PhD position for Development of Organic Light-Emission Devices in the EU Training Network FADOS

The Department of Physics at Umeå University (https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-physics/) and LunaLEC AB are inviting qualified applicants to apply for a doctoral student position in the European Marie Sklodowska-Curie Training Network programme FADOS. The successful candidate will join a cohort of 17 Doctoral students scattered among 16 research groups in Europe.

Last day to apply is September 30, 2025.  Starting date is February 1, 2026, or by agreement.

You will be employed by LunaLEC AB but be enrolled in the PhD education in experimental physics at Umeå University.

About FADOS
FADOS, Fundamentals and Applications of Doped Organic Semiconductors, is a consortium composed of eight universities, four research institutes, and four companies from EU countries, the UK and Switzerland. The mission of FADOS is to achieve targeted modification of semiconductor properties through electronic doping to control and modify electronic characteristics. The project’s goal is to develop fundamental understanding and innovative fabrication processes to solve urgent problems in organic electronic devices, and to enable new components with sustainable functionalities. Collaboration with industry partners will enhance the translation of research into real-world applications.

The 17 Doctoral candidates recruited for this international project will receive training at the forefront of research and innovation in organic electronics. Moreover, the network will provide the Doctoral candidates with exposure to academic and commercial working environments through a balanced secondment plan, and access to a complete training programme complementing scientific skills with personal and entrepreneurial skills, including communication to various audiences, career development, intellectual property and startup-funding.

The Doctoral candidates will form a strong cohort through participation in seven network-wide events as well as secondments and collaborations, which entail travel to several different EU countries.

Project description
You will be performing your PhD research at LunaLEC and at The Organic Electronics and Photonics Group (OPEG) at Umeå University, Sweden (see: opeg-umu.com). The research will be focused on the development of a novel light-emission technology termed the light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC). The LEC is currently attracting increasing interest from both academia and industry since it can: (i) deliver bright and easily patterned light emission at low voltage; (ii) be thin, lightweight and flexible; (iii) be fabricated in its entirety by cost- and energy-efficient ambient-air printing; (iv) be highly sustainable (free from toxic and rare compounds and potentially recyclable). The focus of LunaLEC is to leverage these attractive properties to produce commercially competitive LEC devices fit for a variety of applications.  

The attractive properties of the LEC technology originate in that the organic semiconductor (OSC) in the active material can be electrochemically p- and n-type doped at the two electrodes, and that a light-emitting p-n junction, as a consequence, can form in the bulk under electrical bias. It has recently been demonstrated that the structure of this in situ formed p-n junction has a strong influence on the LEC performance. The first part of the project is thus aimed at the investigation of how the OSC selection and the printing processing of the active material influences the doping capacity and balance and thereby the p-n junction doping structure. The second part of the project comprises the utilization of this new knowledge for a rational design and a scalable printing fabrication of bright and efficient LEC devices fit for real-world applications. 

The project will include two secondments:

• The first secondment is to the group of Prof. Kemerink at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, for the simulation and identification of organic p-n junction doping structures for efficient emission.   
• The second secondment is to the group of Prof. Müller at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, for the investigation of similarities and differences between the fundamentals and practical usefulness of chemical and electrochemical doping.
• The research will in addition be performed in close collaboration with the other members of the FADOS network.

Competence requirements
To be admitted for studies at third-cycle level you are required to have completed a second-cycle level degree or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits. The recruitment procedure will follow the Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen). Prerequisites include 240 ECTS credits (högskolepoäng) of higher education studies, of which 60 should be on an advanced level (Master’s level), or equivalent. To meet the requirement for specific eligibility for admission to doctoral studies in experimental physics, the applicant must have completed courses within the subject area of physics corresponding to at least 120 higher education credits. If there are special reasons, for example a strongly interdisciplinary orientation of the planned research project, the head of department may allow up to 30 of these 120 credits to be replaced by courses in another relevant scientific subject area. The prerequisite requirements as stated above are also considered fulfilled by applicants who have acquired essentially equivalent knowledge in some other way. The requirements do not need to be fulfilled at the time of application, but at the time of admission.

The additional must requirements comprise:

• Strong interest in both fundamental science, applied technology development and industrial innovation.
• Knowledge of semiconductor physics or organic electronics or printing fabrication.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• High self-motivation.
• Willingness and ability to travel within the Schengen region, the UK and abroad to conduct research (including secondments), attend conferences and network activities.

The desired requirements include:

• Experience with fabrication and/or characterization of organic semiconductor devices.
• Experience with fabrication and/or characterization of thin films.
• Experience with advanced spectroscopic and/or microscopic characterization.  

Specific eligibility criteria for FADOS programme:

• At the time of recruitment, the applicant must be in the first four years of his/her research career, and not have been awarded a doctoral degree.
• The applicant must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host institute, Sweden, for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are excluded.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and express themselves fluently in English in both speech and writing.
• The applicant can be of any nationality.

Terms of employment
The employment is expected to result in a doctoral degree and the main assignment for the doctoral student is thus to be part of the research education, which includes participation in the described research project but also to take relevant courses.  

The appointment is for a total of 48 months, with a starting date of February 1, 2026, or by agreement. Please note that you will be employed by LunaLEC AB but be enrolled in the PhD education in experimental physics at Umeå University.

A competitive monthly salary will be offered, in accordance with the MSCA regulations during the first 36 months of the project and with UmU’s regulations during the final 12 months. In addition, during the first 36 months of the project, the doctoral candidate will receive a mobility allowance and, where applicable, a family allowance, in accordance with the MSCA regulations.

The application

The application should contain:

1. A cover letter with summary of research interests and motivation (max. 1 page).
2. Curriculum Vitae.
3. Certified copies of relevant degree certificate(s) translated to English or Swedish.
4. Transcripts with grades, with English or Swedish translation. Note that for international        (extra-EU) applicants the grading system should be explained in brief.
5. Copies of student theses and publications (if any).
6. Names and contact information of at least one reference person.

You apply via our e-recruitment system Varbi. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2025. Log in and apply via the button at the bottom of the page. All documents should be uploaded in pdf format. 

More information
For questions, please contact the project supervisor

Prof. Ludvig Edman (email: ludvig.edman@umu.se) or Dr. Erik Zäll (email: erik@lunalec.com).

We look forward to receiving your application!