Doctoral student in Advanced characterisation/modelling of tungsten

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Materials Science

Materials that can withstand extreme heat, pressure, and corrosion are essential for the energy, aerospace, and clean tech industries. Tungsten excels in all these areas, but its use is limited by its brittleness and very high melting point, which make it difficult to process with conventional methods. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ElectronsMatter network is addressing this challenge through electron beam powder bed fusion, a cutting-edge additive manufacturing technique. By combining modelling, process optimisation, and advanced materials characterisation, the project aims to produce crack-free tungsten components.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KTH is now recruiting two PhD students to join this European network, contribute to the research, and receive training in sustainable manufacturing and advanced materials.

Briefly about the two projects:

Microstructure modelling: You will develop thermodynamic and kinetic descriptions of tungsten and its alloys. These results will be integrated into microstructure models to predict phase transformations and grain structure during electron beam powder bed fusion. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with experimental researchers to validate the models and contribute to the development of crack-free tungsten components.

Advanced materials characterisation: You will characterise tungsten and its alloys at the atomic level using techniques such as atom probe tomography (APT) and electron-ion microscopy. The focus will be on identifying and understanding the effects of trace and alloying elements on microstructure and properties. The work will be closely linked to the microstructure modelling, with experimental data feeding into models and contributing to the development of crack-free tungsten components.

Supervision: Greta Lindwall and Peter Hedström 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.
• Allowances- In addition to the starting basic salary mentioned in above link, all positions within Marie Curie contains a mobility allowance and possible family allowance. For more info Basic salary and supplementary allowances are specified pre tax. 
• 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.
• Guidance on relocating and settling in at KTH and in Sweden
• Opportunity to collaborate with researchers from academia, research institutes, and industry as part of the ElectronsMatter network.
• An international research training environment with research secondments at partner universities and in industry, as well as joint doctoral courses and training schools.

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:

• Mobility rules - Candidates must not have resided or conducted their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Sweden for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately preceding the recruitment date,
• 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
• A Master’s degree in Materials Science or a related field is required.

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
• analyze and work with complex issues.
• Type in if there are additional personal qualities or other meritorious knowledge and experience desirable (but not a requirement for eligibility) for your particular doctoral position, ex. linguistic skills.

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. 

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.
• 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.