Description:

The Materials Center Leoben Forschung GmbH offers a PhD position focused on design of metallic materials with improved resistance against crack nucleation at grain boundaries. The candidate will perform atomistic simulations based on semi-empirical methods and DFT to simulate dislocation-grainboundary interaction and the critical stresses triggering crack nucleation events. The impact of structural modifications of the GB arising e.g. from segregation shall be explored. The position will be a part of a joint project between MCL and several European research partners.

Institution: 

The Materials Center Leoben Forschung GmbH (MCL) is the leading competence centre in the field of material science in Austria with about 150 employees. The group of Atomistic Modeling at MCL has a focus on ab-initio calculations of structural and functional materials, currently comprising 10 people. It is closely connected to the Montanuniversität Leoben and the University of Graz as well as an excellent network of international research partners.

Requirements:

• Master degree in Condensed Matter Physics, Computational Materials Science or a related field.

• Basic knowledge of DFT computational methods, a scripting language (python, bash), Mathematica/Matlab as well as Linux is highly appreciated.

• Communication skills in English: Ability to discuss results, write scientific papers/reports and present results at project meetings and international conferences.

• Additional spoken and/or written German skills are welcome, but not necessary for this position.

• Communication and teamwork skills: Close interaction with other project members, including experimentalists and theoreticians, is crucial for the success of the project.

We offer:

• 3-year PhD position.

• Salary: 2.731 € per month pre-tax, plus Christmas and Holiday allowances (13th + 14th salary).

• Start: July 1, 2017.

• Interdisciplinary environment with close connection to European academia

• Opportunity to take part in international conferences/workshops/schools (1-2 per year)

• Supervision: Prof. Reinhard Pippan and Dr. Lorenz Romaner.

Documents sent will be screened by an evaluating committee and the shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

Contact: Dr. Lorenz Romaner  ([email protected])

Complete applications should include a CV, a copy of the degree thesis or a draft (in case the defense has not taken place yet), a complete list of attended courses with grades, list of publications, contact details of two reference persons. It should be submitted to Dr. Lorenz Romaner. The review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.