Doctoral student in Solid Mechanics with focus on experimental granular mechanics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Subject description
Many natural and industrial material processes of granular and powder systems occur over a range of different spatio-temporal scales and involve complex local mechanisms between and within the constituent particles. Recent advances in x-ray imaging and diffraction methods have opened up new possibilities to explore the kinematics and stress distributions in granular materials, including at very high strain rates. Our group at Lund University has been at the forefront of some of these developments and we are now looking for a highly motivated person to work on a PhD project developing experiments to exploit these techniques in the exploration of deformation mechanisms, force transmission and dynamic effects in granular materials.

Work duties
The doctoral student will work on:

• development of novel experiments using advanced x-ray imaging/diffraction;
• running experimental campaigns;
• analysing the data, including the development of new algorithms, where appropriate;
• relating the experimental results to theories/modelling of granular mechanics.

Experiments will be performed at the 4D Imaging Lab at Lund University, as well as at international x-ray facilities, such as MAXIV (Lund), ESRF (Grenoble, France) and the European XFEL (Hamburg, Germany).

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant: 

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Solid Mechanics if the applicant has:

• at least 90 credits in the field, including at least 45 second-cycle credits and a second-cycle degree project of 30 credits in the field, or
• a MSc in civil engineering, engineering physics, engineering mathematics or mechanical engineering.

Additional requirements:

• Good knowledge in physics and solid/geo mechanics
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Assessment criteria
Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
2. Ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
3. Written and oral communication skills.
4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g., professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:

• an interest in experimental methods, advanced data/image analysis and computer programming;
• Good knowledge of x-ray techniques, imaging methods and image analysis/reconstruction, e.g.tomography;
• experience in computer programming in Matlab®, python, C, or equivalent.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment
Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).