Postdoc future of sustainable materials for aviation and renewable energy

Postdoc 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 Postdoc 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.
• 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!

Requirements

You hold a PhD in 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 characterization, 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

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customizable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Additional information

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 26 February 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents :

Please note :

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