Dept. of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Organisation/Company Università degli Studi di Trieste Department Dept. of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Field Chemistry » Physical chemistry Chemistry » Computational chemistry Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 31 Aug 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Rome) Country Italy Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - ERC Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

A PhD position is available in the physical and theoretical chemistry group of Assoc. Prof. Gianluca Levi at the University of Trieste (Italy). The position is funded for three years by an ERC starting grant (project NEXUS “New excited state methods for overcoming challenges in sunlight conversion”).

The successful candidate will develop and apply efficient methodologies for calculating excited electronic state and simulating the photoinduced dynamics of molecules in condensed phase, building on recent advancements in variational density functional methods for excited states and multiscale molecular dynamics approaches. The methodology will be implemented in open-source software packages, including GPAW and ASE, and applied to simulations of photoactive molecules and condensed-phase systems relevant to solar energy conversion,



such as next-generation molecular motors and singlet fission systems for dye-sensitized solar cells. Possible applications also include photoinduced processes in molecular clusters relevant to astrochemistry. A goal will be to assist the interpretation of ultrafast experiments performed at synchrotrons and X-ray free electron laser facilities.

The selected candidates will join a dynamic and collaborative research environment at the forefront of the development of methods for atomic-scale modelling. We have international collaborations with both theoretical and experimental groups, including in Iceland, Denmark, and The Netherlands.

The position is expected to start on November 1, 2026, and the annual scholarship is €20,424, which is about €4,000 higher than the standard Italian PhD scholarship. Additional funding is available for conferences and research visits.

We are looking for outstanding and motivated candidates with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Candidates should hold, or be about to obtain, a Master's degree in Chemistry, Physics, or a closely related field. The ideal candidate has a strong background in quantum mechanics and electronic structure theory as well as some experience in programming.

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute University of Trieste - Dept. of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Country Italy Geofield

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📌 PhD position in Chemistry - Physical and theoretical chemistry (Italia)
🏢 Universita degli Studi di Trieste
📍 Italia