We are seeking a highly motivated candidate for a PhD or Postdoc position in the project CheCoA – “Chemical Computing Architectures”, a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Leveraging chemical reactions for computing has emerged as a promising paradigm. For example, chemical computing using the oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction can be used to construct simple linearly-bounded Turing machines by storing information in its oscillation state [1]. Due to the low energy consumption and molecular dimension of chemical reactions, the chemical computing paradigm offers the benefit of high energy efficiency and massive parallelism. Our approach of bringing together silicon microfabrication technology and chemical computing is an unexplored yet straightforward path to investigate the potential of miniaturized chemical computing. In first experiments comprising networks of reservoirs with connecting channels, waves of the oscillating chemistry were observed to exhibit complex behaviour depending on the state of the input to the network.

We will build on these early results and explore new ways to handle chemical reactions in microscopic compartments, to read and manipulate them via light and electro-chemical signals, and to establish the transport of information between them. The vision is to create a computing scheme that relies solely on molecules for computation and thus operates at molecular efficiency, that is, close to the fundamental limit of energy consumption.

Specifically, the project could entail:

1. Screening and optimization of the chemistry.
2. Designing new experiments using existing models of the chemistry.
3. Fabricating next generation silicon chips with improved functionality.
4. Performing compute experiments using light and/or electrodes for readout and programming.
5. Understanding on-chip chemical behavior.
6. Optimize all aspects towards optimal compute performance.

You will be part of an interdisciplinary team working in the ‘Physics and Science for Information’ group at IBM Research GmbH, Rüschlikon, Switzerland. You will be mentored by Dr. Heiko Wolf and Dr. Armin Knoll. Part of the project is in collaboration with Harvard University.

The successful candidate will enjoy an internationally competitive salary and work with collaborative and creative groups in an exclusive research environment.

The project should start in the first half of 2025.

Requirements

• A Master’s or PhD degree in Chemistry, Physics, or a related field.
• Good communication and English-language skills.

Previous research experience in surface chemistry, electrochemistry, microfabrication, soft materials, or local probe methods would be beneficial.

Diversity

IBM is committed to diversity at the workplace. With us you will find an open, multicultural environment. Excellent flexible working arrangements enable all genders to strike the desired balance between their professional development and their personal lives.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, transcripts, and contact information for at least two references.

Reference
[1] ] M. Dueñas-Dı́ez and J. Pérez-Mercader, “How chemistry computes: language recognition by non-biochemical chemical automata. From finite automata to turing machines,” IScience, vol. 19, pp. 514–526, 2019.