Swerea SICOMP is one of Europe’s leading research institutes in the field of polymer fibre composites. We work with applied composites research, development and training in an international environment. At our disposal we have cutting-edge expertise, well-equipped laboratories and an extensive international network via ongoing national and international joint projects and collaboration. Swerea SICOMP is part of the Swerea Group consisting of five research institutes with the task to produce, develop and disseminate research results in the areas materials, production and product development.

Two Early Stage Researchers: Composites in crash

2 positions

We are recruiting two Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie European Training Network, as part of a 4 year €4M EU Horizon 2020 project focused on improving the crashworthiness of composite transportation structures (ICONIC). The project complements our ongoing collaboration with Swedish and European automotive industry, who are expecting significantly increased use of fibre reinforced composite materials in future cars and trucks.

General conditions

The Researchers will be funded for three years, as a part of a 4.5 year Swedish PhD programme.

Your main responsibility as a PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing. You will be supervised by well-reputed senior researchers at Swerea SICOMP, but will be registered at Chalmers University of Technology, where you will participate in PhD courses and assist in some teaching. Within the ICONIC project you will collaborate with other European project partners and researchers.

Salary: EUR2,794 per month before tax converted into SEK. An additional EUR250 per month is provided for applicants with a family.

Work location: Mölndal-Gothenburg

Qualifications

To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a Master's degree or equivalent corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field such as mechanical engineering, aeronautics, engineering physics or engineering mathematics. The position requires good verbal and written communication skills in English.

You like to work independently and you plan and think strategically. You are creative and like to put new ideas into practice. You have a solid interest in modelling material behaviour, and you understand and are able to handle numerical codes and data quickly and correctly. You like to work in interdisciplinary projects and have the ability to discuss and communicate your work with people of different backgrounds. We believe that you are a motivated person, with a strong curiosity and a genuine wish to learn and develop your skills and knowledge further.

Positions and requirements

ESR7 will focus on including strain rate effects in advanced material models for finite element simulation of composite structures in crash situations. The work will also involve evaluation of dynamic tests and participation in such tests, as well as interaction with other PhD students working on a model without strain rate effects. Applicants should have a good foundation in structural analysis and solid mechanics. Experience in composite mechanics, programming in Fortran, Matlab or Python and FE analysis with ABAQUS or LS-Dyna is highly preferential.

Further information: Robin Olsson, see contact details below.

ESR12 will focus on multidisciplinary optimisation for design of crashworthy composite components, accounting for the interaction between materials, reinforcement architecture, manufacturing process, costs, quality and crash performance. The work will involve studies of available resins and fibres and their properties, effects of fibre architecture, available manufacturing methods, effect of process parameters and their influence on quality and cost, health & safety issues and hands-on experience. Applicants should have a good foundation in solid mechanics, numerical methods and optimisation. Experience in composite mechanics, materials science, programming in Fortran, Matlab or Python and FE analysis with ABAQUS or LS-Dyna is highly preferential.

Further information: Maciej Wysocki, see contact details below.

Application procedure

NOTE: Persons who have been registered as residents in Sweden any time after October 2013 are not eligible for these positions.

The application should be written in English and include the following items:

1. Personal letter: (Please name the document: LETTER, family name)

• 1-2 pages where you introduce yourself and present your qualifications, including previous work or research and results as well as future goals and research interests.

2. Application: (Please name the document: APPLICATION, family name)

• CV, including previous employments, leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

3. Supporting documents:

• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education
• Attested copies of grades and other certificates, eg. TOEFL test results
• Copies of Bachelor and/or Master’s thesis

 

Application deadline: Sunday 6th November 2016

Anticipated interview date: End of November 2016

 

Application

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