This PhD project will focus on the synthesis, defect engineering, and comprehensive characterization of spinel oxides as multifunctional materials with optical and spin-related functionalities. The aim is to understand how chemical composition, dopant incorporation, and native or intentionally introduced crystal defects influence luminescence, persistent luminescence, and spin-dependent phenomena, and how these properties can be tailored for applications in photonics, radiation detection, and emerging quantum technologies.

The PhD student will be involved in the full research workflow, from material preparation to advanced physical characterization and data interpretation. The experimental work will include the synthesis of bulk, polycrystalline, and nanostructured spinel materials by solid-state and wet-chemical methods. The produced materials will be studied using structural and chemical characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and complementary spectroscopic methods to determine phase purity, crystal structure, morphology, and defect-related features. Optical investigations will include photoluminescence, excitation and emission spectroscopy, time-resolved luminescence, and X-ray-induced optical luminescence measurement. Depending on the specific system, spin-related properties will also be examined by magnetic resonance and optically detected magnetic resonance methods. Through this work, the student will gain interdisciplinary experience in materials synthesis, spectroscopy, and solid-state physics, while contributing to the development of novel spinel-based functional materials.