£36,929 per annum in accordance with Marie Curie Scholarship

Applications are invited for the above post to work with Professor Dragos Axinte on a European funded project in the area of energy beam processing to underpin work at the University of Nottingham.  The successful candidates will register for a 3-year PhD in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering within the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) program that University coordinates: STEEP: from Modelling to Industrial Applications.

Project 1: Modelling of scaling aspects of the beam footprint in waterjet machining.

Project 2: Modelling the interactions between footprints in any energy beam (laser, waterjet, focus ion beam) machining.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of a unified STEEP modelling platform of the footprints as result of energy beams (waterjet, laser, ion beam) – workpiece interactions. These projects will involve: numerical modelling techniques; on hand experience on abrasive waterjet/pulsed laser/focussed ion beam machining; understanding the physics of material removal by abrasive, thermal and momentum transfer methods; surface and materials analysis techniques; liaison with industry and professional associations in UK and EU. The candidates will benefit from the Hi-Tech facilities and expertise which the division possess at world-leading level.

The overall aim of STEEP (ITN) is to establish a transnational research training platform for the formation and career development of young researchers on energy beam processing methods that represent a scientific field of critical importance for further advancement of European of high value-added manufacturing industry. The selected candidates will develop multidisciplinary knowledge such as analytical skills related to energy beam processes, modelling and software development making them highly employable to knowledge-intensive companies/institutes.

It is planned that each Early Stage Researcher will have in total 3-months placement (1-month/year) at industrial/research /academic institutions related to topics of their studies within UK and EU. Candidates must therefore be able to move between countries as necessary for approx. 3-months for the duration of the project.

Candidates should be in the first 4-years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctorate degree, starting at the date of obtaining the degree which would formally entitle them to embark on a doctorate.  Preference will be given to candidates with experience in applied mathematics, physics and engineering backgrounds.

To comply with the Marie Curie Actions rule for mobility, applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the UK for more than 12-months in the 3-years immediately prior to their recruitment (short stays such as holidays are not taken into account).

This full-time post is available from June 2013 and offered on a fixed-term contract for a period of 36-months.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Prof Dragos Axinte email: dragos.axinte@nottingham.ac.uk.  Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.  For information about the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, , see: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/engineering/departments/m3/index.aspx

If you are unable to apply on-line please contact the Human Resources Department, tel: 0115 951 5206.  Please quote ref. ENG/652. 

Closing date: 20 December 2012