Following the global winter campaign to find Chalmers' new Assistant Professors, the recruitment process is now complete, and agreements are in place. In total, nineteen Assistant Professors will join the faculty, four of whom will be at the Department of Physics.
The strategic Assistant Professor positions with tenure track were announced in February 2024. The announcements focused on attracting top talents within broadly described areas. This is the sixth time such a recruitment has been conducted, and the initiative has previously contributed to the hiring of very talented researchers, strengthening Chalmers' faculty.
The recruitment process were unique in that it was driven by cross-departmental groups and involved expertise from many different areas. This time, the announcements covered all seven Areas of Advance (Energy, Information and Communication Technology, Health and Technology, Materials Science, Nano, Production, and Transport), the thematic areas (Space, Ocean, and Land), as well as seven positions within Basic Sciences.
Here are the four new Assistant Professors who will be starting their positions at Physics, Spring 2025:
Chiara Micheletti (Area of Advance Health Engineering)
Background: Humboldt postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany. PhD student in a cotutelle program between Sahlgrenska Academy and McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada)
“My main research interests revolve around structure-function relationships in bone, namely understanding the interplay between bone’s structure-composition and its mechanical-biological functioning. This encompasses both healthy and diseased bone, as well as bone-biomaterial interfaces. I aim to apply and advance characterisation tools typical of materials science to better answer biologically and clinically relevant questions, thereby bridging the engineering and health fields.”
“During my dual doctoral studies at the Sahlgrenska Academy I fell in love with Gothenburg. When I came across a job posting within the Health Engineering Area of Advance that felt applicable to my research interests, I immediately applied. The interview days gave me a good sense of the interdisciplinary and collaborative spirit at Chalmers, which is something I really value.”
Joanna Sobczyk (Basic sciences)
Background: Postdoctoral researcher at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany
“My research focuses on electroweak nuclear physics and its intersection with particle physics and astrophysics. The primary motivation stems from long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, which, over the next decade, aim to precisely measure fundamental neutrino properties. Among these, the Holy Grail of neutrino physics is the charge-parity violating phase, a key quantity with profound implications for early cosmology. The success of these efforts relies heavily on accurate models of neutrino interactions with atomic nuclei across various energy scales. This is where my work comes in: I develop ab initio ("from first principles") nuclear techniques to calculate neutrino-nucleus cross-sections with high precision.”
“I sought out Chalmers because of numerous synergies between my research interests and existing research lines at the university. They will allow me to fully realize the potential of the methods I am currently developing. I am excited to collaborate with excellent students at Chalmers and to engage in its dynamic scientific environment—all within the welcoming and open atmosphere I experienced in Gothenburg.”
Shantanu Mishra (Basic sciences)
Background: Postdoctoral researcher at IBM Research Europe, Zurich, Switzerland
"My research lies at the intersection of on-surface chemistry, electronic properties of adsorbates on surfaces, and low-temperature scanning probe microscopy. My research has two main focuses: on-surface synthesis and characterization of quantum spin systems based on purely organic molecules; as well as developing and applying scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy for imaging of single molecules adsorbed on surfaces, and for conducting chemical reactions at the atomic scale with high selectivity and spatial control."
"I chose Chalmers because my research is interdisciplinary and relies on collaboration with researchers in fields that are strongly represented at Chalmers. The university in general, and the Department of Physics in particular, are also very supportive of my research needs in terms of instrumentation and associated infrastructure. I also got the impression that Chalmers is a fantastic employer in terms of benefits, assistance with planning the move to Sweden, and help with housing, and that Gothenburg and its surroundings are a wonderful place to live."
Sophie Weber (Basic sciences)
Background: Postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Theory group at ETH Zurich. PhD in Physics at the University of California, Berkeley.
“I use symmetry analysis and density functional theory (DFT) to understand, predict, and engineer functional phenomena at material surfaces and interfaces. Due to intrinsic symmetry-lowering at a surface, many useful properties which are constrained to vanish in bulk crystals can nevertheless emerge at their surfaces. A focus of my group at Chalmers will be to improve the theoretical and practical understanding of functional surface properties such as magnetism, piezoelectricity, transport, and topological surface states.”
“I was really attracted by how well the Physics department at Chalmers balances focus on fundamental research and practical applications. This makes for a great environment to do fundamental research while remaining cognisant of how it can tie into eventual practical applications. Related to that, I really like the mix of great theorists and experimentalists who are working at Chalmers. Finally, everyone I have spoken to has been incredibly friendly and gracious with their time, which is the most you can hope for in a work environment!"