PhD in Architected Materials: Contact Mechanics

ETH Zürich; Zürich; On-site; CHF 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

International research group

Public transport benefits

Childcare and pension benefits

Job summary

ETH Zurich's Professorship of Solid Mechanics (SMEC) invites a motivated doctoral student to investigate how local contact interactions in architected materials shape macroscopic interface response. The project blends physics-based modeling with theory and numerical experiments to uncover design principles for robust materials and structures.

You will develop lattice-material models, analyze architecture and scales, and aim for homogenized descriptions.

Qualifications

• MSc degree in mechanics, physics, (civil, mechanical, aerospace, or bio-) engineering, material science, computational science, or a related discipline.
• Background in mechanics, applied physics, computational mechanics, scientific computing, or a related field.
• Experience implementing scientific code and assessing computational results through validation, verification, and quantitative comparison with reference data.
• Prior programming experience in Python and have used version control.
• Curious, self-motivated, and interested in using modeling and quantitative reasoning to answer mechanics and physics questions.
• Fluent in English (oral and written).
• Enjoy working in a team with good social skills and proactive collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Conduct a computational and theoretical investigation of local contact interactions in architected materials and their macroscopic interface response.
• Connect cell-scale mechanics with multiscale/rough-surface contact mechanics to develop effective descriptions of architected interfaces.
• Develop and use numerical models of lattice materials to study underlying principles of contact behavior.
• Analyze how architectural features, material properties, and length scales influence contact area, pressure distributions, interface stiffness, and load transmission.
• Seek statistical or homogenized descriptions linking individual contacting cells to large architected interfaces.
• Contribute to a stimulating environment for scientific growth and collaboration.

Skills

Scientific computing

Python programming

Version control

Validation & verification

Team collaboration

English fluency

Education

MSc in mechanics or related field

Tools

Git

Job description

ETH Zurich's Professorship of Solid Mechanics (SMEC) invites a motivated doctoral student to investigate how local contact interactions in architected materials shape macroscopic interface response. The project blends physics-based modeling with theory and numerical experiments to uncover design principles for robust materials and structures.

You will develop lattice-material models, analyze architecture and scales, and aim for homogenized descriptions.