Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and a staff of more than 4000, of which 400 are professors. Our main campus is located in Espoo, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness in the future as well. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the School of Engineering is looking for

Research assistants or Master thesis students in Material Mechanics

Are you passionate about hands-on advanced experiments as well as high-performance numerical simulation?

We are now looking for 1-2 research assistants or master thesis students to work in the field of mechanics of metallic materials in the research group of Prof Junhe Lian at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Aalto University. In this position, you will have a chance to conduct challenging and rewarding research to characterize and simulate the mechanical behavior of metallic materials under a variety of environmental factors, which make great impacts in automotive, aerospace, and energy applications related to the upcoming hydrogen economy.

Our studies in the research group feature a unique and highly interdisciplinary character. The overall ambition is to develop digital solutions in material mechanics by combining advanced experimental techniques, mechanics-based high-performance simulation, and data science related computation. The research topics are driven by academically challenging questions in the field of material mechanics, which involves the deformation, fracture, and hydrogen embrittlement behavior of engineering materials.

Your role and goals

You will be responsible for conducting mechanical experimental work in our lab with advanced measuring facilities. Based on the data, you will be applying and/or developing material models using finite element method to describe the material behavior. You will also perform large-scale and high-performance supercomputer simulations at the Finish Supercomputer Center (CSC) and use data-based tools to analyze and discuss your results. The work will engage research tasks in several national and EU-funded projects with internal and EU partners. Participating in program meetings and network events is expected.

Your experience and ambitions

We are looking for a passioned researcher who would have

• Bachelor’s degree or pursuing Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Computational Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a similar field;

• Strong background in mechanics (computational mechanics is a plus);

• Finite element simulation knowledge and experience with e.g., Abaqus;

• Hand-on mechanical experimental experience and/or capability;

• Coding experience and/or mindset in data processing;

• Discipline and organization skills in task and time management;

• Team working experience and spirit.

What we offer

• An active, friendly, and highly collaborative multicultural and multi-disciplinary team - more than 10 members with complementary talents;

• Training by experienced members and hands-on operation on advanced material testing and characterization facilities;

• Cutting-edge modeling experience and urgent demanding research challenges in the field of sustainable development and green transition;

• Integration to our network of collaborators across the globe with various-form scientific discussions (meetings, workshops, conferences) and collaborations;

• Open, fair, encouraging, collaborative, inclusive, and curiosity-driven work environment to support your ambition and success.

Aalto University follows the salary system of Finnish universities. The salary of a full-time Master thesis student is approximately 2300 €/month (gross). Long collaboration is encouraged. You may start with a part-time research assistant position before reaching the status of Master thesis. The contract includes Aalto University occupational healthcare.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community, please submit your application through our recruitment system. If you are already working at Aalto University, please apply via our internal Workday system (Internal Jobs).

To apply, please share the following application materials in English with us:

• Letter of motivation

• CV (including a list of publications if available)

• Previous project experience demonstration if available (free format)

• Transcript of records

• Contact details of at least two referees (if available)

The deadline for applications is June 20, 2023. However, early applications (before June 15) are very much encouraged, and we may invite suitable candidates to interview during the application period. The position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. The date to start the work is flexible in June-August 2023. For additional information, kindly contact Prof. Junhe Lian ([email protected]).

Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period, and reopen the application process.

Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k_og_6zUJQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUfEGVM-ZP8&feature=youtu.be

About Finland

Finland is a great place for living with or without family – it is a safe, politically stable and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life and was just listed again as the happiest country in the world: https://worldhappiness.report/news/its-a-three-peat-finland-keeps-top-spot-as-happiest-country-in-world/. For more information about living in Finland: https://www.aalto.fi/services/about-finland

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