The Faculty of Engineering Technology (CTW) is one of the six faculties of the University of Twente. CTW combines Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Our faculty has approximately 1800 bachelor and master students, 400 employees and 150 PhD candidates. The departments of the faculty cooperatively conduct the educational programmes and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programmes and the research institutes: MIRA, CTIT, and IGS.
With the growing demand for reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing, while improving product integrity and downstream impact, outstanding surface control is increasingly important in modern manufacturing. This project concerns the development of a new, high precision manufacturing technique using laser ablation. The project will use pulsed laser systems to investigate and develop functional surface textures. The project is inherently multi-disciplinary and will include the development of experimental setup, experimental validation and theoretical modelling. The PhD-candidate (4 years, fully paid) will join the Department of Mechanics of Solids, Surfaces and Systems (MS3) within the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the University of Twente. The research will be untaken within both the Chair of Applied Laser Technology (http://www.utwente.nl/ctw/wa/research/laser/) and the Chair of Surface Technology and Tribology http://www.utwente.nl/ctw/tr/ of MS3. These research groups specialize in science-based engineering applications of modern optics and laser technology, surface design and tribo-(chemical) contacts. All work is underpinned by strong links to the steel Industry.
Your profile
We seek an enthusiastic PhD candidate with a background in or affinity with mechanical or manufacturing engineering, physics, materials science, or (laser) process control. Some of the desired skills can be acquired during an individual training programme of 840 hours that is part of the PhD project. We consider it important that the candidate is able to view his/her research from a broader perspective (within the scientific world and towards the practical application) and that he/she is willing and able to collaborate closely with other researchers and the Industrial partner. Therefore, we welcome entrepreneurial candidates with an open mind, strong communicative skills and excellent comprehension of English, in both spoken language and writing. You need to provide IELTS or TOEFL test results. Comprehension of the Dutch language is beneficial. To summarize, the successful candidate will have a strong background in process engineering and an innovative mind-set. Being able to think outside the box and having a drive to achieve tangible results will augment good communication skills and an excellent command of the English language. Good experimental skills are essential.
Our offer We offer a fulltime position as a PhD candidate. The salary for a PhD candidate starts at € 2083,-gross per month for the first year and extends to a maximum of € 2664,- gross per month in the fourth year (in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). In addition, the University of Twente offers attractive fringe benefits.
Information and Application
For more information about this vacancy you can contact Dr. David Matthews, (d.t.a.matthews@utwente.nl) or Dr.ir. Gert-willem Römer +31 53 489 2519 (g.r.b.e.romer@utwente.nl), http://www.utwente.nl/ctw/wa/people/g.r.b.e._romer/. More information about the department is available at http://www.utwente.nl/ctw/ms3. The start of the project is planned for Autumn/Winter 2014. Candidates that expect to graduate around the start of this project are also invited to apply. Please send your application before 14 December 2014, with a curriculum vitae, transcript (list with grades of courses attended), references and, if applicable, a list of publications through the link http://www.utwente.nl/vacatures/