We are looking for PhD candidates in the area of high-precision structural imaging of materials at the picometre scale.

The scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) facilities available at Trinity College Dublin are capable of imaging materials down to the atomic level. A high energy beam of electrons is concentrated to a spot less than 80 pm in diameter, scanned across a sample and atomic resolution images of scattering and spectroscopy signals can be collected. This makes STEM an indispensable technique for modern materials science and nanotechnology. However, the scanned nature of the acquisition, and the concentrated beam of electrons, presents difficulties in time resolution and specimen damage. The Ultramicroscopy Group is pushing developments in state-of-the-art beam-scanning strategies and hardware to mitigate this and advance the next generation of STEM.

This project will combine with the group’s recent developments and apply them to materials science problems in fields such as ferroelectricity. We are targeting the highest possible precision data with the least possible beam damage. We are keen to make use of our new, state-of-the-art segmented detector for differential phase contrast imaging. With this we want to push spatial and temporal resolution as well as quantitative measurements of electromagnetic fields. Quantitative assessment of data fidelity will be key and critical thinking skills will be essential.

This project will see you start in the area of data-science in the scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). By working closely with experimentalists, you will deliver new approaches in data-streaming, data-compression, feature extraction, and data visualisation. Research topics may include compressed-sensing, data in-painting and experiment design optimisation.