Head of the Research Group "3D Photonic Integration"

Area of research:Other

Starting date:06.10.2026

Job description:You will establish and lead a research group focusing on additive 3D micro- and nanofabrication. The technological focus is on high-resolution 3D printing, in particular multi-photon lithography and multi-material printing, including metallic materials. Applications cover areas of microsystems technology in which three-dimensional freeform structures play a key role, in particular photonics and integrated optics as well as millimeter-wave and THz technology. The group complements the existing expertise of the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) in additive nanofabrication and in optics & photonics, and makes use of the infrastructure of the Karlsruhe Center for Optics and Photonics (KCOP). The aim is to span the entire arc from fundamental research to application-oriented demonstrators of scalable devices and technology transfer to industry.
Your responsibilities include:

• Building up and leading the group, and developing and implementing an independent, internationally visible research agenda.
• Providing scientific and technical advice to institute members on multi-photon lithography and multi-material printing.
• Contributing to ongoing research projects (3DMM2O, HYPERION).
• Developing new technological approaches and device concepts, including device design by electromagnetic field simulation and ray optics, experimental characterization, and the development of scalable replication techniques (nanoimprint, elastomer molding).
• Acquiring third-party funding (e.g., DFG, BMFTR, EU/EIC), building collaborations with industrial partners, technology transfer, and project management.
• Supervising doctoral researchers, postdocs and students.
• Publishing research results in leading international journals and presenting them at scientific conferences. This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.