PhD Position Particle Based Modelling of Scrap Handling for Green Steel Production

Job description
For the National Growth Fund (NGF) project “Groeien met Groen Staal” (GGS), a fully funded PhD position for a period of four years is available in the context of advancing sustainable and climate-neutral steel production. This PhD project aims to develop an advanced particle-based modelling framework to support the design and optimisation of scrap handling systems for continuous furnace infeed. The research will focus on modelling how key scrap characteristics - such as size, shape, density, and material heterogeneity - interact with scrap handling and transport systems, discharging equipment such as vibratory feeders, and industrial loading strategies employed in scrap yards for feeding Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs).

You will develop and validate a particle-based simulation model to capture the flow and behaviour of steel scrap throughout handling, transport, and furnace infeed processes. This includes integrating data provided by Tata Steel Netherlands to enable realistic modelling of industrial conditions. You will analyse how different scrap recipes and loading strategies influence process performance, and investigate the movement and segregation behaviour of scrap. Based on these insights, you will design and optimise discharge sequences to improve operational efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and minimise wear. Finally, you will translate your modelling results into practical recommendations for implementation in industrial EAF operations.

You will work within the Machines & Materials Interactions section of TU Delft that aims at designing the next generation of machines in the transportation domain, taking into account their interactions with cargo, materials and objects that they manipulate; interaction with environments; and interaction between machines in the logistic system. The research interests and expertise include advanced modelling and design optimization methods for machines development. We use both experimental testing approaches and computational modelling and closely collaborate with many national and international experts across companies and research/ academic institutes.
The succesful candidate will be supervised by Prof.dr.ir. Dingena Schott and Dr.ir. Yusong Pang, and will have opportunities to collaborate with the GGS consortium partners.

Job requirements
The candidate:

• holds a MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field
• has demonstrable experience with Discrete Element Method or other particle based methods
• preferably has experience with experiments and/or scrap characterisation
• demonstrable affinity with industry-related research
• has excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and demonstrates a collaborative mindset

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering
From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

PhD Position Particle Based Modelling of Scrap Handling for Green Steel Production

Job description
For the National Growth Fund (NGF) project “Groeien met Groen Staal” (GGS), a fully funded PhD position for a period of four years is available in the context of advancing sustainable and climate-neutral steel production. This PhD project aims to develop an advanced particle-based modelling framework to support the design and optimisation of scrap handling systems for continuous furnace infeed. The research will focus on modelling how key scrap characteristics - such as size, shape, density, and material heterogeneity - interact with scrap handling and transport systems, discharging equipment such as vibratory feeders, and industrial loading strategies employed in scrap yards for feeding Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs).

You will develop and validate a particle-based simulation model to capture the flow and behaviour of steel scrap throughout handling, transport, and furnace infeed processes. This includes integrating data provided by Tata Steel Netherlands to enable realistic modelling of industrial conditions. You will analyse how different scrap recipes and loading strategies influence process performance, and investigate the movement and segregation behaviour of scrap. Based on these insights, you will design and optimise discharge sequences to improve operational efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and minimise wear. Finally, you will translate your modelling results into practical recommendations for implementation in industrial EAF operations.

You will work within the Machines & Materials Interactions section of TU Delft that aims at designing the next generation of machines in the transportation domain, taking into account their interactions with cargo, materials and objects that they manipulate; interaction with environments; and interaction between machines in the logistic system. The research interests and expertise include advanced modelling and design optimization methods for machines development. We use both experimental testing approaches and computational modelling and closely collaborate with many national and international experts across companies and research/ academic institutes.
The succesful candidate will be supervised by Prof.dr.ir. Dingena Schott and Dr.ir. Yusong Pang, and will have opportunities to collaborate with the GGS consortium partners.

Job requirements
The candidate:

• holds a MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field
• has demonstrable experience with Discrete Element Method or other particle based methods
• preferably has experience with experiments and/or scrap characterisation
• demonstrable affinity with industry-related research
• has excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and demonstrates a collaborative mindset

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering
From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

PhD Position Tailored Electrodes for CO2 Electrolysis

Job description
A major contributor to climate change are carbon dioxide emissions. To reduce emissions and thus combat climate change, it is imperative that carbon-free sources of energy, such as wind and solar energy are utilized. The intermittent nature of both solar and wind energy is typically not well matched with electricity demand. Consequently, both short- and long term energy storage is necessary on an immense scale. Through carbon dioxide electrolysis, renewable energy can be stored in the form of stable chemical bonds. When combined with carbon dioxide capture, electrolysis that converts CO2 to liquid fuels can form a carbon neutral energy cycle.

Over the last few years, catalytic materials and electrolyzers for CO2 electrolysis have made large advances in terms of geometric surface area, current density and selectivity towards valuable products such as C2H4. To reach successful commercial deployment of CO2 to C2H4, we need to better understand how we can improve gas diffusion electrodes for CO2 electrolysis. This position will focus on fundamentally understanding how processes occuring in the gas diffusion electrodes affect electrolyzer performance and degradation mechanisms. This work will be supported by advanced characterization tools that are available within the HyCARB program that funds this position. In addition, multiscale modeling will be used to model processes occuring in the electrode. The obtained insights will be used to engineer and fabricate new electrode geometries with optimized mass transport and catalyst layer structures for more durable and selective ethylene generation from CO2 electrolysis.

This PhD position is in the research group of Dr. Ruud Kortlever at the Process & Energy department of the Mechanical Engineering faculty. The position will benefit from the existing expertise of the group on electrocatalytic conversions and the established state-of-the-art electrochemical lab that is comprised of many product analysis and material characterization techniques. You will work together with a diverse team of scientists interested in these topics, and will also be part of the e-Refinery institute that focusses on electrochemical conversion technologies. Given the rapid development and large interest in the technology, we expect you to publish in scientific literature and present the technology to the general public, hence good communication skills in addition to scientific and engineering talent is required.

Job requirements

• You have a recently completed master degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or related fields, preferably with a focus on electrochemistry/electrochemical engineering.
• You have excellent academic qualifications and a strong drive to advance electrolyzer technology and to explore new materials and understand their properties using of state-of-the art techniques.
• Strong experimental, a pro-active and creative mind-set, and a pioneering mentality are essential for this project.
• In addition, good written and oral presentation and communication skills are required.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering
From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

PhD Position Ultrafast Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging and Sensing

Job description

Microscopy with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is a powerful approach for materials science and semiconductor metrology. A specific challenge in building such an EUV microscope is that optical components are not readily available at such short wavelengths. We therefore develop 'lensless' imaging methods, such as ptychography, in which we reconstruct object images from measured diffraction data. We produce coherent EUV radiation using a process called high-harmonic generation (HHG), which is an extremely nonlinear optical process in a gas, driven by an ultrafast laser.

In this project, you will use lensless imaging methods, both for imaging nanostructures, and to study the HHG process itself. In imaging nanostructures, we will focus on imaging reflective structures that contain multiple materials, with the aim to retrieve 3D structural information and local elemental composition.

One powerful property of ptychography is that it can be used to retrieve images of nanoscale objects and the illuminating light field itself. We can therefore use it to characterize the wavefront of extreme ultraviolet beams, and in that way study the HHG process under various conditions, such as when using structured laser fields. Through such imaging experiments, we can study the influence of strong-field effects and ultrafast nonlinear propagation dynamics in HHG.

You will be part of the Optics for Nanoscale Metrology team, in the Optics cluster of the department of Imaging Physics at TU Delft. In this team, consisting of several PhD students, postdocs and undergraduates, we focus on developing new concepts for 3D imaging of nanostructures, using light.

Job requirements

• A masters degree in Physics or a related subject.
• Strong affinity with experimental research in optics, ultrafast lasers, strong-field light-matter interaction and/or coherent diffractive imaging.
• Good communication skills (verbal and written) in English are required.
• Strong analytical skills, critical thinking, and a creative approach to problem solving.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team as well as individually.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Applied Sciences
With more than 1,100 employees, including 150 pioneering principal investigators, as well as a population of about 3,600 passionate students, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is an inspiring scientific ecosystem. Focusing on key enabling technologies, such as quantum- and nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, synthetic biology and materials for energy storage and conversion, our faculty aims to provide solutions to important problems of the 21st century. To that end, we educate innovative students in broad Bachelor's and specialist Master's programmes with a strong research component. Our scientists conduct ground-breaking fundamental and applied research in the fields of Life and Health Science & Technology, Nanoscience, Chemical Engineering, Radiation Science & Technology, and Engineering Physics. We are also training the next generation of high school teachers.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

PhD Position Tailored Electrodes for CO2 Electrolysis

Job description
A major contributor to climate change are carbon dioxide emissions. To reduce emissions and thus combat climate change, it is imperative that carbon-free sources of energy, such as wind and solar energy are utilized. The intermittent nature of both solar and wind energy is typically not well matched with electricity demand. Consequently, both short- and long term energy storage is necessary on an immense scale. Through carbon dioxide electrolysis, renewable energy can be stored in the form of stable chemical bonds. When combined with carbon dioxide capture, electrolysis that converts CO2 to liquid fuels can form a carbon neutral energy cycle.

Over the last few years, catalytic materials and electrolyzers for CO2 electrolysis have made large advances in terms of geometric surface area, current density and selectivity towards valuable products such as C2H4. To reach successful commercial deployment of CO2 to C2H4, we need to better understand how we can improve gas diffusion electrodes for CO2 electrolysis. This position will focus on fundamentally understanding how processes occuring in the gas diffusion electrodes affect electrolyzer performance and degradation mechanisms. This work will be supported by advanced characterization tools that are available within the HyCARB program that funds this position. In addition, multiscale modeling will be used to model processes occuring in the electrode. The obtained insights will be used to engineer and fabricate new electrode geometries with optimized mass transport and catalyst layer structures for more durable and selective ethylene generation from CO2 electrolysis.

This PhD position is in the research group of Dr. Ruud Kortlever at the Process & Energy department of the Mechanical Engineering faculty. The position will benefit from the existing expertise of the group on electrocatalytic conversions and the established state-of-the-art electrochemical lab that is comprised of many product analysis and material characterization techniques. You will work together with a diverse team of scientists interested in these topics, and will also be part of the e-Refinery institute that focusses on electrochemical conversion technologies. Given the rapid development and large interest in the technology, we expect you to publish in scientific literature and present the technology to the general public, hence good communication skills in addition to scientific and engineering talent is required.

Job requirements

• You have a recently completed master degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or related fields, preferably with a focus on electrochemistry/electrochemical engineering.
• You have excellent academic qualifications and a strong drive to advance electrolyzer technology and to explore new materials and understand their properties using of state-of-the art techniques.
• Strong experimental, a pro-active and creative mind-set, and a pioneering mentality are essential for this project.
• In addition, good written and oral presentation and communication skills are required.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering
From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.