Postdoc in Geometry-Aware Predictive Maintenance

Chalmers University of Technology; Göteborgs kommun; On-site; SEK 480,000 - 560,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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Job summary

Chalmers University of Technology seeks a motivated postdoctoral researcher to advance geometry-aware predictive maintenance within the Geometry-aware RQL project. You will work across product development, production systems and maintenance to link degradation to product quality, publishing results and guiding PhD students.

You will engage in interdisciplinary collaboration, contribute to method development, and share insights for industrial applicability, with a view toward an academic or

Qualifications

• It is required to hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree by the time of employment.
• It demonstrated research experience in modelling, simulation, data analysis or experimental methods and ability to work independently.
• It requires strong analytical and collaborative skills and proficiency in English.

Responsibilities

• Develop geometry-aware predictive maintenance methods and Remaining Quality Life concepts.
• Collaborate with project PIs and industrial partners to advance methodological development and industrial application.
• Publish scientific papers and supervise master’s students with up to 20% teaching involvement.
• Contribute to a two-year postdoctoral project with potential extension and professional career development.

Skills

Analytical skills

Independent researcher

Collaborative

English proficiency

Education

Doctoral degree in mechanical/production engineering or related field

Job description

Join us at the Division of Product Development, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and help advance knowledge in the field of quality assurance and predictive maintenance.

About Us

At the Department of Mechanical Engineering, we unite the power of technology, people, and society to drive the transition toward a sustainable future. Through research, education, and collaboration, we create solutions that connect materials to mobility, ideas to impact – shaping a resilient and sustainable world. The Division of Product Development conducts research and education on methods and tools for developing robust, sustainable, and competitive products and processes. Our work spans the entire development lifecycle – from early-stage concepts with limited information to verified design and industrialization. We develop knowledge, methods, and tools that support better design decisions, reduce risk and development time, and ensure product quality and functionality despite variations in materials, manufacturing, and usage. Our research is carried out in close collaboration with industry and society, with a strong focus on both scientific excellence and practical impact.

About The Research Project

Help develop a new approach to predictive maintenance that focuses on product quality—not only equipment failure. In the project “Geometry-aware predictive maintenance: linking degradation to product requirements and formalizing Remaining Quality Life (RQL)”, you will investigate how degradation in tools, fixtures and machines propagates into product variation and develop methods to predict when the risk of non-conformance becomes unacceptable. This two-year postdoctoral position, funded by Chalmers’ Area of Advance Production, offers the opportunity to formulate and drive your own research questions within an interdisciplinary team. By combining simulation, process and condition monitoring, measured geometry and maintenance decision‑making in a machining-to-assembly demonstrator, the project aims to reduce scrap, rework and unnecessary maintenance while improving resource efficiency.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a motivated and independent researcher with a strong interest in combining fundamental research with industrial applications. You should enjoy working collaboratively across disciplinary boundaries and have the potential to contribute to high‑quality research, scientific publications and, where relevant, education and supervision.

The Following Requirements Are Mandatory

• A doctoral degree, or an equivalent foreign degree, in mechanical or production engineering, or a related field such as automation, applied mathematics, computer science or data science. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time the employment decision is made.
• Research experience in modelling, simulation, data analysis or experimental methods relevant to the project, and the ability to develop and evaluate research methods independently.
• Strong analytical and collaborative skills, and proficiency in spoken and written English for research, publication and interdisciplinary teamwork.

The Following Experience Will Strengthen Your Application

• It is highly meritorious if the doctoral degree has been obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline.

Experience in one or more of the following is meritorious. You do not need expertise in all areas.

• Geometry assurance, tolerancing, variation simulation or robust design.
• Condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, machining or process monitoring.
• Digital twins, inverse problems, sensor fusion, or data‑driven and hybrid physics‑based modelling, including AI or machine learning.
• Industrial collaboration, experimental validation or translating research into engineering decision support.

What You Will Do

GeoRQL connects complementary expertise in product development, production systems, maintenance, manufacturing technology and product quality. As part of this interdisciplinary team, you will work closely with the project PIs Kristina Wärmefjord, Anders Skoogh, Mirka Kans and Peter Krajnik, as well as with fellow researchers and industrial collaborators. You will contribute to both methodological development and industrial application. You will develop methods for geometry‑aware predictive maintenance by formalising Remaining Quality Life (RQL): the remaining time or number of cycles until degradation causes the probability of violating product requirements to exceed an acceptable threshold. Unlike equipment‑centred Remaining Useful Life (RUL), RQL focuses on when degradation becomes quality‑critical. The project combines process and condition signatures, measured geometry, variation simulation, multimodal diagnosis and maintenance decision logic to connect degradation sources to part and assembly variation and, ultimately, to product‑level risk. A shared machining‑to‑assembly demonstrator and dataset will be used to validate the methods and support lifecycle learning from maintenance back to design. In addition to method development, you will publish scientific papers, have the opportunity to supervise master’s students, and participate in teaching activities of up to 20%. The position will provide valuable experience for a future career in academia, industry or the public sector.

Contract terms

The position is a temporary full‑time employment for two years with the possibility of a one‑year extension. The position requires physical presence throughout the entire employment. A valid residence permit must be presented by the start date, otherwise the offer may be withdrawn.

What We Offer

• As a postdoc at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers and ourbenefits for employees.
• A dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.
• Read more about Sweden’s generous parental leave, subsidized day care, free schools, healthcare etc at Move To Gothenburg.

Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence. We celebrate diversity and consider equality and inclusion as fundamental aspects of all our activities.

If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses to help you settle in.

For Questions, Please Contact

Professor Kristina Wärmefjord, [e-mail]

Professor Anders Skoogh, [e-mail]

• Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***

Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level. The university has 3100 employees and 10,000 students, and offers education in engineering, science, shipping and architecture.With scientific excellence as a basis, Chalmers promotes knowledge and technical solutions for a sustainable world. Through global commitment and entrepreneurship, we foster an innovative spirit, in close collaboration with wider society.

Chalmers was founded in 1829 and has the same motto today as it did then: Avancez – forward.