We are seeking a highly motivated predoctoral researcher who will work in an interdisciplinary and international environment with leading groups in the field. It is foreseen that the candidate will perform some research stays in our collaborator laboratories. The candidate will apply for other Predoctoral fellowships such as FPU (Spanish Government) or FI (Generalitat de Catalunya), as well as other similar Fellowships from other agencies.

Research

Topic In living systems, tiny chemical signals switch complex processes on and off.

CHEMOPTFOR brings that idea to photonics: instead of controlling optical forces only by tweaking laser settings (color, power, polarization), we will use molecules as the remote control for light’s push and pull. You’ll design chromophore‑doped particles whose color or excited‑state lifetime changes reversibly with simple chemical inputs (pH, ions, quenchers). Those molecular switches will let us strengthen or weaken optical forces on demand: first on single particles, then in self‑assembling “optical matter” that forms reconfigurable patterns for photonic crystals, sensing, and smart materials.

Along the way you’ll work with state‑of‑the‑art optical traps and microscopes, learn practical soft‑matter and dye chemistry, and turn models into experiments in fluids, not just in adecuado vacuum conditions. Your research aims to demonstrate chemically modulated optical trapping for (bio)chemical sensing in complex media, creating a new class of optochemically responsive materials.

This is frontier territory: chemistry has largely sat on the sidelines of optical forces. We plan to change that, positioning physical chemists at the heart of optical manipulation. If you’re excited by hands‑on experimentation, elegant physical ideas, and real‑world impact,



you’ll find plenty of first‑author opportunities, international collaborations, and mentoring across chemistry, physics, materials, and bioengineering.

Bring your curiosity; we’ll help you build the skills to make adaptive, light‑driven materials that think (and react) like living systems.

Join AppLightChem: make light respond to chemistry inputs.

Requirements BSc and MSc degree in Physics and/or Chemistry or related areas, and with an excellent academic record.

Experience in optical microscopy, data analysis, programming languages (Matlab), and dielectrophoresis. Interest in research in science in the context of the Consolidacion Investigadora CHEMOPTFOR project funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación, and within the following objective: Can optical forces be controlled by external chemical stimuli, and if so, how? By developing models to rationalize this phenomenon, the project aims to redefine the optical force paradigm, enabling chemical control over light-matter interactions.

This breakthrough will enable the creation of unique (opto)chemically adaptive optical matter whose light-matter interaction dynamically responds to their chemical microenvironment. Other information

We are an equal opportunity employer. We promote equality and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.

We strongly welcome applications from female candidates as they are currently under-represented at this level in this field of knowledge in our School. We also promote scientific and technological knowledge, business transformation and societal progress. At IQS we look for professionals committed to both these values.

📌 Predoctoral Researcher CHEMOPTFOR (Barcelona)
🏢 IQS Barcelona
📍 Barcelona