OPEN Postdoc position — Multi-modal Sensor Fusion in Electron Microscopy
The ECLIPSE Lab of Prof. Dr. Philipp Pelz at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg offers a position as
PostDoc Multi-modal Sensor Fusion in Electron Microscopy (m/f/x)
(subject to personal qualifications, remuneration: salary group E 13 TV-L 100%)
starting Oct 15th 2026.
We are seeking an outstanding postdoctoral researcher to lead the scale-up phase of the ERC-funded HyperScaleEM project during years 3-5. The position focuses on pushing hyperspectral atomic-resolution imaging from proof-of-principle toward scalable, automated, and experimentally validated workflows for 3D chemistry at the atomic scale.
The successful candidate will work at the interface of computational imaging, electron scattering physics, spectroscopy, and microscope automation. The role will connect large-scale simulation, inversion algorithms, new compressive energy-resolved 5D-STEM acquisition strategies, and their deployment on aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopes.
Position and Tasks
- Develop scalable methods for hyperspectral atomic-resolution imaging, with emphasis on core-loss filtered 4D-STEM and energy-resolved XD-STEM.
- Advance large-scale simulation and inversion pipelines for atom-by-atom chemical identification in strongly scattering materials.
- Design and validate automated experimental workflows that couple spectroscopy, diffraction, and tomography at aberration-corrected STEM instruments.
- Help establish robust acquisition strategies for the HyperScaleEM years 3-5 milestones, including proof-of-principle demonstrations and challenging materials applications.
- Collaborate closely with students, microscope scientists, and project partners, and publish and present results internationally.
Position Requirements
- PhD in physics, materials science, electrical engineering, computer science, computational engineering, applied mathematics, or a related discipline.
- Strong track record in computational microscopy, computational imaging, inverse problems, electron microscopy, spectroscopy, or a closely related field.
- Excellent scientific programming skills, preferably in Python, and experience with modern numerical or machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
- Ability to work independently while contributing actively to a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment.
- Very good communication skills in English.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Background in diffraction physics, inelastic scattering, EELS, 4D-STEM, STEM tomography, or related spectroscopy methods.
- Experience with large-scale optimization, Bayesian inference, or physics-based reconstruction methods.
- Hands-on experience with aberration-corrected STEM instrumentation, detector integration, or microscope automation.
- Experience with high-performance computing, GPU programming, or scalable scientific software development.
- Interest in helping shape a growing research program and mentoring junior researchers.
Research Environment
- Our group develops advanced algorithms for efficient processing, reliable reconstruction, and automated information extraction from multidimensional microscopy datasets in electron and X-ray microscopy.
- HyperScaleEM aims to unite structural and chemical inversion at atomic resolution, scaling from simulated and synthetic benchmarks to automated experimental demonstrations and, ultimately, in-situ 3D atomic movies.
- The postdoc will contribute directly to the chemical imaging scale-up phase of the project, laying the foundations for later in-situ studies on complex materials.
- We offer access to state-of-the-art aberration-corrected electron microscopes at the Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy and high-performance computing resources at the Erlangen National High-Performance Computing Center.
What We Offer
- A central scientific role in an ambitious long-term project on next-generation atomic-resolution microscopy.
- A highly interdisciplinary environment spanning computational imaging, microscopy, spectroscopy, and automation.
- The opportunity to build new methods that connect theory, software, and experiment.
- Enthusiastic support from an early-career principal investigator and close interaction with international collaborators.
Application
For informal inquiries, please contact Philipp Pelz (philipp.pelz@fau.de).
Applications from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. Your application in English or German should include a motivation letter, CV, publication list, and contact information for references. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.