and physical properties of atomically thin materials and heterostructures, including also hybrid heterostructures. The project makes extensive use of the nanofabrication and characterisation facilities at DTU Nanolab and involves close collaboration with national and international research partners in METRIQS.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829
DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.

PhD scholarship in Moiré and Patterned 2D Materials for Bandgap Engineering - DTU Physics

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