PhD student in the Engineering Materials focusing on Sustainable Metallurgy

Luleå University of Technology is in strong growth with world-leading competence in several research areas. We shape the future through innovative education and ground-breaking research results, and based on the Arctic region, we create global social benefit. Our scientific and artistic research and education are conducted in close collaboration with international, national and regional companies, public actors and leading universities. Luleå University of Technology has a total turnover of SEK 1.9 billion per year. We currently have 1,840 employees and 17,670 students.

In the coming years, multi-billion investments will be made in large projects in Northern Sweden to create a fossil-free society both nationally and globally. Luleå University of Technology is involved in several of these cutting-edge research projects and in the societal transformation that they entail. We offer a broad range of courses and study programmes to match the skills in demand. We hope that you will help us to build the sustainable companies and societies of the future.

We are looking for a PhD student in Engineering Materials. The student will work together with senior researchers, will conduct research in the project of ‘Green Steel for a Fossil-free Future’. The research is target-based fundamental research and concerns aspects of future electric arc furnace slags according to on rheological properties. The work is manly experimental type research including measurements of viscosity, crystallization phenomena and structural chemistry with a focus on both process and environmental aspects. Theoretical modeling of slag physical properties using CALPHAD and machine learning is also included. As a PhD student, you will be part of a dynamic and international research environment with close collaboration with partners from research institutes and industry in the region that is internationally at the forefront of fossil-free steel production.

Subject description
Engineering materials includes the composition, structure, properties and production of materials, mainly metallic and ceramic materials, as well as aspects of their use.

Project description
The project “Green steel for a fossil free future” (Grönt stål för en fossilfri framtid) is an interdisciplinary research project funded by the Just Transition Fund and the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth. The project contributes to the green transition and a carbon dioxide-neutral steel industry through research efforts in collaboration between Luleå University of Technology and Royal Institute of Technology. The research activities are focused on both the process chain downstream from steelmaking and deal with fossil-free steel properties and performance, as well as fossil-free steelmaking with a focus on using hydrogen and new alloying elements.

As a doctoral student in the “Green steel for a fossil free future” project, you will work in an interdisciplinary research environment, in close collaboration with research institutes and industry, and contribute to the steel industry's transition towards carbon neutrality.

The conversion of steel production from a fossil-based blast furnace technology to hydrogen-based direct reduction with for a set of research questions. The melting step in the future process will be carried out in an electric arc furnace (EAF), i.e. a furnace that is traditionally used in scrap-based steel production. When the EAF is intended to be used for hydrogen-reduced iron raw material, the slag compositions in the furnace will deviate from the traditional compositions regarding both main components as well as the small concentration elements. This means a series of questions about how the EAF slag properties affect the processing condition and the possibility of creating circular material flows are needed to be understood. This project therefore intends to investigate how the new compositions of slag using for EAF assisted with hydrogen metallurgy will affect the essential slag rheology properties such as viscosity and crystallization phenomena. Also, the obtained new findings will connect to the phenomena in the process metallurgy industry, and try to contribute to a successful fossil-free future.

Job duties
A doctoral position involves both experimental and theoretical work. As a doctoral student, you develop with the goal of becoming an independent researcher. This means that you are trained in scientific work in the form of publishing scientific articles in journals and at national and international scientific conferences. You also study compulsory and voluntary doctoral courses. In addition, you can have the opportunity to try out the teaching role. As a researcher, you work as a neutral party in many contexts, which provides a fantastic opportunity to learn how to run challenging development projects.

Qualifications
We are looking for the candidate who is highly motivated to carry out advanced research in Engineering Materials in particular sustainable metallurgy. In this project, the PhD student will work both independently and in collaboration with senior researchers and partners in academia, research institutes and industry. The student must have a civil engineering degree, master's degree, or equivalent in metallurgy, chemical engineering, process engineering, materials engineering or condensed matter physics. Experience of experimental and simulation work, inorganic chemistry and physical chemistry is advantageous, especially for high temperature process metallurgy is considered as the merit. The student should have good written and oral communication skills in English.

During evaluation, special emphasis is placed on:

• Knowledge and experience relevant to the current research project
• Quality of Master thesis
• Personal characteristics relevant to research work 

For further information on specific doctoral education, see study plan for the postgraduate education in the faculty of engineering

Information
Employment as a doctoral student is time-limited to 4 years, teaching and other department duties can add up to 20% of full-time. Place of employment is Luleå.

For further information, you are welcome to contact:
Associate Professor Wangzhong Mu, 076-0558556, [email protected]
Associate Professor Kumar Babu Surreddi, 0920-49 3451, [email protected]
Associate Professor and Tmp. Head of Subject, Fredrik Engström, 0920-49 1388, [email protected]

Union representative: SACO-S Kjell Johansson, 0920-49 1529, [email protected]  or OFR-S Lars Frisk, 0920-49 1792, [email protected]

Application
We prefer that you apply for the position via the application button below, where you attach a personal letter as well as a CV/curriculum vitae and copies of verified diplomas and thesis. Please mark your application with the reference number below. Both the application and degree certificate must be written in Swedish or English.

Application deadline: January 9, 2024
Reference number: 4579-2023

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