1. PhD Position in Computational Mechanics applied to cultural heritage

Are you an engineer fascinated by cultural heritage? Do you want to work in an exciting multidisciplinary team? Looking for a talented and enthusiastic PhD candidate to develop a computational mechanics framework to predict the chemo-mechanical degradation of oil paintings.

Department(s)

Built Environment

Graduate Program(s)

Architecture, Building and Planning

Reference number

V38.5865

• NUANCES (An integrated numerical-experimental approach to predict aging of oil paintings) is a challenging research project funded by NWO (Dutch Research Council) within the VIDI Talent Scheme Grant. We are currently building a team of talented and enthusiastic researchers to work on this exciting research program.
• An enormous percentage of oil paintings in museum collections, ranging from the sixteenth century to the present time, suffers from different types of chemo-mechanical deterioration phenomena. These are due to complex chemical processes that occur spontaneously as the paintings age and may ultimately affect the integrity and longevity of the painted surfaces.
• The goal of this PhD project is to unravel the origin of the changes in the chemo- mechanical response of oil paintings through time, by developing a computational model that simulates the time-dependent degradation of paints as a function of the most critical chemical and physical processes.
• You will work in the chair of Applied Mechanics, Department of the Built Environment, under the supervision of dr. Emanuela Bosco and prof. Akke Suiker. The chair of Applied Mechanics is responsible for education and research in the field mechanics, working on multi-scale, multi-physics and optimization problems related to the built environment. The chair is a member of the Graduate School on Engineering Mechanics, Netherlands. This graduate school offers the PhD students an advanced training program in the field of Engineering Mechanics, of which the core is formed by a joint series of advanced graduate courses that are closely connected to state-of-the-art research themes.
• You will closely interact with an experimental PhD student, who will carry out exciting experiments at the Multiscale Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
• The project is embedded within NICAS (Netherlands Institute for Conservation, Art and Science), and received the support of important national and international museums and cultural heritage institutions (Rijskmuseum NL, CBC – Conservazione Beni Culturali, The Getty Conservation Institute, …).

• A talented, motivated and enthusiastic researcher. Analytical skills, initiative and creativity are highly desired.
• A MSc-degree in Civil Engineering or Mechanical Engineering, or related disciplines.
• Interest to work in an interdisciplinary project that applies a computational mechanics and multi-physics modelling approach to the field of cultural heritage.
• A strong interest in multi-scale and multi-physics methods.
• The following skills are required: knowledge in solid mechanics, experience in using finite element analyses, programming knowledge, and an enthusiastic attitude to collaborate in a cooperative and multi-disciplinary environment. Knowledge of chemistry is a plus.
• Excellent oral and writing skills in English.

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the possibility to present your work at international conferences.
• A full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months.
• To develop your teaching skills, you will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• To support you during your PhD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will make a Training and Supervision plan and you will have free access to a personal development program for PhD students (PROOF program ).
• A gross monthly salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities, starting with  €2,541 in the first year and €3,247 in the fourth year.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
• Should you come from abroad and comply with certain conditions, you can make use of the so-called ‘30% facility’, which permits you not to pay tax on 30% of your salary.
• A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact Dr. Emanuela Bosco, e.bosco[at]tue.nl.

For information about terms of employment, click here or contact HR Services (HRServices.BE[at]tue.nl) or +3140 247 3901.

Please visit www.tue.nl/jobs and www.tue.nl/en/education/graduate-school/ to find out more about working at TU/e!

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the 'apply now'-button on this page.
The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.
• Brief description of your MSc thesis.

We look forward to your application and will screen it as soon as we have received it. Screening will continue until the position has been filled.

You can upload only 5 documents up to 2 MB each. If you have more than 5 documents, you will have to combine them. All documents should be provided in English and pdf format.

We look forward to your application. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Promising candidates will be contacted by email.