The deadline for this job opening has passed and we are no longer accepting applications for this position.
SCM, a scientific software company located in Amsterdam and operating in the area of computational quantum chemistry and materials science, announces a job opening - with start date between June 1, 2011 and January 1, 2012 - for a Ph.D. student or (junior) method developer DFT software. The position is planned for 1 + 3 = 4 years. Permanent employment at SCM in Amsterdam may be an option afterwards. Salary conditions and benefits will be similar to what is usual at Dutch universities with certain extra benefits.
SCM is a spin-off of the VU University Amsterdam and rents its office space inside the Theoretical Chemistry corridor. Prof. Lucas Visscher is prepared to act as promotor and scientific Ph.D. supervisor in case the selected candidate wishes to pursue a Ph.D. degree. Depending on the topics, Professor Evert Jan Baerends may play a role as secondary supervisor (second promotor) in that case.
SCM maintains and develops several software packages used by computational (quantum) chemists and materials scientists in academia and industry. The ADF and BAND molecular and periodic DFT programs are currently the most popular among these packages and used by thousands of scientists worldwide. The successful candidate will be involved in method development to further improve the algorithms in the core compute engines in ADF and BAND. The goal is to further improve stability, robustness, speed, and functionality of the codes for its main application areas. Day to day guidance will be performed by the experienced scientific staff at SCM consisting of 5 Ph.D.'s focusing on software / method development, and with typically more than 10 years experience in ADF / BAND software development. A candidate aiming for a Ph.D. degree will be expected to publish his work in the scientific literature and write a Ph.D. thesis in the 4th year. Candidates who do not wish to focus on publications but only on the method and software development are welcome to apply as well, although this will then not lead to a Ph.D. degree. (Very suitable and motivated postdoc candidates may also be considered under negotiable terms concerning employment duration and salary.)
Requirements:
The position will initially be a contract for one year, normally to be extended upon mutual agreement by another three years to a total of four years. The position is available immediately but there is flexibility concerning the starting date. A start date as late as 1 January 2012 may be negotiable. Salary and secondary benefits (including pension fund) will follow Dutch rules for salaries of Ph.D. students and additionally include profit-sharing. Tax benefits (30% of salary tax-free) may be available (depending on circumstances) for a successful candidate from abroad. This is a full-time position in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Current PhD student salaries at Dutch universities go up from 2,042 (1st year) to 2,612 (4th year) Euro gross salary per month. A (guaranteed) 13th month salary and 8% holiday allowance lead to a guaranteed annual (pre-tax) salary of 28,500 (1st year) to 36,400 (4th year) Euro.
Scientific Computing & Modelling NV, SCM, is a (now independent) spin-off company of the VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. SCM develops, maintains, and markets the Amsterdam Density Functional (ADF) package, consisting of the molecular ADF program, the periodic structure program BAND, the reactive molecular dynamics program ReaxFF, approximate DFT (DFTB) software, the COSMO-RS module for thermodynamics of mixed liquids, and their respective graphical interfaces. The working atmosphere at SCM is that of an informal small team of Ph.D.'s doing intellectually challenging work. SCM shares office space and closely interacts with the well-known Theoretical Chemistry (TC) group led by professors Bickelhaupt and Visscher and emeritus professor Baerends and the group of prof. T. Ziegler at Calgary, Canada. The TC group consists of about 20 people, including a very international mix of Ph.D students, postdocs, and guests. SCM cooperates with a large and growing number of academic method developers around the world and is now increasing its scope to non-DFT methods. SCM is a science-focused company which has been around for 15 years. It is financially solid, free of debt, growing, and profitable. SCM is located in Amsterdam, the very lively, internationally oriented, and enjoyable capital of The Netherlands.
We especially invite women to apply. In principle, applicants can have any nationality, and any current residence (although immigration rules apply).
Detailed information on SCM and ADF can be found at SCM's website. Those interested in this position are encouraged to contact Dr. Stan van Gisbergen, SCM's Chief Executive Officer (vangisbergen at scm dot com, tel: +31-20-5987626) for further information. Job applications can be sent by E-mail to the same address until June 15, 2011, but preferably sooner. Applications should contain a CV, a letter explaining the motivation for applying and, if applicable, a list of publications. References may be requested at a later stage.
