Available PhD topics

Scholarships are available

Mechanics of nanostructured materials

PhD project: The strength and reliability of engineering materials are related to the internal microstructure, which includes materials imperfections (eg, interfaces, impurities, dislocations) with their respective size and distances to each other. Nanostructured materials have extraordinary and unexpected properties compared to traditional engineering alloys due to a nanoscale microstructure. These nanostructures of engineering materials have an internal length scale imposed by the spacing of imperfections (ie, interfaces), which can be phase boundaries in nanocrystalline metals or nanocomposites and/or free-surfaces in, for example, nanowires or nanoparticles. In general, the emerging strength, reliability and stability are related to the properties of these interfaces and how these interfaces interact with other imperfections in nanomaterials.

This project aims to relate the interface structure to the interface properties of advanced engineering materials by using atomistic simulations methods on high-performance computers and by testing machine learning strategies in their predictive power.

From the atom to a turbine: Computational materials engineering of novel high-temperature materials

PhD project: The future demand for higher energy efficiency in transportation and energy conversion hinges on the available high-temperature materials. For the required significant increase in operating temperatures in energy conversion processes, new high-temperature alloys beyond traditional Ni-basis superalloys have to be explored. Candidate materials that come to mind because of their high melting points are refractory metals. However, refractory elements typically have brittle glass-like behaviour at low temperatures, which jeopardises the structural integrity of turbines. Using atomistic simulations on high-performance computers, the candidate will identify and predict the key materials processes which classify metallic materials as brittle. The goal is to develop a simulations-informed predictive design map of high-temperature materials.

The ideal PhD candidate will have experience in materials. High-level computer skills, including MPI and experience with various HPC platforms, is highly desirable. The applicants must have a background in engineering or a relevant discipline in physics or chemistry. Applications from women are strongly encouraged.