PhD position AI-driven surrogate approaches for microstructure-aware structural modeling

Updated: 15 days ago
Location: Metz, LORRAINE
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 30 Jun 2026

20 Mar 2026
Job Information
Organisation/Company

LEM3
Research Field

Engineering
Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)
Positions

PhD Positions
Application Deadline

30 Jun 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Paris)
Country

France
Type of Contract

Temporary
Job Status

Full-time
Hours Per Week

38H30
Offer Starting Date

10 Sep 2026
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme
Reference Number

PEPR-DIADEM
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The present PhD proposal is part of the project AMMETIS[1] (AI-assisted Simulations of Microstructure driven MEchanical properties from high Throughput and multiscale analysIS), in the framework of PEPR DIADEM[2] , which aims to develop an advanced characterization platform for innovative materials by combining advanced experimental techniques, physics-based mesoscopic modeling, and artificial intelligence. Within this context, high-throughput experiments and large-scale numerical simulations will generate rich datasets describing the relationship between microstructure, deformation mechanisms, and mechanical response. 

While physics-based simulations involving advanced mesoscopic crystal plasticity provide powerful predictive capabilities, they remain computationally expensive when applied to realistic microstructures and large-scale structural analyses. A key challenge is therefore to develop efficient surrogate models capable of rapidly predicting macroscopic mechanical properties directly from microstructural descriptors while preserving the underlying physical mechanisms.

The objective of this PhD project is to develop AI-based surrogate models for microstructure-aware macroscopic mechanical behavior by leveraging the large datasets generated within the AMMETIS project. These datasets will combine information from high-resolution experiments (HR-DIC, HR-EBSD, nanoindentation mapping) and large-scale numerical simulations performed using advanced FFT-based crystal plasticity platform.

Different machine learning strategies will be explored to capture the complex relationships between microstructural features and mechanical responses. In particular, the project will investigate deep learning architectures capable of learning microstructure-property mappings, including convolutional neural networks for microstructure image analysis, graph-based representations of microstructures, physics-oriented microstructure descriptors discovery based on the use of RRAE (rank reduction autoencoders) and neural operator approaches designed to approximate the solution of complex mechanical problems [1-3]. Special attention will be devoted to the integration of physics-informed constraints in the learning process to ensure robustness, interpretability, and extrapolation capabilities of the trained models [4,5].

The resulting surrogate models will enable fast prediction of effective mechanical properties and deformation fields for complex microstructures, thereby providing an efficient bridge between mesoscale simulations and structural-scale applications. These tools will significantly accelerate the exploration of microstructure-property relationships and will open new perspectives for the design and optimization of advanced structural materials.


 

[1] https://www.pepr-diadem.fr/projet/ammetis-2/

[2] https://www.pepr-diadem.fr/


Where to apply
E-mail

mohamed.jebahi@ensam.eu

Requirements
Research Field
Engineering
Education Level
Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications
  • Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Mathematics, Data Science or Computational Mechanics.
  • Solid background in continuum mechanics and numerical modeling
  • Strong interest in machine learning and scientific computing
  • Experience with numerical methods for PDEs and data-driven modeling
  • Programming skills in Python and machine learning packages such as PyTorch and TensorFlow
  • Scientific curiosity and critical thinking
  • Ability to work in interdisciplinary environments
  • Motivation for collaborative academic-industrial research

Specific Requirements

The PhD position is available starting in September 2026 (flexible date). The research will be conducted primarily at PIMM (Laboratoire Procédés et Ingénierie en Mécanique et Matériaux), Paris, in collaboration with LEM3 (Laboratoire d’Études des Microstructures et de Mécanique des Matériaux). The duration of the PhD is three years, with a gross salary of around €2300 per month.


Languages
ENGLISH
Level
Excellent

Research Field
Engineering

Internal Application form(s) needed
PropositionThese_PIMM_LEM3_VF_0.pdf
English
(485.81 KB - PDF)
Download
Additional Information
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available
1
Company/Institute
LEM3
Country
France
City
METZ
Postal Code
57070
Street
7 rue Félix Savart
Geofield


Contact
City

METZ
Website

https://lem3.univ-lorraine.fr/
Street

7 rue Félix Savart
Postal Code

57070
E-Mail

mohamed.jebahi@ensam.eu

STATUS: EXPIRED

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