Technician Primary Processing & Heat-treatment of Materials

The environmental footprint of the steel industry and the shortages of crucial raw materials required to keep our modern world running are pressing societal challenges. CO2 emissions could be substantially reduced by finding new routes to primary iron- and steelmaking. Novel heat treatments improve the microstructure of metals and thereby the properties of metals. Stronger metals can reduce the weight of electric cars, so that they have increased range, but also have advantages for wind turbines, and construction in general. TU Delft’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) has a long track record researching the primary production and heat treatment of steels. It continues to look for ways to improve the mechanical and physical properties, corrosion resistance, and environmental footprint of metals, alloys, (self-healing) ceramic materials, polymers and composite materials.

As a Technician in the Primary Processing and Heat Treatment of Materials at TU Delft, you will work in our state-of-the-art primary processing and heat treatment laboratories, which are used for general steel and metals research and education. Our Heat Treatment Lab has medium to high-temperature salt and oil baths and box furnaces. And our Pyrometallurgy Lab for primary processing and recycling has high-temperature furnaces with advanced controls for gas and temperature profiles that are used for fundamental studies on smelting and refining of metals (including ironmaking and steelmaking).

Joining a team of technicians, under the guidance of two senior colleagues, you will be in charge of the primary processing and heat treatment laboratories. Here, you will be responsible for the daily operational, maintenance, safety and upkeep of the relevant equipment and facilities. You will also commission and help design new facilities when required. In this role, you will support researchers and students in the setup and execution of experiments, and instruct laboratory classes. To guarantee the efficient use of equipment, you will coordinate the workflow in the labs, including scheduling, budgeting and ordering resources. Short-term research projects for third parties, including various Dutch and European science-funding institutions and industrial partners, also fall under your remit.