We are looking for a materials engineer for developing advanced materials for multi-source bio-hybrid energy harvesting and lead materials innovation in the SPIS Lab. You will exploit energy conversion on natural surfaces, using surface functionalization and structuring (e.g. self-assembled monolayers) and techniques such as AFM, lithography, bioprinting and tissue extraction. Your materials will be integrated into microfluidic platforms and artificial leaves that use triboelectricity and electrocatalytic processes as autonomous sources to power sensors and small robots.
Postdocs and MSc graduates with relevant hands-on experience are both welcome.
Join the Lab for Surface Phenomena and Integrated Systems (SPIS) and the ERC Consolidator project EpiC (Epicuticular electrification: spontaneous charging of materials at the world's largest bio-air interface) at the Institute of BioRobotics, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa under supervision of Prof. Dr. Fabian Meder.
THE ROLE
You will develop advanced materials for multi-source bio-hybrid energy harvesting and lead materials innovation in the SPIS Lab. You will engineer platforms to study and exploit energy conversion on natural surfaces, using surface functionalization and structuring (e.g. self-assembled monolayers) and techniques such as AFM, lithography, bioprinting and tissue extraction. Your materials will be integrated into microfluidic platforms and artificial leaves that use triboelectricity and electrocatalytic processes as autonomous sources to power sensors and small robots.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- A scientist who enjoys working in the lab on materials and surfaces
- Experience in functional materials and surface chemistry
- Curiosity about biology and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team
- Good English
- Candiates must be within 6 years of their MSc degree, a PhD is ideal but candidates without one are fully evaluated based on relevant experience
ELIGIBILITY
Master's degree obtained no more than 6 years before 8 October 2026 in Physics (LM-17), Chemical Engineering (LM-22), Materials Science and Engineering (LM-53) or Chemical Sciences (LM-54), or an equivalent foreign degree. Italian citizenship is not required.
WE OFFER
24 months, EUR 58,000 total gross. You will work in an ERC-funded, interdisciplinary project at the frontier of its field.
SELECTION
Evaluation of qualifications (PhD, Master's degree and thesis, publications, experience) and a possible interview on 10 November 2026, online. English and expertise in functional materials and surface chemistry are assessed.
HOW TO APPLY
Online by 29 October 2026, 12:00 CET, at the link above. Attach ID, signed and dated CV, Master's thesis (and PhD thesis if any) and up to 3 publications.