Doctoral researchers (PhD Students) in Material Mechanics and Modeling – Helsinki, Finland

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and a staff of more than 4000, of which 400 are professors. Our main campus is located in Espoo, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness in the future as well. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

Aalto University School of Engineering is now looking for 1-2

Doctoral researchers (PhD Students) in Material Mechanics and Modeling

Are you passionate about hands-on advanced experiments as well as high-performance numerical simulation in the field of mechanics of materials?

We are now looking for 1-2 doctoral researchers to work in the field of mechanics of metallic materials in the research group of Prof Junhe Lian at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Aalto University. In this position, you will have a chance to conduct challenging and rewarding research to characterize and simulate the mechanical behavior of metallic materials under a variety of environmental factors, which make great impacts in the research and industrial fields of automotive, aerospace, and energy applications related to the upcoming hydrogen economy.

Our studies in the research group feature a unique and highly interdisciplinary character. The overall ambition is to develop digital solutions in material mechanics by combining advanced experimental techniques, mechanics-based high-performance simulation, and data science-assisted computation. The research topics are driven by academically challenging questions in the field of material mechanics, which involves the deformation, fracture, and hydrogen embrittlement behavior of engineering materials. The research funding comes from major EU and national projects spanning from ERC, RFCS, Research and Innovation, to Future Makers.

Your role and goals

You will be responsible for advancing the fundamental understanding and modeling of mechanics of engineering materials with focuses on i) plasticity and fracture for large deformation, in particular anisotropy and loading history, and ii) multiphysics coupling with thermal and hydrogen interaction. The research involves conducting mechanical experimental work and developing material models/computational techniques to describe the material behavior. You will also manage large-scale and high-performance supercomputer simulations at the Finish Supercomputer Center (CSC) and develop data-based tools to analyze and discuss your results. The work will engage research tasks in several national and EU-funded projects with internal and EU partners. Participating in program meetings and network events is expected. As part of the doctoral program, you will also gain experience in teaching and supervising students. The selected candidate will need to apply for the study right in doctoral studies at Aalto University School of Engineering. Thus, please check the student information and admission criteria at https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-options/aalto-doctoral-programme-in-engineering. In particular, please pay attention to the required (English) language proficiency.

Your experience and ambitions

We are looking for a passioned research that would have:

• Master’s degree or pursuing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Computational Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a similar field;
• Strong background in mechanics (plasticity, fracture, and gradient theory are plus);
• Finite element simulation knowledge and experience with e.g., Abaqus (phase field approach or similar is a plus);
• Computational mechanics knowledge and experiences (developing material subroutines for mechanics or hydrogen-metal interaction is a plus)
• Hand-on mechanical experimental experience and/or capability;
• Coding experience and/or mindset in data processing;
• Excellence in communication and dissemination of research via publications and conference presentations;
• Discipline and organization skills in task and time management;
• Team working experience and spirit.

What we offer

• An active, friendly, and highly collaborative multicultural and multi-disciplinary team – more than 10 closely collaborating members with complementary talents and more than 50 researchers, engineers, and technicians with wide support;
• Cutting-edge modeling experience and urgent & demanding research challenges in the field of sustainable development and green transition;
• Integration to our network of collaborators across the globe (Germany, France, Norway, South Korea, and the United States) with various-form scientific discussions and collaborations (meetings, workshops, conferences, long-term visits, etc.);
• Great possibilities for competence and career development and learning via vibrant training courses and international fair/conference exposure.
• Open, fair, encouraging, collaborative, inclusive, and curiosity-driven work environment to support your ambition and success.
• The doctoral studies at Aalto University take approximately four years. The candidate will be offered a two-year contract with possibility of another two-year extension.  The researcher is expected to commit to complete a Doctoral Dissertation (PhD degree) within this time in the project.
• The starting (gross) salary is 2667 EUR per month. It will increase substantially with achievements, such as scientific publications. The employment contract includes occupational health care, and Finland has a comprehensive social security system. The primary workplace will be the Otaniemi Campus at Aalto University.

Ready to join us?

To apply for the position, please submit your application electronically through our online recruitment system and provide the following documents in English:

• Letter of motivation (1 page)
• CV including a list of publications
• Demonstration of previous project or thesis experience (1-page description with free-format illustration, e.g., Github)
• Degree certificates and academic transcripts
• Contact details of at least two referees (or letters of recommendation, if already available)

The deadline for applications is September 15, 2023 at 23:59 Finnish time (UTC +2). However, early applications are very much encouraged, and we may invite suitable candidates to interview during the application period. The position´s will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate´s are identified. We expect you to start working from September 15 at the earliest and at the latest October 1, 2023. For additional information, kindly contact Prof. Junhe Lian (junhe.lian@aalto.fi). In questions related to the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor Paula Thomsson-Levä (paula.thomsson-leva@aalto.fi .

Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period, reopen the application process, and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

Please note: Aalto University’s employees and visitors should apply for the position via the internal HR system Workday (Internal Jobs –> Find Jobs) by using their existing Workday user account.

SUOMEKSI

Aalto-yliopistossa tiede ja taide kohtaavat tekniikan ja talouden. Rakennamme kestävää tulevaisuutta saavuttamalla läpimurtoja avainalueillamme ja niiden yhtymäkohdissa. Samalla innostamme tulevaisuuden muutoksentekijöitä ja luomme ratkaisuja maailman suuriin haasteisiin. Yliopistoyhteisöömme kuuluu 13 000 opiskelijaa ja yli 4500 työntekijää, joista 400 on professoreita. Kampuksemme sijaitsee Espoon Otaniemessä. Monimuotoisuus on osa meitä, ja teemme jatkuvaa työtä yhteisömme monimuotoisuuden ja syrjimättömyyden varmistamiseksi. Siksi kannustammekin päteviä hakijoita taustasta riippumatta liittymään yhteisöömme.

Aalto-yliopiston Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu hakee 1-2 Väitöskirjatutkijaa Konetekniikan laitokselle. Tutustu tehtävän tavoitteisiin ja odotuksiimme englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta yllä. Haethan tehtävää 15.9.2023 mennessä englanniksi Workday rekrytointijärjestelmäämme ”Apply now” linkistä. Jos olet Aallon työntekijä tai vierailija, haethan sisäistä hakukanavaa käyttäen kirjautumalla ensin Workday-järjestelmään (internal jobs).

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