MASAUTO is a research and training program for 12 Doctoral Candidates (DCs), focusing on developing a new generation of materials that will overcome the current bottlenecks in the capability and capacity of autonomous sensors. The ongoing exponential growth of the internet of things (IoT) ecosystem - which could reach a trillion devices in the near future - poses a serious challenge in terms of powering and interconnecting the underlying devices. The full potential of the IoT will only be achievable if devices i) have a reliable and sustainable autonomous power supply, and ii) are capable of processing information with reduced power requirements. A promising approach to address the first challenge is the use of an energy harvester-supercapacitor combination, while for the second challenge a promising strategy is the use of non-volatile random access memories. It is, therefore, crucial to develop materials for energy harvesting and storage, as well as low power electronics. The overarching aim of the network is to position Europe as a leader in autonomous sensors for smart healthcare, industry and agriculture.

Graduates of MASAUTO will be well-prepared for a career in as well as outside academia with an innovative and beyond state-of-the-art view on different aspects of materials and device development for smart sensors applications. MasAUTO offers DCs unique exciting opportunities, including:

• A project as Marie Skłodowska Curie trainee in one of the participating institutions with the objective of becoming an experienced researcher and obtaining a doctoral degree (PhD). 

●  State-of-the art, exciting research in an international consortium with highly integrated projects. 

●   Solid multidisciplinary scientific training, from basic science to industrial applications, along with a complementary training in transferable skills, such as communication, entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights and ethics. 

●  A research training period in another consortium member's lab, performed in a different country. 

●         Gross Salary according to EU guidelines for Marie Skłodowska Curie trainees, including mobility payments and family allowances where applicable. The salary consists of the gross Monthly Living Allowance of 3.400,00 EUR per month pondered by the EU correction coefficient (specific for the countries where the hosting Institutions are located). In addition, a Mobility Allowance of 600,00 EUR per month will be paid, and also possibly another 660,00 EUR per month of Family Allowance depending on marital status.The DC salary is subject to local tax, empoloyee's and employer's social contributions, and other deductions following national regulations.

●  Estimated job starting date fall 2025.

Individual Projects details are available at this link masauto-net.eu

DC1        Ultrafast spectroscopy of ternary halide indoor photovoltaics for sustainably powering IoT electronics              

Supervisor: Akshay Rao                 

Hosting institution: University of Cambridge, UK

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC2        Self-powered photodetectors based on ferroelectric thins films for IoT applications.   

Supervisor: José Silva     

Hosting institution: University of Minho, Portugal

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC3        Perovskite solar cells for sustainably powering IoT electronics 

Supervisor: Tanja Ivanovska       

Hosting institution: Saule Spolka Akcyjna, Poland

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC4        High-performance supercapacitors based on HfxZr1-xO2 thin films.      

Supervisor: Luís Marques            

Hosting institution: University of Minho, Portugal

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC5        Lead-free anti/ferroelectrics optimized for energy storage.       

Supervisor: Jorge Íñiguez-González        

Hosting institution: Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC6        Tunable polar topologies in lead-free ferroelectric/paraelectric heterostructures          

Supervisor: Jaroslav Merta         

Hosting institution: TTS, S.R.O.  Czech Republic 

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC7        Ferroelectric tunnel junctions for low power data processing.  

Supervisor: Beatriz Noheda        

Hosting institution: University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC8        New Schottky to Ohmic memristor mechanisms in doped epitaxial HfO2 films 

Supervisor: Judith Driscoll           

Hosting institution: University of Cambridge, UK

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC9        Comprehensive study of doping effects on the ferroelectricity in epitaxial HfO2 films

Supervisor: Florencio Sánchez   

Hosting institution: Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, Spain

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC10     Ferroelectric HfO2/ZrO2 superlattices for edge-computing        

Supervisor: Valeria Bragaglia      

Hosting institution: IBM Research, Switzerland

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC11     Predictive modelling of novel material heterostructures for energy harvesting 

Supervisor: Veniero Lenzi            

Hosting institution: University of Minho, Portugal

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

DC12     Epitaxial ferroelectric doped hafnia for improved performance energy storage capacitors

Supervisor: Ignasi Fina  

Hosting institution:  Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, Spain

Contract Duration: 36 months, full time

Where to apply

Application documents in a single pdf file should be sent by email to lsam@fisica.uminho.pt. The subject line of the email must be in the following format: “MASAUTO: application for Project_DC#_Surname”.  The closing date for applications is  17th April/2025. 

Requirements

Research Field

• Engineering » Chemical engineering, Physics engineering, Materials engineering
• Physics
• Chemistry

Education Level        Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications  Project-specific criteria are detailed for each individual project at this link  masauto-net.eu

Specific Requirements Project-specific criteria are detailed for each individual project project at this link  masauto-net.eu

Languages                  ENGLISH

Level                           Excellent

Additional Information

Application Process 

Candidates can apply for a maximum of three PhD projects within the MASAUTO network and the applications need to be submitted separately. 

Applications (in English) must include: 

• a cover letter describing the motivation for applying, emphasizing the fit of the candidate for the position according to the project requirements (max 1 page);
• a CV (max 3 pages);
• a scanned copy of all relevant diplomas or certificates that formally entitle the candidate to embark on a doctorate. Typically, these documents will include Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree certificates. The documents should include a detailed list of courses and the marks obtained.
• Letter of Recommendation from two referees. 

Application documents in a single pdf file should be sent by email to lsam@fisica.uminho.pt. The subject line of the email must be in the following format: “MASAUTO: application for Project_DC#_Surname”.  The closing date for applications is  17th April/2025. 

Selection process

The recruitment strategy for the MASAUTO project aligns with the principles of transparency, fairness, inclusivity and gender balance. In line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, our recruitment process will be transparent, open, equal, and internationally recognized.  The selection criteria will encompass excellence, field of expertise, and motivation.

Evaluation Process

An assessment committee, consisting of the supervisor and co-supervisor(s), will carry out the eligibility check and  identify the top five candidates for each DC position, ranking them using a predefined point system (up to 75 points). Top candidates will be interviewed by at least two experienced academic/research staff members in person or via video-conference systems (up to 25 points). The interview will be conducted in English language. If required by local regulations, other staff members (e.g., PhD representatives, HR staff) may participate in the evaluation. At least one representative from a MASAUTO participating organization different from the host institution will be a part of the evaluation committee(s).

Transparent Decision-Making

After interviews, a ranked list for each DC position will be generated, considering the overall score (application score plus interview score, up to 100 points) achieved by the candidates. The MASAUTO Training Board will review rankings to ensure academic merit and gender diversity.

Candidate Feedback

To maintain transparency, all candidates will receive individual updates at each phase of evaluation, including acknowledgment of receipt of their application, results of eligibility checks, invitations to interviews for top-ranked candidates, and final evaluations.