Doctoral student polymeric materials in nuclear power plants

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Polymer Technology / Materials Science

We are building a long-term research environment in nuclear technology at KTH to deliver safer life extension estimations of existing Swedish nuclear power plants. The environment integrates three pillars: (i) fundamental understanding of ageing mechanisms in safety-critical polymer components under service-relevant thermal, radiative, and environmental conditions, including mitigation strategies; (ii) non-destructive condition monitoring based on portable, single-sided low-field T2-NMR adapted for plant use; and (iii) uncertainty-aware AI models embedded in digital twin workflows that fuse laboratory and online plant measurements to predict remaining useful life (RUL) and support risk-based inspection, maintenance, and replacement.

The purpose of this subproject, as part of the research environment in nuclear technology, is to focus on the mechanisms and kinetics of ageing of polymeric components in nuclear power plants (NPPs), which will enable a higher precision in life-time estimation of components used to day, and a basis for the design of new materials with extended lifetime in future installations. Examples of research questions are: How do temperature, irradiation, humidity, dose rate and oxygen availability interact to drive chemical/mobility changes in cables, seals and coatings?Under what conditions do DLO and plasticiser migration dominate, and how can acceleration protocols remain representative?

The project is carried out in close collaboration with other subprojects within the programme, including material development and AI-based modelling, and provides the doctoral student with access to a strong research environment with modern infrastructure and international collaborations.

Supervision: Mikael Hedenqvist is proposed as the main supervisor. Assistant supervisor: Payam Pourmand Richard Olsson, Fritjof Nilsson are proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

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

In addition to the general eligibility requirements, the applicant must have:

• a Master of Science in Engineering degree or a Master’s degree in Materials Science, Polymer Technology, Engineering Physics, Chemical Engineering, or equivalent
• documented knowledge of polymeric materials, material characterization, or material physics.

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.

Meritorious:

• experience in aging studies and degradation of polymers
• experience in characterization with spectroscopy (e.g. FTIR/NMR), and mechanical testing

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.

As a doctoral student, you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement. Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) | KTH | Sweden.

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

Doctoral Students`network (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

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.

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