Doctoral student in Polymeric Materials in Electric Engines - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Polymer Science

A more sustainable society requires that more and more vehicles are equipped with battery-powered electric motors. For a complete change, the engine power needs to be increased and the reliability and long-term properties also need to be improved. A bottleneck in engine performance, and to achieve higher power, is the properties of the plastic insulation that covers the copper wires and other plastic parts of the machine. During service, the insulation is particularly exposed to high temperature, oxygen, moisture and oil, which leads to component aging through oxidation and / or hydrolysis. A failing insulation leads to corrosion of the copper wire and eventually electrical short circuit.

In order to be able to improve the wire insulation and improve the engine's performance, knowledge of how the local environment affects and ages both the insulation and other plastic parts is required. This is an important part of the project, which enables an optimized choice of plastic components, oil additives and cooling systems. The doctoral thesis will be carried out in close collaboration with a research institute and companies with an interest in the performance and development of electric motors for vehicles. This will mean that a test equipment is manufactured to be able to mimic the real engine environment, evaluation of different polymers (chemophysical properties) in this environment and provide proposals for polymer materials, which have not been used in electric motors, for improved performance.

Supervision: The doctoral student will be supervised by Professor Mikael Hedenqvist, KTH.

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.Read more
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree),
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge
• and knowledge on polymeric materials

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6, read more here

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyse and work with complex issues.
• show interest in research
• show interest in polymeric materials in demanding applications.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal competency. 

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years ' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Union representatives

You will find contact information for union representatives on KTH's website.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

You will find contact information for doctoral section on the section's website.

Application

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/entral European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process please read here.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.