PhD student for information field theory and ptychography

For our location in Hamburg we are seeking:

Limited: 3 years | Starting date: earliest possible | ID: FSDO017/2025 | Deadline: 27.11.2025 | Full-time/Part-time

DESY, with more than 2900 employees at its two locations in Hamburg and Zeuthen, is one of the world's leading research centres. Its research focuses on decoding the structure and function of matter, from the smallest particles of the universe to the building blocks of life. In this way, DESY contributes to solving the major questions and urgent challenges facing science, society and industry. With its ultramodern research infrastructure, its interdisciplinary research platforms and its international networks, DESY offers a highly attractive working environment in the fields of science, technology and administration as well as for the education of highly qualified young scientists.

We are seeking a motivated PhD candidate to apply the emerging framework of information field theory to coherent phase contrast imaging, particularly to ptychography at synchrotrons. Ptychography is a super resolution phase retrieval imaging technique capable of resolution down to single digit nanometre. The aim of the project is two-fold. Firstly we wish to leverage the emerging Information field theory framework to theoretically evaluate the impact of experimental parameters, such as degree of coherence, photon flux, and probe shape. Secondly, we wish to use the findings to optimize these parameters, and ultimately, improve ptychographic image quality. For the latter part it is important to compare theoretical results with practice. The project will therefore involve several experiments at the P06 beamline at the Petra III Synchrotron facility.