Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Mechanical and Production Engineering programme. The position is available from 01 May 2025 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title:Bio-based carbon-negative composites for regenerative construction and industrial packaging
Research area and project description:Project Description: The Graduate School of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University, Denmark, is accepting applications for a PhD position in the Section of Mechanics and Materials at the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering. The position will begin on 1 May 2025 or as soon as possible. This PhD project aims to develop and optimize a new class of bio-based, carbon-negative composites designed for regenerative construction and industrial packaging. The research will primarily focus on developing materials that demonstrate enhanced mechanical and tribological performance, thermal insulation, durability, and recyclability. In addition to the characterization of materials and optimization of fabrication processes, a thorough life cycle assessment (LCA) will be conducted to evaluate environmental impacts throughout the product’s lifespan. These results will inform strategies for reducing carbon emissions and advancing regenerative material cycles.
Research Area: The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team with expertise spanning mechanical engineering, materials science, and building science. You will be joining an innovative and exciting cross-disciplinary research team which has excellent infrastructure and access to state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities for the project. You are expected to autonomously carry out research work under supervision. You may co-supervise students (MSc and BSc) in their projects. You will expand your research portfolio and share your research findings through high-impact publications and presentations at international conferences, contributing to innovative material characterization techniques with enhanced accuracy, flexibility, and automation.
Project description: For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.
Qualifications and specific competences:Applicants must hold a Master of Science (MSc) in Mechanical, Civil, or a related discipline.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate:
- Hands-on expertise in mechanical testing methodologies, particularly in tribological property characterization and composite material testing.
- A strong interdisciplinary background in mechanical design and construction.
- Experience with bio-based materials, polymer 3D printing technology, and life cycle assessment (LCA).
- Self-motivated, proactive, team-oriented, and goal-focused approach to research and collaboration
- Full proficiency in English
Place of employment and place of work:The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Katrinebjergvej 89F, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.
Contacts:Applicants seeking further information regarding the position are invited to contact:
- Ramin Aghababaei, ra@mpe.au.dk (main supervisor)
- Steffen Petersen, stp@cae.au.dk (co-supervisor)
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our
application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:
How to apply:Please follow
this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 11 April 2025 at 23:59 CEST
Preferred starting date is 01 May 2025
Please note:
- Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
- The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
- Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.