Open Positions
1 PhD position
At the University of Göttingen -Public Law Foundation-, Institut für Physikalische Chemie, there is a position as
Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L/65%
to be filled. Starting date is 1/1/2026. The position is limited to 12/31/2028.
The position is embedded in the German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded Research Training Group 2455 “BENCh – Benchmark Experiments for Numerical Quantum Chemistry” and the Ph.D. work will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Martin Suhm.
You
• hold (or are in the process of concluding) a Master’s degree in Chemistry, Physics or equivalent;
• are proficient in English and are willing to travel and collaborate with international partners;
• are experimentally skilled in vibrational spectroscopy and/or cold molecules;
• share an interest in hydrogen bonding and the experimental benchmarking of quantum chemical models;
• enjoy the detective work of rational spectral assignment processes and have creative ideas for spectral range and chemical space extensions;
• like the idea of developing experimental databases of hydrogen-bonded systems to trigger theoretical advances worldwide;
• are willing to co-organize and design blind challenges for theory groups, anticipating undisclosed experimental results
The Suhm group focuses on the experimental characterization of molecules and molecular aggregates at low temperatures by unique slit jet recycling Raman and FTIR spectrometers, to benchmark numerical methods for their electronic structure and nuclear motion. In the proposed project, stepwise hydration of organic molecules will be used to train and test theoretical methods for the description of the hydration process. For the concept, see https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CP01119K. The second round of the HyDRA blind challenge has just started (https://hbond.uni-goettingen.de/hydra2.html) and the successful applicant will pave the way for further editions.
The BENCh Research Training Group consists of a high-level research programme aiming to provide landmark experiments for quantum chemical methods benchmarking. The students under the program benefit from a wide variety of lab techniques and collaborations for challenging experiments.
BENCh fosters open science and evidence-based conclusions. For more information on the training group see http://bench.uni-goettingen.de.
Your application must include:
• curriculum vitae including information on posters, presentations, awards (and publications, if applicable)
• motivation letter and certificates of studies and of language proficiency (e.g., TOEFL)
• name and contact information of two senior researchers who would be willing to provide a reference letter
The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of severely disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from severely disabled people. In the case of equal qualifications, applications from people with severe disabilities will be given preference. A disability or equality is to be included in the application in order to protect the interests of the applicant.
Please upload your application in one pdf file including the usual documents until 10/31/2025 on the application portal of the university using this link: http://obp.uni-goettingen.de/de-de/OBF/Index/76103.
For more information get in touch with Martin Suhm directly via E-Mail: msuhm@gwdg.de, Tel. +49 551 3923112 .
Please note:
With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in the Information General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) https://www.uni-goettingen.de/hinweisdsgvo