Postdoctoral position in Fluorescence and phosphorescence sensors for smart manufacturing - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace

The position is situated in the Division of Production and Materials Engineering (IProd) at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, LTH/LU. The division conducts research, development, teaching and industrial collaboration in the field of materials and production engineering with projects such as on Industry 4.0, machining, digitalization of manufacturing processes and sustainable production. The subject area is interdisciplinary and is often on the cross-road of the fundamental and applied research. In the context of Industry 4.0, sensor-based process monitoring and decision making are used to generate fundamental understanding of the production processes and their optimization and to study research questions set by industry. We are interested in new materials, processes, and approaches to achieve understanding of fundamental dynamic processes in modern manufacturing. Our research group is of 20 senior and junior research personnel.

Subject description

Within the scope of ongoing project to develop sensors exploiting the fluorescence and phosphorescence phenomena in ceramic materials for measurement of temperature and stresses in metal cutting or machining. Focus is on sensor concepts and prototypes suitable for cutting tools used in metal cutting under extreme environments of high temperature and high pressure. Upscaling of sensor manufacturing and their productionizing is outside the scope of subject area.

Work duties

The main duties involved in a post-doctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20 % of working hours. The position includes the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning. The purpose of the position is to develop the independence as a researcher and to create the opportunity of further development.

The aim of the project is to develop non-invasive sensors for measurement of temperature and stresses in cutting tools used for machining operations. The main effort will be on research of phosphorescence phenomena in ceramic materials for measurement of point temperature and temperature field in cutting tools. Equally important is the focus on sensors exploiting the fluorescence phenomena for measurement of elastic stresses in metal cutting. Particular focus will be on research on novel sensor concepts, manufacturing of prototypes, their calibration, testing and analysis of their performance. The project is related to the engineering area of tooling industry (e.g. Seco Tools, Sandvik Coromant). Experimental work will be performed at the Division of Production and Materials Engineering and division of Combustion Physics, Lund University. As a postdoctoral fellow, you will be responsible for the development of project ideas, planning, designing, and executing experiments independently, and in collaboration with academic supervisors and industrial partners.

Supervision of thesis projects and graduate students may also be included as a work task. Likewise, we would like you to participate in common tasks related to general institutional tasks, seminars, knowledge transfer and cooperation with industry, etc.

Qualification requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position. The certificate proving the qualification requirement is met, must be received before the employment decision is made. Priority will be given to candidates who have graduated no more than three years ago before the last day for application. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

• You have very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• You have a doctoral degree within physics or materials science of fluorescence and phosphorescence phenomena, or a related subject.
• You have minimum one year of hands-on experience of exploiting the fluorescence or phosphorescence phenomena for the purposes of surface temperature or stress measurement.
• You have good problem-solving and linguistic analytical abilities.
• You are expected to work independently, but also to interact with the academic and industrial collaborators, and researchers from other subjects.
• You are structured and goal-oriented.

Assessment criteria

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject and its connection to the application area.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research within the subject area.
• Teaching skills.

Other qualifications:

Experience in any of the following areas will be considered an asset:

• Documented theoretical or practical experience in the research area of sensor use - in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering and especially in machining.
• Documented theoretical knowledge of lifetime-based phosphor thermometry, including selection of sensor materials, signal collection, detection, data sampling, post-processing and calibration procedures.
• Experimental work related to fluorescence/phosphorescence material formulation and material deposition.
• Experimental work on the application of fluorescence/phosphorescence for diagnostics of mechanical systems.
• Hands-on experience of using phosphorescent materials as sensors for remote probing of temperature or stress.
• Experience from applying phosphorescent sensor materials beneath or inside ceramic substrates.

Consideration will also be given to how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee Work at Lund University

Further information

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”).

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English. Please draw up the application in accordance with LTH’s Academic qualifications portfolio – see link below. Upload the application as PDF-files in the recruitment system. Read more: To apply for academic positions at LTH

Welcome with your application!