Post-Doc Position on the Dynamics of High-Energy Materials at Loughborough University, UK

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research associate position in computational chemistry at Loughborough University. This is a DSTL funded position to work with Dr Kenny Jolley and Dr Felix Plasser (Chemistry, Loughborough University) on predicting the crystal structure, dynamics and physical properties of energetic materials.

The successful applicant will conduct molecular dynamics (MD) and accelerated MD simulations on energetic compounds. Bulk physical properties, stability to shock and heat, and reaction pathways will be modelled and compared to experimental data. In a later stage, we will perform time-resolved simulations of explosion processes.

This position is ideally suited for an ambitious early career researcher with a background in computational chemistry and materials modelling. The successful candidate will be highly motivated with a strong research track record and a desire to pursue multidisciplinary research.

Feel free to contact me or Dr Kenny Jolley for informal equiries.

Closing date for applications is 24/11/2023, please follow this link for further info.

Academic positions at Loughborough

Loughborough University is planning to fill up to three academic positions in the Chemistry Department.

Short summary:

• High-quality research
• Ability to teach Physical Chemistry or Biochemistry
• Closing date: 3rd April 2022

Full information here

https://www.lboro.ac.uk/join-us/outstanding/science/

This is a great chance for anyone aiming to take their career to the next level. Hiring is at any level. Anyone between ~3 years postdoc experience and full professor can apply.

Move to Loughborough

I just relocated to Loughborough, UK, to work as a lecturer at the Department of Chemistry. It is a busy time but very exciting :)

You can check out my new homepage here. I will move the more "professional" announcements of papers and similar things to my new newsfeed, and I will probably reserve this blog for more personal posts.

Hubble

For some reason CNN is one of the only channels that I can access from my room here in Prague that is not either in czech or featuring arabic telephone sex commercials. One thing I saw there were some pretty amazing bulls and bears that reminded me of N. N. Taleb. But I also saw some exciting space shuttle features. I like space shuttles but I am wondering what they are actually good for. (I am not an expert on space shuttles but I did once hear an astronomer talk about them.)

As I understand it, a space shuttle is like a Porsche. It's exciting, it's prestigious, but it does not really get you anywhere you could not go without it. (The advantage is that a space shuttle is not as noisy and does not cause traffic jams that I have to carefully bypass on my bicycle without collecting any mirrors.) The question that the people at CNN never asked any of the space shuttle experts is how sending up a 7 austronauts and assembling a telescope in deep space compares to assembling the telescope down here and sending it up by itself. I guess a space shuttle is a nice piece of science fiction, without the need of fiction, but probably not the most cost efficient way of having a telescope in the sky.

CERN

I should not critize my home country but this was a masterpiece: We are apparently quitting CERN! Especially now that they build the LHC.

Well the upside is: When the black hole is created that swallows the whole world, we can say it was not our fault.

Edit: and the second upside is that they will have about 20 million extra euros that they can put into my stipend.

Edit2: We are not leaving CERN thanks to public pressure.