Postdoctoral Fellow in Extrusion of recycled aluminium

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At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

     

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About the position

Are you ready to take your research career to the next level?

We offer an exciting 3-year postdoctoral position that gives you the opportunity to develop a strong profile as researcher. You will also gain valuable experience that might be relevant for your further career. The purpose of a postdoctoral position is for the employee to build up a researcher profile and competence that qualifies the person to apply for a position as associate professor. The position may also provide other competence with relevance for the postdoctoral fellow's further career. Become part of our research environment and take the next step in your career with us. The position is within the research project “HEXAL” funded by the Research Council of Norway.

The candidate for this PostDoc position will conduct research on aluminium extrusion, optimizing die design and the process itself for complex profiles based on post consumer material, as well as the mechanical properties and product quality. 

The use of PCS in the production of automotive components is currently limited, but is expected to grow as more stringet requirements and regulations come into effect. The candidate will establish and validate numerical forming simulations, predict PCS effects on seam- and charge weld quality, integrate microstructure evolution into the models, conduct industrial experiments, and demonstrate validity through use-cases in the project. The foci of the research work include practical experiments (including extrusion experiments, and mechanical/microstructure characterization tests), theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation. 

The candidate will work in collaboration with industrial partners Hydro and Raufoss Technology, and needs to be responsible for reporting progress and delivering outputs to the project. The PhD position is linked to NTNU Aluminium Product Innovation Center (NAPIC) and MANULAB – Norwegian manufacturing research infrastructure.

Your immediate leader and supervisor will be the Head of Department. 

About the project 

The HEXAL project seeks to develop and verify a step-change in the use of Post-Consumer-Scrap (PCS) aluminium for novel and structural products particularly for the automotive industry, representing the most demanding market - towards further light-weighting and decarbonization of components and systems for Battery Electrical Vehicles (BEVs) and other applications. The aim is to develop extrusion-based applications for the automotive market, focusing especially on the use of unique techniques that can eliminate and accept the ʻnaturalʼ variability accompanied by using scrap from various sources. This will help OEMʼs world-wide reach the decarbonization goals towards 2050.

Hydro and Raufoss Technology are industrial partners in this project.

Duties of the position

• Study, prototype and validate extrusion processes mechanisms for improved accuracy and mechanical properties
• Investigate the impact of thermal-mechanical processing on the subsequent forming processes and end-product quality
• Perform mechanical and microstructural testing, characterization and analysis to assess the properties of material and components
• Investigate the process behaviours, mechanisms and models to improve and optimize the process capabilities
• Conduct and publish high-level research at peer-reviewed journals and international conferences
• Work closely with industry and employ the industry-as-aboratory concept for extrusion trials and studies
• Participate and contribute to research group activities, including mentoring and supervising PhDs and MScs

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a doctoral degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Materials Processing
• If you are in the final phase of your doctorate, your application can be considered even if you have not defended. NOTE: Documentation of the obtained doctorate must be presented before you can take up the position and at the latest the end of October 2025.
• You must have an academic track record within aluminium extrusion with high level publications
• You must have direct industrial experience or documented experience in working with industry in research projects
• You must have experience in continuum base modelling of aluminium extrusion using FEA software, in particular QForm
• You must show a strong network (industrial and academic) within the field of aluminium extrusion
• You must documented strong practical background in process development, mechanisms, quality characteristics and continuous improvement
• You must have experience from at least two universities in two different countries
• You must demonstrate excellent written and oral English skills

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

If you do not already have educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as associate professor in Norway, NTNU will arrange for you to acquire such competence during the employment period. In such cases, you will also be assigned relevant teaching as part of the career-promoting work.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) and Regulations for the degrees philosophiaedoctor (ph.d.) and philosophiaedoctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Knowledge and testing skills in material characterization and microstructural analysis of aluminium alloys, using advance equipment like SEM, TEM, P-FIB, etc.
• Experience in the design and development of machine tools in metal forming processes
• Experience in using alternative, relevant modelling methods for material, process, and product behavior (like using analytical, data-driven modelling approaches, AI, etc.)

Personal characteristics

Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you:

• Highly motivated
• Able to work independently
• Curious and enthusiastic
• Strong ability to systematically carry out goal-oriented work—a true ‘follow-througher’
• Enjoy interdisciplinary research
• Keen interest in learning and working in teams
• Good skills to deliver oral and written presentation of research results
• Strong interest in combining theory and practice through experimental and numerical research

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer 

• An exciting job with an important social mission
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment 
• Career guidance throughout the postdoctoral program and together with you we will prepare a career plan, which containsthe skills and knowledge you will acquire
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues 
• Mentor programmeas a new employee at NTNU 
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality.

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 594 500 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years, depending on whether there is a need to include courses within educational competence.

The position is conditional on external funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important to keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and to adapt to them. 

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed. 

About the application 

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above.

The application must include:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's-, Master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position and at the latest end of October 2025.
• CV
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, you can attach a draft of the thesis. 
• Motivation letter (maximum one page)
• Academic works - published or unpublished
• Possible recommendation letters
• Name and contact information of three referees

If all or parts of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

If you have had leave or another break in your career, it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account and that the amount of your research may be reduced as a result.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal qualities. Motivation, ambitions and potential for research will also be emphasized in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and is committed to follow evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment DORA and the obligations in CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public list of applicants, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Torgeir Welo, e-mail: torgeir.welo@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Hedda Winnberg, e-mail: hedda.winnberg@ntnu.no.

If you find this position interesting, and in accordance with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

Application deadline: 24.06.2025

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000.The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.