Directorship of the Ras al Khaimah Centre for Advanced Materials

The new Ras al Khaimah Centre for Advanced Materials (RAK-CAM) will be established in the United Arab Emirates in Fall 2007 under the Patronage of His Highness Sheik Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi. The centre will fill multiple ambitious roles for the Emirate:

1. become a flagship for advanced materials research in the Middle East.
2. provide educational and training opportunities for aspiring scientists and engineers from the Emirate and the region as a whole.
3. carry out research in support of local industries.
4. spawn new business opportunities in the form of start-up companies.
5. create new options to ensure energy security and sustainable development in Ras al Khaimah

The scope of RAK-CAM will embrace interdisciplinary materials science in the broadest sense, from structural materials to advanced electronic materials and biomaterials. In the first instance, RAK-CAM will comprise a Director, an Associate Director, 8 research scientists, and several visiting professors These will be supported by a permanent technical and administrative staff as well as short-term (3 year) post-doctoral researchers and graduate students. A stateof-the-art 6000m2 building is currently being designed, and construction is expected to commence in late 2007. The research topics pursued in the Centre will include many of the following areas:

• Advanced structural materials, ceramics and composites
• Polymeric materials (including plastic and molecular electronics)
• Inorganic materials, e.g. minerals and novel synthetic inorganics
• Electronic materials, e.g. compound semiconductors, solid state lighting
• Nanomaterials for diverse applications
• Biomaterials, e.g. materials for biofuel technologies
• Materials for solar energy applications
• Energy storage systems, including rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors
• Materials for environmental remediation and hydrocarbon processing e.g. catalysis and separations
• Materials for water purification and conservation technologies

RAK-CAM is seeking a Director with a distinguished track record in the broad materials science area in either academia, industry or a national laboratory. He will also have extensive experience in administration and leadership. The specific duties of the Director will include playing a central role in recruiting the research staff for RAK-CAM, selecting and purchasing appropriate equipment for the laboratories, and running an active research program. A search committee comprising Anthony K. Cheetham, Director of the International Center for Materials Research at UC Santa Barbara (Chair), Mildred Dresselhaus, Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Richard H. Friend, Professor of Physics at the University of Cambridge, Michael L. Klein, Director of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Materials at the University of Pennsylvania, C.N.R. Rao, Linus Pauling Professor at the Jawaharlal Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore, and the Hon. Peter Watson, will select the Director.

The Director will receive an internationally competitive salary, tax-free, and a omprehensive benefits package including accommodation, health coverage, an educational allowance for dependents, etc. Further particulars can be obtained from info@rakcam.org. Applications, comprising a full resume, list of publications, a 3-page research proposal, and the names and addresses of 3 referees, should be sent electronically to SearchCommitee@rakcam.org. The closing date for applications will be October. 1, 2007, and short-listed candidates will be called for interview in November or December 2007. The position will be available from January 2008 onwards.

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