The Sit research group is powered by dedicated, hard-working researchers keen on learning. We are an experimental-based research group. We seek high-calibre, qualified inidividuals for:
Applicants should have an electrical engineering, engineering physics, or other, related science/engineering background. Prior research or relevant work experience, particularly experimental work in microfabrication and nanotechnology, is an asset. Students and post-docs who are able to secure (or are elegible to secure) funding through scholarships or fellowships will be given top consideration. While having high grades helps, it is far from being the sole determinant of success at research — things like passion, organisation, and industriousness are no less important.
Top-tier graduate students and applicants can win major scholarships from a range of agencies. Examples include NSERC (Post Graduate Scholarship/Canada Graduate Scholarship) and Alberta Innovates — Technology Futures (iCORE, Ingenuity Scholarships). More information about applying to graduate studies in our department can be found on the ECE website.
Undergraduate students seeking summer/co-op placements in a research laboratory environment are invited to apply for project-oriented, research-related jobs. Funding will be sought through the NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) program. The departmental USRA deadline for summer term (May-August) awards is early to mid-January each year. Students are encouraged to apply early!
M.Sc./Ph.D. graduate studentship (starting January 1 or May 1, 2018) — Flexible electronics and nanofabrication
We are exploring new materials and fabrication techniques for flexible and stretchable electronics. Ultimately, the end goals of this research are new electronic devices, such as solar cells that can be integrated in clothing or biomedical sensor arrays for human diagnostics. The group’s projects involve understanding the properties of functional materials (conductors, semiconductors, etc.) during mechanical deformation, then redirecting this knowledge to create flexible devices.
We are currently recruiting a graduate student for collaborative sub-project within this broader program. This student will be jointly supervised by Dr. Ken Harris (National Research Council and Mechanical Engeering, University of Alberta) and Dr. Jeremy Sit (Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta). This particular project is aimed at the fabrication of mechanically-responsive optically-active nanostructures using the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique.
Some carefully designed columnar GLAD nanostructures (such as helices or scalloped posts; see image for an example) have interesting optical properties that are directly derived from the columnar nanostructure. We hope to fabricate these structures on plastic substrates, and we expect the optical properties (e.g., colour) of these materials to change with mechanical strain, making them useful as visual strain indicators. The graduate student will develop the process to deposit the nano-films, then perform opto-mechanical characterisation experiments to understand their strain response.
Graduate studentships (starting September 1, 2018) — Various topics
Prof. Sit seeks qualified candidates for M.Sc. or Ph.D. studentships on various projects. Contact me for information.
Other positions — I’m always looking for good people; please contact me if you’re interested!