A 2 year prestigious position is announced for a foreign (not Italian) senior researcher for implementing and conducting a new research laboratory at the Insubria University in Como, Italy. The scope of the laboratory is the design, from the nano-scale up to the macroscopic level, and the characterization of new functional optical materials, and of related optical components/devices.
The position is announced either for younger (32-37) or senior professors, who must work at Insubria University for at least 8 or 4 months per year, respectively. The available budget for covering both salary and research costs is up to 400 K€. Applicants must be experienced in nano-material science and in experimental optics (light scattering, colorimetric-photometric measurements and/or optical design).
Description of the research field
In the era of nano-material science, the development of new technologies for tailoring the material chromatic properties has a paramount impact on design, advertisement, furniture, textile, fashion and ink industries, to cite a few applications, but also on architecture, cinema, artificial lighting, art restoration, etc. In a scenario where technological efforts are currently spent for creating colours just by means of absorption, the present research tackles the advent of a new scientific approach, which merges “colour” and “light-scattering” sciences for re-creating colours via wavelength-dependent diffusion. The project strictly follows an original “hardware rendering” methodology, i.e. proposes a genuine physical reconstruction of natural optical scattering phenomena in different technology contexts, for re-producing the marvelous variety of natural tinges featuring sunsets, noon or sunrises, under a clean or stormy day sky, as often captured by artists in their masterpieces.
On the venue of Como lake, whose light and colours scenarios are celebrated worldwide, in the context of the rich northern-Italy artistic and architectural environment and relying upon the support of flourishing local industries, the present project stems also on a strong and international collaboration, which comprises university partners like “ETH” in Zurich (nano-science and material developer, see http://www.morbidelli-group.ethz.ch/), or SMEs as “Bartenbach Lichtlabor” (light design world leader; see http://www.bartenbach.com/) and “Next Limit” (Cinema Oscar for techniques, provider of real-flow and photorealistic rendering numerical simulations; http://www.nextlimit.com/).
The activity is in keeping with a broad audience educational programme, which proposes indoor physical reconstruction of spectacular optical atmospheric phenomena as unique perspective for understanding connection between art (fine art, architecture, literature, cinema, photography, etc) and everyday experience of light (see: http://www.diluceinluce.eu).
Interested candidates should contact as soon as possible
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