Thermodynamics

Tenure-track or tenured faculty recruitment focused on synthesis, processing and consolidation of powder-based metals and ceramics. Priorities include atomization, milling, heat transfer, solidification and microstructure evolution, with links to the Center for Alloy and Powder Synthesis. Duties include independent funded research, teaching, mentoring and service. The nine-month academic…

Investigate mitochondrial DNA architecture and function at LNBio/CNPEM in Campinas with Thayna Mendonça Avelino. Combine coherent X-ray diffraction imaging with STED microscopy, develop multimodal imaging strategies and integrate structural and functional measurements. The fellowship starts in November 2026. Submit a CV, motivation letter and recommendation letter to the investigator’s address on the official call by 12 October 2026.

Study microbes confined within synthetic hydrogels in the Engineered Living Materials programme led by Aránzazu del Campo. Combine imaging, microfluidics and molecular biology to understand microbial behaviour under dynamic environmental conditions, collaborating across materials science and synthetic biology. Responsibilities include student supervision and digital research practices. The appointment is initially two years at EG13 TV-L, with hybrid working; part-time arrangements are possible. Applications close on 15 October 2026.

Join Filippo Prischi’s group at the Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics for a 36-month appointment. Investigate protein–RNA interactions and regulation relevant to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, including the interaction network of Annexin A11. The work combines biological NMR, SAXS, recombinant protein preparation and cellular approaches. The role is full time, with a start no earlier than 1 November 2026. Applications close on 16 October; the employer may close recruitment earlier if application volume warrants it.

Develop superconducting materials and wires through synthesis, wire fabrication and characterization, and superconducting joint technologies. Materials and process design use thermodynamic quantities including Gibbs energy and chemical potential, supported by AI and machine learning. One position with the Advanced Superconducting Wire Group at NIMS; start 1 November 2026 or later. Initial appointment one year, renewable after annual review up to five years. Published monthly salary is JPY 325,360–493,012 according to experience. Applications remain open until a qualified candidate is found. Submit a single ZIP through the Box upload link on the official role page, containing the NIMS CV with photograph, a one-page research summary, achievement list, contact details of two referees and two main publications.

Nicole Yunger Halpern (NIST, QuICS and University of Maryland) examines how to describe nonequilibrium matter in the early universe and particle colliders from the Standard Model. Classical lattice-gauge calculations have limited reach, motivating quantum simulation. Local Gauss-law constraints create an intricate Hilbert-space structure that complicates thermodynamic definitions for systems coupled to reservoirs, both at equilibrium and during nonequilibrium processes. The talk develops definitions of work and heat through strong-coupling thermodynamics, applying them to instantaneous quenches that quantum simulators can implement. A Z2 lattice gauge theory coupled to matter in one spatial and one temporal dimension provides the example: computed work and heat vary with the quench parameter and reveal the expected phase transition. The framework connects gauge constraints, reservoir coupling and experimentally relevant thermodynamic quantities.

Far-from-equilibrium processes constantly dissipate energy while converting a free-energy source to another form of energy. Living systems, for example, rely on an orchestra of molecular motors that consume chemical fuel to produce mechanical work. In this talk, I will describe two features of life, namely, time-irreversibility, and nonequilibrium self-assembly. Time irreversibility is the hallmark of nonequilibrium dissipative processes. Detecting dissipation is essential for our basic understanding of the underlying physical mechanism, however, it remains a challenge in the absence of observable directed motion, flows, or fluxes. Additional difficulty arises in complex systems where many internal degrees of freedom are inaccessible to an external observer. I will introduce a novel approach to detect time irreversibility and estimate the entropy production from time-series measurements, even in the absence of observable currents. This method can be implemented in scenarios where only partial information is available and thus provides a new tool for studying nonequilibrium phenomena. Further, I will explore the added benefits achieved by nonequilibrium driving for self-assembly, identify distinctive collective phenomena that emerge in a nonequilibrium self-assembly setting, and demonstrate the interplay between the assembly speed, kinetic stability, and relative population of dynamical attractors.