Postdoctoral position in Materials Engineering - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description

The Faculty of Health, Science and Technology is now accepting applications Postdoctoral position in Materials Engineering. The position focuses on manufacturing and tribology of PVD coatings. The vacancy is at the Department of Engineering and Physics, which is characterised by a friendly, inspiring and international atmosphere, with a large number of employees from all over the world.

Mechanical and Materials Engineering is one of three subjects at the Department of Engineering and Physics, which employs approximately 60 people – of which 11 are professors. We offer PhD programmes in materials engineering, industrial engineering and management, and physics; master’s programmes in mechanical engineering, and others. The Department conducts research in materials engineering focused on advanced steels and materials produced by additive manufacturing, as well as areas of fatigue and tribology. Current research in tribology is multidisciplinary in character, and related to a correlation between microstructure and tribological performance of advanced materials.

Due to the postdoctoral appointment’s nature as a career-development position for junior researchers, we are looking for candidates who have completed their PhD no more than three years before the application deadline. The advertised position offers opportunities to carry out a research projects in a close collaboration with Swedish industry. Coating manufacturing and materials characterization facilities available at KAU and industrial tests will be included in the project. Additionally, teaching and professional development are also part of the duties of a junior researcher.

Duties

Main duties comprise research in development and characterization of hard ceramic PVD coatings for machining applications. The postdoc will contribute in theoretical justification regarding the choice of the type and composition of the new coatings, participate in vacuum arc manufacturing of the multiphase hard PVD coatings and, carry out the necessary microstructural, mechanical and tribological tests with a focus on machining tests. The research activities will be in line with ongoing research carried out at the Department. Some of the experiments will be conducted in collaboration with industrial partners, at their R&D laboratories.

The candidate is also expected to conduct some teaching and tutoring at advanced level, as well as participate in professional development activities. Teaching and professional development takes up a maximum of 20% of the working time. To contribute to a positive work environment and further the Department’s activities, you are expected to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants are required to hold a PhD in Mechanical/Materials Engineering or Materials Physics, or have equivalent qualifications from abroad. The PhD must be completed before a decision to appoint an applicant is made.

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants must have completed the degree no more than three years before the application deadline. Qualifications obtained earlier may be considered if there are special grounds, such as sick leave, parental leave, clinical service, service as a union representative, military service or similar, or service/assignment of relevance to the appointment.

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants must have well-documented expertise in the PVD manufacturing technology of hard coatings, the experimental characterization of microstructure, texture and performance of thin PVD coatings including tribological tests.

A good command of English is required.

Assessment criteria

Special weight will be given to:

• Documented research experience related to vacuum arc PVD coatings’ deposition method.
• Documented experience of experimental characterisation (XRD, SEM, EBSD, etc.) of PVD coatings.
• Documented experience of tribological characterization of hard PVD coatings with focus on machining applications.

Considerable weight will be given to:

• Personal qualities, such as communicative skills, the ability to cooperate, dedication, and a positive attitude towards colleagues and students, being able to work independently and taking initiative.
• Developed national and international network with academic and industrial partners. Experience in collaborating with the wider community, as well as communicating research findings and results of development work.

Weight will be given to:

• Recognised or distinguished teaching and assessment skills.
• Completed course in higher education pedagogy
• International work experience.

Terms

Fixed-term full-time employment of 2 years, starting at 1 October 2024 or by agreement.

The position requires that the applicant brings own external funding equal to 100% of a fulltime position.

Application

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:

• CV
• cover letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and research interests in relation to the duties of the position
• list of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
• copy of PhD degree or information on when it is expected to be completed
• copy of doctoral thesis and other relevant publications
• language proficiency certificates
• two references, at least one of which is a current or former supervisor
• document confirming available own funding equal to 100% of a fulltime postdoc position.

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent to:

Karlstads universitet
HR-administratör
651 88 Karlstad

State the reference number: REK2024/116

Application deadline: 2024-07-21

We look forward to your application!

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.