PhD Opportunity (M/F): Theoretical Studies of the Dynamics of Nanomagnets Coupled to Photoactive Ligands

Role: PhD Opportunity (M/F): Theoretical Studies of the Dynamics of Nanomagnets Coupled to Photoactive Ligands
Organization: CNRS - National Center for Scientific Research
Department: Laboratoire Procédés, Matériaux et Energie Solaire (PROMES Laboratory)
Location: Perpignan, France
Contract Type: Temporary, Full-time (35 hours/week)
Start Date: 1 Oct 2026
Application Deadline: 26 Jun 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)

Job Overview:
The successful candidate will be based at the PROMES Laboratory in Tecnosud (Perpignan) and will be supervised by an internationally recognized research team with expertise in the field. The position will involve regular visits to the laboratories of the other ANR project partners, as well as participation in the project's regular meetings and collaborative activities.

This PhD project is part of the CLAMP project (ANR PEPR LUMA), which aims to investigate the reciprocal coupling between magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and a shell of photoactive ligands (azo-photochromic molecules, VT/SCO complexes, fluorophores). The ligands modify the anisotropy, dynamics, and magnetic response of the MNPs, while the magnetic state of the MNPs, in turn, influences the optical and structural properties of the ligands. A multiscale modeling approach is required to capture these phenomena.

Responsibilities:
The research will focus on the theoretical developments needed to understand magnetoelectric, exchange, dipolar, and thermal coupling in these hybrid nanosystems. The PhD candidate will contribute to:
- The development and implementation of a multiscale theoretical model describing the coupling between magnetic nanoparticles and ligands;
- The first coupled magnetic–thermal simulations;
- Solving the heat equation with magnetic and optical source terms;
- Studying the effects of ligands on the effective magnetic anisotropy and relaxation times;
- Investigating the temperature–anisotropy–dynamics feedback mechanism.

This theoretical work will be carried out in close collaboration with the experimental activities planned within the project. It will contribute to the interpretation of experimental results and to the development of more general models describing the coupling between thermal and magnetic effects in nanostructures.

Methods and Theoretical Tools:
The project will employ methods from:
- Statistical physics,
- Magnetism theory,
- Multiscale Hamiltonian approaches,
- Analytical Green's function techniques,
- Numerical solution of (stochastic) differential equations,
- Heat transport modeling.

Requirements and Qualifications:
Desired Skills:
- Solid-state physics,
- Magnetism,
- Statistical physics,
- Analytical calculations and numerical modeling (Python, C++, or equivalent),
- Interest in multiscale approaches and hybrid systems,
- Interest in theory–experiment interactions,
- Interest in ultrafast magnetization dynamics.

Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Physics (Solid state physics, Surface physics)
Languages: French (Basic level)
Years of Research Experience: None

What They Offer:
- Position within an internationally recognized research team.
- Collaboration with experimental activities and ANR project partners.
- Regular visits to partner laboratories and participation in collaborative activities.
- Full-time temporary contract (35 hours/week).