The project

The project is a collaboration with three major industrial partners and innovates lubricated rolling contacts, which are among the most efficient and widely used tribological contacts. Losses due to friction and wear are directly related to the societal themes of energy and circularity: friction reduction implies reduced energy loss, while diminishing wear extends lifetime.

The collaboration with three industrial partners involves three different systems involving rolling contacts. These being the skin pass rolling process, a cam follower contact, and a roller bearing. Although very different applications, key is the necessity to predict roughness changes and wear processes of lubricated rolling contact with partial slip as well as to reduce friction in lubricated contacts with a very low slide to roll ratio. Thus, a deeper understanding of friction generation in greases as well as in highly dynamic contacts like a cam follower contact needs to be developed. As one of the PhD candidates, your focus will be on one of the three systems, but there is a significant amount of collaboration with the other PhD candidates involved.

The position is in the Surface Technology and Tribology group of the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET). We are a highly international research group and have a long history of research in tribology. Our research combines both experimental research as well as model development and involves for example bonding and adhesion, hybrid materials, modelling of degradation mechanisms including wear, development of validated friction models, stick-slip transitions in accurate positioning mechanisms as well as geotribology.

Job description

For this project, we are looking for PhD candidates with relevant expertise. The candidate will plan and execute their research towards the project goal.

The candidate will report during progress meetings of our research group and in meetings with the project partners. The candidate is encouraged to present their results at international scientific conferences and is expected to publish in academic literature. The industrial partners will be actively involved in the project by discussions, performing analysis and experiments.

The university offers a very stimulating scientific environment and a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in which internationalization is an important aspect of the strategic agenda.

• MSc. degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field with excellent results and special interest in lubrication or tribology;
• Curious and highly motivated to do interdisciplinary scientific research with a clear industrial application;
• Working independently and taking ownership of your own research.
• You are an excellent researcher, eager to learn and to improve;
• You thrive in a collaborative environment;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Proficiency in English is required, both spoken and written. You need to provide IELTS test results (minimum score 6.5) or TOEFL-iBT (minimum score 90). The latter is not necessary for native speakers of English or whose MSc program was in English.

• The UT provides a dynamic and international environment, combining the benefits of academic research with a topic of high industrial relevance, excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment, and a green and lively campus. We offer:
• A full-time 4-year PhD position;
• We provide excellent mentorship and a stimulating international research environment with excellent facilities;
• You are offered a professional and personal development program within Graduate School Twente, culminating in professional scientific development and leading to obtaining a PhD degree;
• A starting salary of € 2.541,- gross per month in the first year and a salary of € 3.247,- in the fourth year gross per month;
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• A solid pension scheme;
• Minimum of 29 holidays per year in case of fulltime employment.