Postdoc in design of scrap-tolerant and recycling-friendly metallic alloys - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Job description

The metal production and manufacturing industries use enormous amounts of energy and are the largest contributing industries to greenhouse gas emissions. Primary production of metals is the largest part of this and transitioning to production of metallic materials based more on scrap, i.e. secondary raw materials, is a key factor to address several of the sustainability targets of society. This is most important in steel and aluminum production since these are the largest used metallic materials, however, currently only about 30% recycled material is used in alloy production in these alloy systems. There have been some efforts to develop the concept of scrap-tolerant alloy design for aluminum alloys, but more work is needed for metallic materials to improve sustainability in metal production and use.

Computational materials design (CMD) for metallic materials has become more important in the last decade and it provides an excellent opportunity for efficient development of novel metallic alloys that are made from scrap but maintains or improves current performance of the materials. KTH has a long tradition in CMD and over the past 15 years large efforts have been made to further refine the CMD approach for steels to incorporate quantitative experimental characterization and machine learning in the CMD framework. Within this project, the postdoc will further refine the CMD framework with the purpose to design scrap-tolerant steel alloys. The CMD framework will be applied to develop novel proof-of-concept steel alloys and test their performance in demanding applications. Some of the specific scientific challenges that will be addressed in the project relate to: i) sensitivity and effect of impurity elements that inevitably are more prevalent in scrap-based materials, ii) enhancing the compositional tolerance of current alloy recipes since production using mainly scrap-based raw material certainly gives a larger variation of chemical composition between batches.

This recruitment is connected to the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE). WISE, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, is the largest-ever investment in materials science in Sweden and will encompass major efforts at Sweden’s foremost universities over the course of 10 years. The vision is a sustainable future through materials science. Read more

All early-stage researchers recruited into the WISE program will be a part of the WISE Graduate School, an ambitious nationwide program of seminars, courses, research visits, and other activities to promote a strong multi-disciplinary and international network between PhD students, postdocs, researchers, and industry.

What we offer

• A position at a leading technical university that generates knowledge and skills for a sustainable future
• Engaged and ambitious colleagues along with a creative, international and dynamic working environment
• Work in Stockholm, in close proximity to nature
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH
• The possibility to collaborate extensively with industry as well as with international academic partners. 

Read more about what it is like to work at KTH

Qualifications

Requirements

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree within Materials Science, Metallurgy or a related area. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time the employment decision is made
• Excellent English skills, written and spoken, since it is required in the daily work Research expertise in metallurgy Experience in materials characterization 

Preferred qualifications

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline Experience in computational material design (CMD)

Great emphasis will be placed on personal competencies, such as:

• Research expertise
• Teaching abilities
• Collaborative abilities
• Independence
• Communicative and a team player
• Awareness of diversity and equal opportunity issues, with specific focus on gender equality 

Trade union representatives

You will find contact information to trade union representatives on KTH's webpage.

Application

Log into KTH's recruitment system in order to apply for this position. You are the main responsible to ensure that your application is complete according to the ad.

The application must include:

1. CV including relevant professional experience and knowledge
2. Copy of diplomas and grades from your previous university studies. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents have not been issued in any of these languages
3. Brief account of why you want to conduct research, your academic interests and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. Max 2 pages long 

Your complete application must be received at KTH no later than the last day of application, midnight CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

About the employment

The position offered is for, at the most, two years.

A position as a postdoctoral fellow is a time-limited qualified appointment focusing mainly on research, intended as a first career step after a dissertation.

Others

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.

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