Are you wondering what superlubricity and shear-induced phase transformations are, what role they play in technical applications and how they can benefit our climate?

A postdoctoral and a PhD position are available in the group “Multiscale Modelling and Tribosimulations” at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg, Germany.

The "Multiscale Modelling and Tribosimulation" group is led by Prof. Michael Moseler and focuses on finding relationships between macroscopic tribological properties and their underlying mechanisms on the micro- and nanoscale through multiscale numerical simulations. This approach, which bridges electronic, atomistic, mesoscopic and continuum modelling scales, enables a fundamental optimisation of industrial tribological systems. In particular, quantum-chemical modelling of tribological contacts using density-functional-theory-based methods has proven to be a valuable approach in recent years to cover the different friction regimes in complex material pairings and lubricant formulations and to provide targeted suggestions for friction and wear reduction in technical systems.  

The successful candidate will be part of the team “Atomic-scale Evolution of Tribomaterials” and will work on quantum-mechanical modelling of tribochemical processes in dry and lubricated tribological contacts.

Your tasks

You will work on public and industry-funded research projects on the topic of quantum-chemical modelling and elucidation of fundamental physical and chemical processes in dry and lubricated tribological contacts.

You will develop innovative models to clarify tribological processes with the help of density functional theory (DFT) and tight binding (TB) simulations.

You will develop algorithms for the evaluation of simulation results.

You will prepare scientific reports, write scientific publications and present your research results at conferences and in project meetings with your industrial customers.

Your profile

You hold a PhD/Master in physics or chemistry.

You have a strong background in DFT or TB and basic knowledge of molecular dynamics.

You are inquisitive and enjoy dealing with materials science and materials chemistry problems and goal-oriented approaches to solving them.

You like to use your talent in the development and application of theoretical methods for material physics research.

You are creative, enjoy working in interdisciplinary teams and are used to working independently.

You convince your customers with your friendly manner and your solution-oriented way of working.

Our profile

You will work with a motivated team in an innovative research institute with challenging scientific research topics and versatile projects with a high practical relevance.

You can take advantage of our wide-ranging opportunities for further development, both professionally and personally.

Thanks to flexible working hours and mobile working, you can easily combine family and career.

With 29,000 employees and 75 institutes, Fraunhofer is the largest organisation for application-oriented research in Europe. Our research fields are geared towards people's needs: Health, Safety, Communication, Mobility, Energy and Environment. We are creative, we shape technology, we design products, we improve processes, we open up new paths.

Employment conditions

Employment, remuneration and social benefits are based on the collective agreement for the public service (TVöD).

The position is limited to 2 years.

The weekly working time is 39 hours. Part-time work is possible.

Severely disabled persons will be given preference in case of equal suitability.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft attaches importance to professional equality irrespective of gender.

Application

Please send your application along with you CV, list of publications and academic certificates to Dr Gianpietro Moras ([email protected]) and do not hesitate to contact him if you have any questions regarding the position.