MSCA PhD vacancy INTELLASE (DC4) “Physics-based laser ablation modeling of dielectric materials”

KU LEUVEN; Vlaams-Brabant; On-site; EUR 63,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

KU Leuven invites a highly motivated PhD candidate for a fully funded MSCA-DC INTELLASE Doctoral Network position. The project focuses on physics-based modeling of laser-material interaction in dielectrics and will be carried out in the Laser Manufacturing Group of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The candidate will develop multiphysics models, validate them with state-of-the-art facilities, and participate in international secondments.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required; no doctoral degree at recruitment.
• Proficient in written and spoken English.
• Experience with laser material processing or mechanics of materials.
• Experience with CAE tools such as COMSOL/ANSYS is a plus.
• Willing to travel to KU Leuven and partner sites (CNRS, ModuleWorks, Turku).
• Detail-oriented, proactive and good team player.

Responsibilities

• Develop multiphysics laser-material interaction models for dielectric materials.
• Validate modeling framework against experimental data and facilities.
• Collaborate with international partners and participate in network training.
• Undertake secondments to partner institutions within the network.

Skills

English proficiency

Initiative & teamwork

Detail-oriented

Education

Master's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Materials Eng, Photonics or Physics

Tools

COMSOL

ANSYS

Job description

MSCA PhD vacancy INTELLASE (DC4) “Physics-based laser ablation modeling of dielectric materials”

KU Leuven seeks a highly motivated PhD candidate for a fully funded international doctoral position within the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) project INTELLASE (Doctoral Network on Intelligent Laser Precision Manufacturing; Website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101311673 ). KU Leuven (University of Leuven) has been a centre of learning for nearly six centuries since 1425, making it one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe. Today, it is Belgium’s highest ranked university (QS 2025 : 60), ranked among the top 4% universities in the world and consistently ranked in the top 10 most innovative universities in Europe. The university caters to over 60,000 students from more than 140 countries. KU Leuven's three doctoral schools provide internationally oriented PhD tracks for more than 4,000 doctoral students. KU Leuven and affiliated knowledge institutes provide fertile ground for innovation and high-tech entrepreneurship in the Leuven region. This favourable climate for knowledge-driven innovation makes the Leuven region an attractive location for many high-tech companies. This proposed PhD research will be carried out in the Laser Manufacturing Group at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of KU Leuven. KU Leuven website: www.kuleuven.be/english/kuleuven Laser Manufacturing Group LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ku-leuven-laser-micromanufacturing Laser Manufacturing Group website:

INTELLASE is an interdisciplinary European research and training network that will recruit 15 doctoral candidates to advance next-generation laser-based micro- and nanomanufacturing. The project focuses on laser-material interaction physics, photonics engineering, advanced sensing, physics-based modelling, and AI-driven intelligent process control. Through collaboration among 20 academic, research, and industrial partners across eight countries, INTELLASE will equip doctoral candidates with the interdisciplinary expertise needed to develop intelligent, adaptive, and reliable laser manufacturing systems. In this context, DC4 PhD researcher will work at KU Leuven to develop multiphysics laser material interaction modeling of dielectric materials (e.g., glass). The aim of this topic is to use the modeling approach to predict the geometrical features and defects formed during laser processing. The global objective is to support better process design of micro/nanoprocessing of dielectrics used in several high-end applications in photonics, electronics and semiconductor industries. The doctoral candidate will:

• Establish predictive physics-based models linking laser processing conditions to feature geometry and defect formation in dielectric materials.
• Develop multiphysics simulation frameworks for laser material interaction at several process regimes (from nanosecond to femtosecond laser pulses).
• Validate the modeling framework for different geometrical features and materials using KU Leuven’s state-of-the-art laser micromachining facilities.
• Contribute to the development of a digital twin framework.

The research is supervised by Prof. Sylvie Castagne ( www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/person/00114469 ), head of the Laser Manufacturing Group ( www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/research/Femto ).

Profile

Required profile of the PhD candidate

• You have a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing or Materials Engineering, Photonics, Physics or related field with strong interest in technology, and performed above average in comparison to your peers. You are not in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.
• You are proficient in written and spoken English.
• During your studies or prior professional activities, you have gathered some experience related to the basic physical principles of laser material processing and/or to the fundamental principles of manufacturing and mechanical behaviour of materials or you have a profound interest in these topics.
• Ideally you have experience with either COMSOL, ANSYS or another CAE simulation software.
• You are highly precise and detail-oriented, consistently delivering accurate and thorough work.
• You demonstrate a strong sense of initiative and responsibility, while also being an effective and collaborative team player.
• You are willing to travel between the KU Leuven (BE), and other consortium partner locations. This includes secondments to CNRS (FR, 3 months), ModuleWorks (DE, 2 months) and University of Turku (FI, 3 months).

Eligibility requirements

Applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully review the specific eligibility criteria, mobility rules and recruitment requirements before submitting your application. In accordance with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network regulations:

• Doctoral Candidate Status: Applicants must not already hold a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.
• MSCA Mobility Rule: Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the hiring country for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately prior to the recruitment date. Periods of compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent during refugee status application procedures under the Geneva Convention are not counted towards this limit.
• Applicants must have a two-year master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing or Materials Engineering, Photonics, Physics or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Offer

Successful candidates will:

• Be enrolled in the KU Leuven PhD programme.
• Conduct research in a stimulating international environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities and supervision by recognised experts.
• Participate in local and network-wide training activities aimed at advancing scientific knowledge and transferable skills.
• Attend workshops and international conferences relevant to their research topic.
• Undertake secondments of approximately 8 months at other network or associated partner institutions.
• Receive further doctoral training for PhD candidates in the framework of the KU Leuven Arenberg Doctoral School ( https://set.kuleuven.be/phd ), known for its strong focus on both future scientists and scientifically trained professionals who will valorise their doctoral expertise and competences in a non-academic context.

Salary and appointment terms Successful candidates will receive a comprehensive financial package in line with the rules for Doctoral Candidates (DCs) in a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network. Employment will be provided by the recruiting organisation and will include mobility and family allowances (where applicable), paid leave (in accordance with institutional regulations), and full social security coverage. The monthly gross salary consists of the following components:

• Living allowance: €4,010/month (as defined in Section 1.1 of the MSCA Work Programme).
• Mobility allowance: €710/month.
• Family allowance (if applicable, depending on family status): €660/month.

Additional regulations of the recruiting institution may apply. The employment starts on 1 March 2027 or according to mutual agreement. The position is a full-time position.

Recruitment procedure We are committed to promoting equal opportunities, diversity, inclusion and gender equality in all recruitment and selection procedures. Recruitment will be based exclusively on merit, qualifications, skills, experience and research potential, ensuring a fair, transparent and unbiased selection process. Recruitment will be carried out and monitored in full accordance with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, and the Doctoral Network mobility rules. Applications are encouraged by candidates of all genders, nationalities, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including groups that are traditionally underrepresented in science, engineering and technology. Assessment criteria Recruitment will be carried out and monitored in full accordance with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, and the Doctoral Network mobility rules. The process will follow an open, transparent, merit-based, impartial, and equitable procedure, tailored to each individual DC position. Promising candidates will undergo a series of interviews with the PI and the Supervisory Committee. Privacy Notice Please be informed that we will process personal data collected from you in response to this vacancy, such as your name, photo, address, email address, or personal data contained in your curriculum vitae, recommendation letter or other documents submitted by you in response to this vacancy for recruitment and selection and audit purposes. You have various rights in relation to our processing of your personal data. In particular, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: you can request access to your personal data, i.e. the right to get an overview of your personal data that we process.
• Right to rectification: you can request correction of inaccurate data or completion of incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: you have the right to ask us to erase your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction of processing: you have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object: you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.In case you object to the processing of your data necessary for recruitment and selection, please be aware that no contractual relation is possible and we will not be able to consider your application.
• Right to data portability: you have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data you provided us to another organization, or to you, in certain circumstances.

To exercise your rights, please fill in the web form made available for this purpose on the following website: https://admin.kuleuven.be/privacy/en/application-form. Please note that this position is part of a consortium involving several partner institutions. By submitting your application, you consent to your personal data, CV and motivation letter being shared with and accessible to the relevant members of the consortium for the purposes of the recruitment and selection process.

Interested?

Follow the KU Leuven job application tool and enclose: *full CV - mandatory *motivation letter - mandatory *full list of credits and grades of both Bachelor and Master degrees (as well as their transcription to English if possible) - mandatory (if you have not finished your degree yet, just provide us with the partial list of already available credits and grades) *proof of English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, ...) - if available *two reference letters - if available *an English version of your MSc thesis, or of a recent publication or assignment - if available. For more information please contact Prof. dr. Sylvie Castagne, mail: [e-mail].

KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.

location_city Locatie: Leuven