PhD Position Future of Sustainable Materials for Aviation and Renewable Energy.s

PhD Position Future of Sustainable Materials for Aviation and Renewable Energy

Join us in shaping the future of sustainable materials for aviation and renewable energy.

Job description

Natural composite materials exhibit highly specialized heterogeneous architectures, finely tuned to meet functional demands. Examples include plant cellulose structures and mineralized collagen in bone and teeth. These natural systems combine opposing properties, such as strength and low density or stiffness and wear resistance, highlighting their potential to overcome limitations in human-made fiber-reinforced composites. However, replicating this complexity remains a challenge due to current manufacturing limitations in controlling composition and fiber orientation.

To address this gap, we aim to develop fundamental insights into creating novel microstructures using discontinuous recycled carbon fibers to manufacture biologically inspired composites with unprecedented heterogeneous architectures. Recycled fibers hold significant promise in stress-critical applications during their second life cycle, provided critical hurdles are overcome.

As a PhD researcher, your focus will include scaling and mechanical characterization of these innovative material concepts, alongside exploring end-of-life solutions. This work will complement efforts by another PhD researcher specializing in microbiology, genetic engineering, and biomaterials.

Proposed Research Objectives:

• Fabrication and Demonstration: Develop sub-meter scaled demonstrators that can be shaped into composites, disassembled, and reused across multiple life cycles.
• Scientific Challenges:
• Optimize the use of reinforcements/tapes in structural components.
• Evaluate the impact of manufacturing processes on previously achieved functionalization.
• Study (de)consolidation behaviors and product quality under fast heating and cooling rates during additive manufacturing and automated fibre placement.
• Leverage material functionalization for easy disassembly (design for disassembly).
• Analyze property and quality variations over multiple processing cycles.

Why Join Us? Shape the Future of Sustainable Materials!

This research offers a groundbreaking pathway to advanced composite materials with intelligent, circular systems, directly supporting the 2050 sustainable aviation goals. Beyond aviation, this approach holds immense potential for wind energy systems, driving progress toward global renewable energy objectives.

• Shape the Future: Contribute to a pioneering project that combines science, creativity, and sustainability to transform industries.
• Supportive Environment: Thrive in a collaborative team where your voice matters, your ideas are valued, and diverse perspectives are celebrated.
• Sustainable Impact: Lead cutting-edge materials research addressing critical global challenges in aviation, energy, and beyond.
• Real-World Applications: Bring your work to life with scaled demonstrators, making a tangible impact on sustainable solutions.

The project will be jointly supervised by Kunal Masania and Julie Teuwen, and hosted in the faculty of Aerospace Engineering. This is a chance to help shape a greener, smarter future while growing in an inspiring and inclusive environment. If you’re passionate about innovation and purpose-driven research, we’d love to hear from you. Together, let’s create something extraordinary!

Requirements

You hold a Masters in a materials science, engineering or a related discipline. You have an excellent scientific track record through the achievements in your research. You are proficient in meticulous lab work, chemical/mechanical characterisation and skilled in turning an idea into a prototype implementation. You enjoy pioneering new ideas, linking results with physical experiments and thrive in an interactive, collaborative research environment. Further, you have good English communication skills and a strong drive for academic excellence.

TU Delft

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Aerospace Engineering

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology is one of the world’s most highly ranked (and most comprehensive) research, education and innovation communities devoted entirely to aerospace engineering. More than 200 science staff, around 270 PhD candidates and close to 3000 BSc and MSc students apply aerospace engineering disciplines to address the global societal challenges that threaten us today, climate change without doubt being the most important. Our focal subjects: sustainable aerospace, big data and artificial intelligence, bio-inspired engineering and smart instruments and systems. Working at the faculty means working together. With partners in other faculties, knowledge institutes, governments and industry, both aerospace and non-aerospace. Working in field labs and innovation hubs on our university campus and beyond.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1.5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €2901 per month in the first year to €3707 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Kunal Masania, via K.Masania@tudelft.nl.