We are pleased to advertise 15 Early-Stage Researcher (PhD) positions to begin in January 2020 as part of the Innovative Training Network of the European Commission CHARISMA “Entrepreneuring CHEMICAL IRREVERSIBILITY TO PROTOTYPE RESPONSIVE SMART LABELS”. The positions will all last three years and will allow all students to participate in an exciting programme comprising international schools, workshops, and secondments at academic as well as industrial partners (see the overview of the project below).

Applications deadline: 31st October 2019

Starting date: 1st January 2020

We reserve the right to close applications early should we receive a satisfactory number of applications.

Overview of the project and of the training offered to all Early Stage Researchers of CHARISMA

CHARISMA is a ITN European Industrial Doctorate (ITN-EID) funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, promotes the concept of applied chemical irreversibility to engineer displays for smart labels applications. The EIDs provide training through doctoral research to talented early stage researchers (ESRs). Through 9 ESR research projects, CHARISMA will establish an intersectoral training and research programme at the chemistry/physics/engineering interface with partners from 5 European countries. CHARISMA ESRs will enrol on PhD degree programmes and be employed for 36 months in a beneficiary organisation. The consortium brings together a unique team of world-leading academic groups and industry, at the forefront of plastic electronics. Through this team of experts, the ESRs will receive an intensive training in the field of organic chemistry and materials engineering, flexible smart materials/devices, photophysics and electrochemistry, solar-powered technologies and device engineering, with the final goal to shape prime industrial researchers that has been exposed to the development of an irreversible smart label

technology. The coordinator is Prof. Davide Bonifazi at the School of Chemistry, Cardiff University (UK).

The positions will be hosted at the following institutions:

• Cardiff University (CU): 2 PhD positions, ESR 1 and ESR 6.  

For further Information: Prof. D. Bonifazi, School of Chemistry, email: bonifazid@cardiff.ac.uk

• Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA): 2 PhD positions, ESR 2 and ESR 7  

For further Information: Prof. A. Jorge Parola, email: ajp@fct.unl.pt or Prof. C. Laia, email: catl@fct.unl.pt at the Department of Chemistry.

• Tampere University (TUT): 2 PhD positions, ESR 3 and ESR 8  

For further Information: Prof. D. Lupo, Laboratory for Future Electronics, email: donald.lupo@tuni.fi

• YNVISIBLE (YNVISIBLE): 2 PhD positions, ESR 4 and ESR 9  

For further Information: Dr. C. Pinheiro, email: carlos.batista@ynvisible.com

• LCR Hallcrest Ltd (LCR): 1 PhD position, ESR 5  

For further Information: Mr. R. Booth, email: russell@lcrhallcrest.com or Dr. P. Marrec, email: philippe.marrec@tmchallcrest.com

The CHARISMA consortium also includes private sector partners:

• Science Made Simple • Packdesign ID Oy • Trelic Oy • LCR Hallcrest LLC • Ynvisible @Portugal  

Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the scientists in charge of the projects as soon as possible.

Available projects:

ESR1 (CU, Cardiff): Organic synthesis and study of chromogenic polymeric materials based on polythiophenes responsive to electrical stimuli. A Master's degree in a field such as organic chemistry would be a suitable background for this position. Photochemistry knowledge are also welcomed.

ESR2 (NOVA, Lisbon): Synthesis of thermochromic spirolactone flavylium dyes. A Master's degree in a field such as inorganic/materials/organic chemistry would be a suitable background for this position. Photochemistry knowledge are also welcomed.

ESR3 (TUT, Tampere): Printed switches and their integration into electrochromic sensor labels. Printed energy storage and switching circuitry – The overall goal of this topic is to develop a printed, flexible, non-toxic supercapacitor module and a printed voltage threshold switch to enable switching of an electrochromic indicator. The candidate should have a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline such as electrical engineering, physics, chemistry or materials science, be open to practical lab work including printing technology as well as simple circuit modelling.

ESR4 (YNVISIBLE, Freiburg): Development of Innovative Printed Irreversible Electrochromic Systems for application in sustainable low-cost smart labels. The goal of the project is to identify and investigate electrochemically irreversible chemistries and develop tunable one-time activation electrochromic inks and systems and scale-up its production. A Master's

degree in a field such as materials/organic chemistry would be a suitable background for this position. Photochemistry knowledge are also welcomed.

ESR5 (LCR, Flintshire): Development of materials that change their electrical conductivity at a specific temperature. A Master's degree in a field such as organic chemistry would be a suitable background for this position.

ESR6 (CU, Cardiff): Organic synthesis and study of small, O- and S-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as chromogenic materials. A Master's degree in a field such as organic chemistry would be a suitable background for this position.

ESR7 (NOVA, Lisbon): Synthesis of chromogenic flavylium dyes for phase transition thermochromism. A Master's degree in a field such as inorganic/materials/organic chemistry would be a suitable background for this position. Photochemistry knowledge are also welcomed.

ESR8 (TUT, Tampere): Printed energy harvesting and storage/system integration - The overall goal of this topic is to develop an integrated, flexible energy harvesting and storage module incorporating printed photovoltaic cell modules for harvesting, a battery for long term storage, and the printed supercapacitor modules, as well as to integrate this energy module with the complete smart label. Furthermore, the student should perform extensive reliability studies of the components and the system. A Master's degree in a field such as materials science or electronics/electrical engineering would be a suitable background for this position.

ESR9 (YNVISIBLE, Freiburg): Study and analysis of international intellectual property rights and business strategies for the economically and environmentally sustainable introduction of novel materials and smart labels into high volume in packaging. The idea is to study the intellectual property landscape for smart labels and different chromogenic systems to understand this emerging market space and to identify strategies, which could work for new entrants to the field. A Master's degree in a field such as materials science, chemistry, engineering or business are suitable backgrounds for this position.

Additional information:

The successful candidates will receive a 36 month, full-time employment contract as per Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) regulations for early stage researchers. The monthly salary will be confirmed upon offer by each institutions, paid in the currency of the host country, and with a correction factor applied to the host country. Researchers may also qualify for a family allowance of €500/month depending on family situation at the time of recruitment. Please visit the EU MSCA website or contact the local institutions (see contacts) for further information.

The ESRs will be enrolled in a vibrant PhD programme of leading academic and industrial researchers. In addition to their individual scientific projects, all ESRs will benefit from a dedicated training programme comprising an integrated curriculum of local and intensive network courses, schools, workshops and engagement with cutting-edge research.

Eligibility criteria:

There are strict eligibility requirements within Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks. At the time of appointment, applicants:

• MUST at the date of recruitment, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. ‘Date of Recruitment’ means the first day of the employment of the researcher (i.e. contract starting date). ‘Full-Time Equivalent Research Experience’ is measured from the date when the researcher obtained the degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctoral degree programme.  

• MUST NOT have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention1 are not taken into account. • It is a requirement that network ESRs have an ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English to a level that is sufficiently high for them to derive full benefit from the network training.  

Application Process:

Applicants should email a cover letter, a CV, a short summary of the research accomplishments, and names of two references to: charisma@cardiff.ac.uk. In the Cover Letter please indicate for which project you are applying and provide a brief motivation as to why you wish to become an ESR within CHARISMA. Failing to provide any of the above documents will make your application ineligible. Please be aware that your application will be reviewed by the CHARISMA committee, and your CV will may be shared with the named beneficiaries within the consortium, as part of the application review process, to ensure an open, transparent and merit-based recruitment.

‍