Information about the Programme
LEAPS ULTRAFAST is a 5-year programme, offering around 50 postdoctoral fellowship positions, each lasting either two or three years.
We believe that postdoctoral researchers need strong support in three key areas to excel in their careers whether in academia or industry:
- Research excellence: developing unique scientific and technical competencies through outstanding research.
- Professional network: building relationships with colleagues, supervisors, mentors, and industry partners to gain diverse experience for future career decisions.
- Career awareness: developing career paths both within academia and in industry.
Fellows will conduct their research at some of the world's most advanced light sources — synchrotrons, free-electron lasers (FELs), and cutting-edge table-top lasers, operated by the network's eight partner institutions (see below). These facilities enable breakthrough research across four key domains:
- Matter and Materials: e.g. studying electronic dynamics in molecules and materials.
- Energy and Environment: e.g. understanding catalytic reactions for green energy technologies.
- Health and Life Sciences: e.g. visualizing biomolecular structures to support drug development.
- Future Technologies: e.g. investigating quantum materials for next-generation computing.
Fellows will collaborate with world-leading experts from experimental and theoretical research groups, building a platform for learning, skill development, and long-lasting professional networks. At the core of the programme is a dedicated Career Development training track, covering not only ultrafast science and large-scale photon sources, but also transferable skills such as communication, project management, innovation, and entrepreneurship, preparing Fellows for diverse career paths in academia and industry.
By combining excellent research opportunities, a unique professional network, and a dedicated training programme, Fellows will have the opportunity to make a real-world impact, addressing major societal and industrial challenges in fields such as molecular imaging, metrology, and the development of new materials.
Information about the Network
The LEAPS ULTRAFAST network unites Europe’s most advanced photon science centers, giving Fellows access to an exceptional ecosystem of over 20 large-scale facilities and specialized laboratories. The eight partner institutions — DESY, European XFEL, PSI, HZDR, SOLEIL, Lund University (MAX IV), UAM (CMAM), and HFML-FELIX — are at the forefront of global research in ultrafast science, structural biology, materials science, and accelerator physics.
Their flagship infrastructures include:
- DESY (Germany): the PETRA III synchrotron and the FLASH free-electron laser
- European XFEL (Germany): the world's largest X-ray laser
- PSI (Switzerland): the SwissFEL free-electron laser
- HZDR (Germany): the ELBE accelerator and high-power laser systems
- SOLEIL (France): a high-intensity synchrotron
- Lund University (Sweden), operating MAX IV: a next-generation synchrotron light source
- UAM (Spain), operating CMAM: an ion beam facility
- HFML-FELIX (Netherlands): a suite of free-electron lasers
Together, these facilities enable investigations ranging from atomic and molecular dynamics to ultrafast photonics and advanced materials. This dense network of institutions and infrastructures allows each Fellow to shape their own research project from an exceptionally broad portfolio of opportunities — supported by a wide pool of internationally recognized supervisors and research leaders, and extensive collaborations with leading universities, research centers, and industry that support intersectoral mobility and technology transfer.