We are awarding a Master's thesis, at our Weiz site, in our research group Sensors and Functional Printing, in cooperation with an Austrian university/university of applied sciences, on the topic:

Functional Inks for Printed Electronic Devices

as of November 2022, based on a full-time employment (38,5 hours/week), limited to 6 months.

Background:

The research field of printed electronics deals with materials and processes for printing circuits on a variety of substrates. It addresses the industry's demand for faster, lighter and more flexible electronics and is becoming a key technology for various applications, e.g. wearables such as smart T-shirts. In printed electronics, a variety of functional inks are used that can add the desired properties to the final product.

During your MSc training, you will design and formulate various functional inks for inkjet- and screen-printing and use them to manufacture demonstrators of fully printed wearable devices. You will gain an in-depth understanding of the chemical principles behind functional inks and their respective curing processes. Additionally, you will learn about the instrumental methods used to characterize both the inks and the respective printed materials. In particular, your tasks will include:

• synthesis and/or formulation of metal complexes and small organic molecules
• production of colloidal nanoparticles
• formulation of inkjet or screen printable inks
• optimisation of the curing or post-treatment strategy for functional inks
• characterisation of materials by DSC, TGA, spectroscopy, SEM, goniometry, rheometry, 4-point measurement

Qualifications

• relevant studies (chemistry, process engineering)
• very good knowledge of general, inorganic and physical chemistry
• expertise in organic chemistry, colloidal chemistry, polymer chemistry and chemistry of plastics 
• ability to work in an international and multidisciplinary team
• very good knowledge of English
• no advanced knowledge in electronic engineering is required, but inventiveness and a flair for prototyping will be an advantage

• monthly salary according to the applicable collective agreement € 1.593,- gross, based on a full-time position
• a team-oriented working atmosphere and the most modern infrastructure
• flexible working hours with (flexitime without core hours) the possibility of teleworking
• targeted support for your personal career through the internal training program and in the further development of your professional expertise
• additional full days off on Good Friday, 24.12. and 31.12.
• attractive social benefits such as sports and culture promotion, mobility allowance, company events, free coffee, etc.

We ask you to send relevant documents – exclusively in electronic form – to the following address:

JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
email: PEMBewerbungen@joanneum.at
Subject: Master’s Thesis Functional Inks for Printed Electronic Devices
Contact person:Krzysztof Krawczyk, PhD 

We would like to point out that any expenses incurred in connection with your application - such as travel expenses, daily allowances or overnight stays - will not be reimbursed.

Please fill in all fields correctly and attach documents as a PDF. We will take sufficient time for your application and get back to you within a reasonable period of time.