Available Full-Time Positions

 

We are always looking for people to join our team. If you want to do work on in-situ electron microscopy methodologies and have a background that fits, please send us your application.

For the time being there is one short-term position available:

 

Open Paid Intern Position: Design a SEM Stage for Real-Time Imaging of CO₂ Electrolysis

Location: Lausanne Campus | Duration: 6 months | Start: Immediately

The project

Within the refuel.ch SWEET project, we study how the cathode side of CO₂ electrolysis cells (the gas diffusion electrode and catalyst layer) changes during operation, and how it interacts with bipolar membranes, using advanced electron microscopy (3D FIB/SEM, TEM). Post-mortem analysis provides a lot of information, but it cannot capture key failure mechanisms such as cell flooding, catalyst particle redistribution or dissolution, and bipolar membrane integrity. To link device stability to performance, we need to watch these processes in real-time.

We are designing a prototype microreactor SEM stage that:
  • Delivers gases (and liquids if needed) directly to the anode and cathode through two dedicated feedthroughs
  • Isolates a cross-section of the cell from the SEM vacuum using in-house fabricated, long, narrow, electron-transparent membranes
  • Let us image the full layer stack in both SEM and SEM-in-STEM modes
  • Replicates the real operating conditions of the CO₂ electrolysis cells of our collaborators at EMPA and PSI
Your role
  • Design and iterate the stage using CAD, with a cross-sectional geometry that gives access to every relevant layer
  • Run systematic sealing studies in a benchtop vacuum chamber using 3D-printed prototypes, before final micromachining for SEM integration
  • Help develop and optimise electrochemical protocols that validate the microcell and produce meaningful, reproducible data
  • Work alongside microscopists and electrochemists in a research environment where your design decisions directly decide whether the experiment works
What you bring
  • Experience with mechanical design software (AutoCAD, CATIA or SolidWorks)
  • Familiarity with Swagelok components for vacuum instruments
  • Experience with 3D printing
  • A plus: interest in electrochemistry, microscopy or energy technologies
How to apply
We want to hear from people who read the whole ad. Please send us:
  1. Your CV
  2. A short motivation letter (max. one page)
  3. Your “leak-proof” idea: one paragraph, or a quick sketch, describing how you would seal a thin electron-transparent membrane against a gas feedthrough so it holds vacuum on one side and gas on the other
  4. Put the code word “HERMETIC” at the start of your email subject line (e.g. “HERMETIC – Firstname Lastname – SEM stage intern”). Applications without it will not be read.
  5. Send your application to: vasiliki.tileli@epfl.ch

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and we will close the position as soon as we find the right person.