Doctoral student in materials engineering

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Karlstad University has a total of approximately 1,400 employees and 17,700 students spread across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika. More information at: kau.se/en/work-with-us

The Faculty of Health, Science and Technology at Karlstad University invites applications for a doctoral studentship in Materials Engineering at the Department of Engineering and Physics. The PhD position will be hosted at the Department of Engineering and Physics which has about 60 employees and is characterised by a friendly, inspiring and international atmosphere, with a large number of employees from all over the world. The PhD student will be included in Machine- and Materials Engineering, which is one of four research subjects at the department.
In the doctoral project you will work in close collaboration with external partners.

You will work in an interdisciplinary team within a newly established research environment in nuclear technology at Kungliga tekniska högskolan (KTH) entitled “Microstructural evolution, fatigue and fracture in metals from advanced manufacturing for long-term operation of nuclear reactors”. The research environment is funded by the Swedish Research Council and is a collaboration between the Department of Engineering Mechanics at KTH (project leader), Karlstad University, Lund University and the Swedish nuclear power industry. The research environment comprises four senior professors from the aforementioned institutions as well as two junior researchers from KTH. The research environment includes, among others, three PhD students, two at KTH and one at Karlstad University and brings together solid mechanics and materials science in a dynamic research setting with close collaboration with industry.

The Doctoral student position located at Karlstad University is dedicated to additive manufacturing of advanced hybrid structures (e.g. combination of Laser-based Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-L) and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP)), characterization of microstructure with advanced electron microscopy, and characterization of mechanical properties. This sub-project is in close collaboration with other PhD students within this established research environment and will deliver materials for fatigue tests, including corrosion fatigue experiments in a simulated water environment for potential use in light water reactor infrastructure.

As a doctoral student, you will primarily dedicate time to your own studies. The doctoral programme comprises 240 credits for a Degree of Doctor and 120 credits for a Degree of Licentiate. The doctoral appointment is a paid position that offers a combination of studies and work, and a great opportunity for a potential career in academia. Doctoral students are expected to work independently and be prepared to contribute to the activities and development of the discipline and the department. You are given the opportunity to deepen your interests in collaboration with others. Teaching and administrative duties may also be included upon agreement, but will not constitute more than 20% of full-time. Work as a doctoral student allows for great freedom and flexibility in terms of how you organise your tasks. This requires commitment, drive and the ability to structure your work to successfully complete the doctoral thesis.

To contribute to a positive work environment and further both the department’s activities and your own development as a researcher, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

To be eligible for a doctoral studentship, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35).

To meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification, satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 39).

To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies in Materials engineering, the applicant must have been awarded a Degree of Master of Science in Engineering with a major in Mechanical Engineering or a Degree of Master (60 or 120 ECTS credits) in the main field of Mechanical Engineering or adjacent academic fields such as Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Materials Physics, or Materials Chemistry. An applicant who does not meet the specific entry requirement but has acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way may be deemed eligible following a special assessment.

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment.

The assessment of eligible applicants is based on the criteria listed below.

The assessment will focus on the applicant’s performance in previous studies, the quality of independent projects completed during these studies and whether the applicant intends to be a present and active part of the research environment.

Special weight will be given to:

• documented knowledge (publication, Thesis, working experience or equivalent) in laser powder bed fusion and powder metallurgy
• documented knowledge and practical skills (publication, Thesis, working experience or equivalent) in mechanical properties of materials and mechanical properties testing techniques
• operation skills in scanning electron microscopy and other relevant microstructure characterization techniques

Considerable weight is given to:

• documented skills in academic writing, presentation skills
• practical certified skills in laser manufacturing technology and powder metallurgy, e.g. laser safety instructions, powder metallurgy lab safety training, training to operate equipment;
• documented skills in modelling and simulation of mechanical properties;
• ability to plan research work, develop and perform research plan, critically assess and discuss research results with concrete examples;
• proficiency in English, oral and written

Weight will be given to personal suitability:

• ability to work independently and showing initiative;
• proven experience in collaborative work in an international environment;
• ability to communicate inside and outside the group, good teamwork skills.
• experience in teaching activities like tutoring laboratories, seminars, workshops, lectures.
• Swedish skills

The admission will be done based on the assessment of the application, quality of the work assignment presented by applicants within the evaluation procedure, references and interview.

Upon admission to doctoral studies, the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5, Sect. 3). The position comprises four years of full-time studies consisting of research only. If teaching or other departmental duties become relevant, the appointment will be extended by a corresponding period, up to a maximum of five years full-time. The position is fixed-term, one year initially, followed by possible extensions of a maximum of two years at a time (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5). Start date as agreed by both parties.

The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students and progresses in accordance with a local collective agreement.

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:

• a cover letter where the applicant details the reasons behind their interest in the position
• a list of qualifications (CV)
• degree certificate with a complete transcript of the courses included, or a certified list of completed courses with grades and dates
• copy of Master’s thesis or equivalent
• where applicable, copies of publications or certificates for other qualifications
• account of language skills
• any letters of recommendation
• two references, such as a teacher, supervisor, or previous or current superior

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content. Documents that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent to the following address:

Karlstads universitet
HR-avdelningen
HR-administratör
651 88 KARLSTAD
Sweden

Application deadline: 16 April 2026

State the reference number: REK 2026/28

Applicants with qualifications from abroad
If you have qualifications from a university outside Sweden or if they have not been recognised by a Swedish authority before, it is important that you attach degree certificates and official transcripts to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Provide a contact for the degree-awarding institution (phone number or email) who can verify your qualifications.

We look forward to your application!

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