Doctoral student in engineering materials science

Project description

Third-cycle subject:  Doctoral students in Competence center NEXT – Neutron and X-ray science for industrial technology transitions      

We are looking for a PhD student in material characterization and the connection to physical modeling, at the Hultgren Lab unit at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The doctoral position is aimed at enabling sustainable industrial transformations via establishing high-throughput material characterization protocols at large-scale synchrotron and neutron facilities, e.g. PETRA III in Hamburg and ILL in Grenoble. The work will involve the development of new methods and test environments for simulating industrial manufacturing processes, which enablethe materials’ microstructure development to be studied effectively. Furthermore, new analysis methods will be developed to be able to handle the large amount of data generated in the large-scale experiments, and so we will explore AI methods for the analysis as well as work with automation as far as possible. Therefore, interest in experimental measurements as well as analysis and programming are  important for this particular doctoral position. The high-throughput methodology that will be developed ought to be material agnostic. Nonetheless, we will apply the methodology to advanced steels, nickel superalloys and cemented carbide for proof-of-concept and to generate important information for sustainable transformations in these material areas. The work will take place in collaboration with partners from academia, research institutes, companies and large-scale infrastructures. Furthermore, the doctoral education takes place in collaboration with international partners and will include some travel to various large-scale infrastructures around the world

Supervision: Peter Hedström and Tao Zhou is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

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.
• 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.
• The opportunity to collaborate with researchers in academia, institutes, industry and infrastructure within a competence center with the aim of enabling sustainable industrial transformations
• An international work environment with collaboration and stays internationally, e.g. at large-scale infrastructures for experiments.

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), or
• 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
• MSc in Materials Science and Engineering or equivalent.

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

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.

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

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. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

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

Contact information for doctoral section.

To apply for the position

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/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge. Please clearly state courses in the Materials Science and Engineering field.
• 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.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant's consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

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.