Fully-funded postdoctoral position: Towards quantum sensing at ultrafast speeds

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our groundbreaking project aimed at revolutionizing the temporal resolution of quantum sensing using nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. While NV-based quantum sensors have demonstrated exceptional sensitivity to external electromagnetic fields and nanometer-scale spatial resolution, their temporal resolution is currently limited to the nanosecond regime, prohibiting the exploration of ultrafast phenomena. Our goal is to overcome this limitation by developing protocols to manipulate NV centers on ultrafast timescales – down to femtoseconds (10⁻¹⁵ s) – thus improving temporal resolution by over five orders of magnitude. This will involve combining femtosecond laser technology with microwave-based spin manipulation to induce ultrafast transformations in matter and encode transient current density redistributions into the phase of NV spin qubits using a “quantum lock-in” technique. This breakthrough will enable the quantum-sensing-based investigation of fundamental processes such as collective excitations in solids, light-driven phase transitions, and chemical transformations, opening new frontiers across condensed matter physics, chemistry, and quantum information science.

Desired skills:

• Strong experimental background in (1) quantum magnetometry based on spin defects in solids / related field OR (2) ultrafast optics
• Motivation to perform challenging high-risk research with potentially big impact
• Ability to work independently
• Willingness to learn new techniques
• Ability to develop a vision for the future development of the project

If you want to join us on this adventure, please send your application (consisting of CV and names of 2-3 references) to: denitsa.baykusheva@ista.ac.at. Note that recommendation letters are not required at this stage.

About ISTA: The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is a PhD granting research institution dedicated to cutting-edge research in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry & Materials, Computer Science, and other disciplines. The working language of ISTA is English. The campus of ISTA is in the historic city of Klosterneuburg, on the picturesque outskirts of Vienna – which has been voted as one of the most livable cities in the world. Vienna’s beautiful downtown and the Vienna international airport are conveniently within reach by public transportation. ISTA was established in 2006 by the Federal Government of Austria to facilitate world-class basic research and train the next generation of scientific leaders. Although ISTA is less than two decades old, it currently has about 87 research groups supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure, with plans to grow to 150 groups in 2036. ISTA has a diverse international population, with students, scientists, and staff from more than 70 countries.