El Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM-CSIC) lanza una oferta de tres contratos de Formación de Personal Investigador en el marco de su acreditación de excelencia Severo Ochoa 2024. Las solicitudes para esta convocatoria pueden solicitarse hasta el día 5 de octubre de 2026 a través de la Bolsa de Trabajo del CSIC o contactando directamente con el IP de cada uno de los proyectos

Los tres contratos predoctorales están vinculados a la línea estratégica Towards Materials and Devices for Energy-Efficient Information Handling (DEBE BUSCARSE CON ESTE TÍTULO EN LA BOLSA DE TRABAJO). Los proyectos abordan retos fundamentales para el desarrollo de tecnologías de la información de nueva generación basadas en materiales avanzados, fotónica, espintrónica y caracterización nanométrica.

Reafirmando su compromiso con la excelencia científica y la multidisciplinariedad, las tres ofertas del ICMM-CSIC implican la colaboración y sinergia entre investigadores e investigadoras del centro que trabajan en distintos grupos de investigación. Se trata así de programas transversales de alta calidad científica que proporcionarán a las personas seleccionadas un sello de excelencia en su currículum.

Las tesis se centrarán en: (i) el estudio de los mecanismos de disipación de energía en contactos atómicos y moleculares mediante espectroscopía Raman mejorada por punta (TERS), microscopía de sonda de barrido e inteligencia artificial; (ii) el desarrollo de estrategias de control óptico de texturas de espín en materiales magnéticos bidimensionales mediante luz estructurada, con aplicaciones en optoespintrónica de bajo consumo; y (iii) el diseño de cristales moleculares y materiales compuestos inteligentes capaces de responder a estímulos externos para aplicaciones en fotónica, sensórica y actuadores energéticamente eficientes.

Las ofertas son: 

Vibrational Fingerprints of Energy Dissipation: A bottom-up route to material efficiency

We are looking for a PhD student to deliver the first real-time, atomically resolved view of how energy is dissipated in single-atom contacts, the microscopic origin of friction and adhesion, which account for ~30% of global energy losses. Working on our newly commissioned cryogenic aperture-less SNOM (Photon-STM lab), you will manipulate single molecules on inorganic surfaces: a picowatt-sensitive tuning-fork sensor will measure the energy dissipated as you lift the molecule off the surface, while time-resolved tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) reveals which vibrational modes are excited and where the energy flows. The project builds on techniques pioneered in our group — Ångstrom-scale TERS imaging and time-correlated single photon counting — and is complemented by non-equilibrium simulations (in collaboration with G. Vilhena's group), symbolic regression (AI-Lab), and international research stays (Max Planck Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences). The ultimate goal is to move from observing dissipation to designing it, chemically tuning molecules to block specific energy-loss channels. We offer an FPI–Severo Ochoa contract, cutting-edge infrastructure, a world-class international network, and training that will shape you into an independent researcher. 

With Pablo Merino & Guilherme Vilhena 

Towards light-induced spin texture

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join an exciting and interdisciplinary project at the frontier of condensed matter physics, photonics, and spintronics. The project will explore a novel all-optical approach to manipulate magnetization in two-dimensional magnetic materials using structured light, with the goal of imprinting tailored spin textures and controlling ultrafast spin dynamics. The successful candidate will develop theoretical models of nonlinear light-matter interactions on femtosecond timescales and perform micromagnetic simulations to investigate the emergence and evolution of optically induced magnetic states. This research offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the foundations of next-generation opto-spintronic technologies in a collaborative and internationally competitive research environment.

With Antonio Picón

Stimuli-Responsive Molecular Crystals for Energy-Efficient Photonic and Actuating Composites

Descripción: This PhD project focuses on developing stimuli-responsive composite materials incorporating molecular crystals (MCs). The basis on these changes relay on large changes in the crystalline packing on relatively large organic molecules. Recently the Youtube Chanel Veritasum produced an excellent documental about materials with these properties. 

The length and lack of point symmetry of the selected organic molecules allows many different ways of packings, corresponding to different crystalline polymorphs. As not all the crystalline configurations are equally efficient, phase transitions (PTs) between different molecular packing are associated to giant electronic and/or volume density variations, (around ~2%) introducing huge changes in optical and mechanical properties (these are known as “martensitic transformation”). These PTs occur at relatively low temperatures (~100 °C), making them easily triggered by light, mechanical stress, or chemical potentials. This project aims to overcome these by embedding MCs in polymeric or hybrid matrices, enhancing stability, scalability, and functionality. These composites can exhibit light-triggered actuation, pressure-sensitive fluorescence, and tunable optical properties. The project will explore: (1) MC-polymer metamaterials for actuators, (2) fluorescent composites for sensing/labeling, (3) MC-metal nanoparticle hybrids for plasmonic heating, and (4) photonic structures via nanofabrication.

This project offers the PhD student multidisciplinary training in molecular design, materials engineering, and device prototyping, preparing them for a career in advanced functional materials. The thesis work will include chemical synthesis, materials characterization as well as and advanced optical and mechanical measurements. Chemists, Physicists as well as Chemical Engineers, and some other master students could finish the work with the assistance of the Thesis supervisors.

With Berta Gómez-Lor & Carlos Pecharromán

Para rellenar la solicitud en la Bolsa de Trabajo debe buscar esta expresión de interés:

sOLICITUD
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - 09:35