{"id":12326,"date":"2026-09-21T13:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T11:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/?post_type=job_listing&#038;p=12326"},"modified":"2026-09-21T13:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T11:04:19","slug":"phd-position-developing-magnetic-nanomaterials-in-the-project-welding-made-easy","status":"publish","type":"job_listing","link":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/job\/phd-position-developing-magnetic-nanomaterials-in-the-project-welding-made-easy\/","title":{"rendered":"PhD Position \u2013 Developing Magnetic Nanomaterials in the Project &#8220;Welding Made Easy&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Organization:<\/strong> Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Faculty:<\/strong> Faculty of Applied Sciences<\/p>\n<p><strong>Location:<\/strong> Delft, Netherlands<\/p>\n<p><strong>Position:<\/strong> PhD Position \u2013 Developing Magnetic Nanomaterials in the Project &#8220;Welding Made Easy&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Project Overview<\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>Welding Made Easy<\/strong> project, funded through the NWO-KIC programme, aims to develop a new approach to joining lightweight fibre-reinforced polymer structures using magnetic nanomaterials.<\/p>\n<p>The project focuses on embedding magnetic nanoparticles with a tailored Curie or compensation temperature into a thermoplastic interlayer. When exposed to a high-frequency magnetic field, the nanoparticles generate heat at the welding interface until the desired processing temperature is reached. Their magnetic losses then decrease, functioning as a built-in thermal switch that helps prevent overheating.<\/p>\n<p>The nanoparticles can also act as sensors by enabling real-time monitoring of the welding process through their AC field absorption. This self-regulating technology is intended to reduce dependence on specialised welding infrastructure and support decentralised manufacturing and repair of composite structures, with potential applications in aerospace, mobility, and defence.<\/p>\n<p>The PhD candidate will work within the NCFun group of Prof. Arjan Houtepen at TU Delft&#8217;s Faculty of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from TU Delft Aerospace Engineering, TU\/e, TU Vienna, and industrial partner SCIL. The project is part of a broader interdisciplinary consortium involving polymer and composite science, nanoscience, physics, and process engineering, with partners including Airbus, GKN, and DLR.<\/p>\n<h3>Key Responsibilities<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Develop magnetic nanoparticles through colloidal chemical synthesis, including Mn-Fe ferrite alloys.<\/li>\n<li>Design nanoparticles with tunable switch temperatures for controlled magnetic heating.<\/li>\n<li>Perform post-synthetic and in-situ surface functionalisation to achieve stable nanoparticle dispersion within polymer matrices.<\/li>\n<li>Conduct structural and compositional characterisation using techniques such as XRD, XPS, TEM, and NMR.<\/li>\n<li>Perform magnetic characterisation and determine switch temperatures using techniques including magneto-thermogravimetric analysis, SQUID, and VSM.<\/li>\n<li>Investigate the relationship between nanoparticle composition, structure, and magnetic heating performance.<\/li>\n<li>Study specific absorption rate (SAR) and its relevance to magnetic heating for polymer welding.<\/li>\n<li>Contribute to interdisciplinary research connecting fundamental nanomaterials science with industrial composite-welding applications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Required Qualifications<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Completed Master&#8217;s degree in Physical Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.<\/li>\n<li>Strong interest in the synthesis and characterisation of nanomaterials.<\/li>\n<li>Interest in magnetism and solid-state physics.<\/li>\n<li>Strong analytical and scientific research skills.<\/li>\n<li>Ability and motivation to work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment.<\/li>\n<li>Motivation to connect fundamental nanomaterials research with technology of direct industrial relevance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Preferred Qualifications<\/h3>\n<p>Experience with one or more of the following areas is advantageous:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Colloidal synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles, including metal oxides and ferrites.<\/li>\n<li>Nanoparticle surface chemistry and functionalisation.<\/li>\n<li>Structural characterisation techniques such as XRD, TEM, and XPS.<\/li>\n<li>Magnetic characterisation using VSM or SQUID.<\/li>\n<li>Knowledge or practical interest in nanomaterials, magnetism, and solid-state physics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Employment Details<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Full-time PhD position at TU Delft.<\/li>\n<li>Four-year employment period in principle.<\/li>\n<li>Initial 1.5-year contract with an official go\/no-go progress assessment within 15 months.<\/li>\n<li>Additional 2.5-year contract subject to satisfactory progress and performance.<\/li>\n<li>Job listing specifies <strong>32\u201340 hours per week<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Salary is based on a full-time 38-hour contract.<\/li>\n<li>PhD candidates are enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School.<\/li>\n<li>Access to doctoral education and professional research development opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Salary &amp; Benefits<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Gross monthly salary: <strong>\u20ac3,204\u2013\u20ac4,051<\/strong>, increasing from the first to the fourth year.<\/li>\n<li>8% holiday allowance.<\/li>\n<li>8.3% end-of-year bonus.<\/li>\n<li>Customisable compensation package.<\/li>\n<li>Health insurance discounts.<\/li>\n<li>Monthly work-cost contribution.<\/li>\n<li>Flexible work schedules may be arranged.<\/li>\n<li>Access to state-of-the-art synthesis and characterisation facilities at TU Delft and TU\/e.<\/li>\n<li>Collaboration with academic and industrial partners across the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and beyond.<\/li>\n<li>Relocation support through TU Delft&#8217;s Coming to Delft Service.<\/li>\n<li>Dual Career Programme support for accompanying partners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Application Documents<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Curriculum Vitae (CV).<\/li>\n<li>Motivational letter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Candidates should apply online. Applications submitted by email or post will not be processed. Applicants should address their application to <strong>Prof. Arjan Houtepen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>English Language Requirement<\/h3>\n<p>Candidates must meet TU Delft&#8217;s English proficiency requirements for PhD candidates. English proficiency is required for effective communication, participation in English-taught doctoral education courses, and writing scientific articles and the final doctoral thesis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact:<\/strong> Prof. Arjan Houtepen<br \/>\n<strong>Email:<\/strong> <a href=\"mailto:A.J.Houtepen@tudelft.nl\">A.J.Houtepen@tudelft.nl<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Application Deadline:<\/strong> 15 October 2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Job ID:<\/strong> 3784<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","job_listing_type":[296,49,703,507,497],"job_listing_category":[422,611,772,477,597,815,505,670,351,640,396,479,118,745,664,322,604],"job_listing_location":[756],"job_listing_tag":[],"class_list":["post-12326","job_listing","type-job_listing","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","job_listing_type-phd-position","job_listing_type-full-time","job_listing_type-industry-collaboration","job_listing_type-phd","job_listing_type-research","job_listing_category-chemical-engineering","job_listing_category-chemistry","job_listing_category-condensed-matter-physics","job_listing_category-doctoral","job_listing_category-experimental-physics","job_listing_category-functional-materials","job_listing_category-magnetic-materials","job_listing_category-materials-engineering","job_listing_category-materials-science","job_listing_category-nanomaterials","job_listing_category-nanoscience","job_listing_category-nanotechnology","job_listing_category-phd","job_listing_category-physics","job_listing_category-polymer-chemistry","job_listing_category-research","job_listing_category-research-development","job_listing_location-delft-netherlands","is-featured"],"metas":{"_job_featured_image":"","_job_category":{"422":"Chemical Engineering","611":"Chemistry","772":"Condensed Matter Physics","477":"Doctoral","597":"Experimental Physics","815":"Functional Materials","505":"Magnetic Materials","670":"Materials Engineering","351":"Materials Science","640":"Nanomaterials","396":"Nanoscience","479":"Nanotechnology","118":"PHD","745":"Physics","664":"Polymer Chemistry","322":"Research","604":"Research &amp; Development"},"_job_type":{"296":"PhD position","49":"Full Time","703":"Industry Collaboration","507":"PhD","497":"Research"},"_job_tag":[],"_job_apply_type":"external","_job_apply_url":"https:\/\/careers.tudelft.nl\/job\/Delft-PhD-Position-Developing-Magnetic-Nanomaterials-in-the-Project-Welding-Made-Easy-2628-CD\/1371566157\/","_job_apply_email":"","_job_salary_type":"monthly","_job_experience":"","_job_qualification":["","Doctorate Degree"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing\/12326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/job_listing"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing\/12326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12327,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing\/12326\/revisions\/12327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"job_listing_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing_type?post=12326"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing_category?post=12326"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing_location?post=12326"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nanohelp.eu\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing_tag?post=12326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}