Welcome to Linnaeus University! We meet the societal challenges of today and tomorrow in a spirit of openness, curiosity and creativity. By creating arenas for exchange of knowledge from different subjects, fields and cultures, we open up for new ideas and create new opportunities for long-term sustainable societal development. Linnaeus University – where people grow.

The Faculty of Technology strives to ensure that Linnaeus University’s vision permeates all activities, with a focus on the keywords: Attractive knowledge environment, Excellent research, Social drive, and Global values. The Faculty of Technology has broad operations spanning ten different departments through which Linnaeus University provides education and conducts research. The faculty has approximately 3 100 students at the undergraduate and advanced levels, 90 doctoral students and 300 teaching staff including administrators.

The department of Building Technology has extensive collaboration with business partners in research and education. The department works together with the neighboring departments for a creative environment with challenging educations and outstanding research. Research in building technology includes wood building technology, steel and concrete construction technology, building physics, historical structures, structural health monitoring, life cycle analysis and building materials. The department currently offers two Bachelor’s programs and a two-year Master’s program, the latter in Sustainable Structural Engineering.

The research group of which you will be a part, has extensive experience of the type of research to which the doctoral student project relates, often driven in close collaboration with industry.

Admitted to: Building technology

Terms of employment: The employment as a doctoral student is limited according to chapter 5, section 7 of the Higher Education Ordinance. The total employment period may not be longer than the equivalent full-time postgraduate studies of four years

Location: Växjö

Start: September 1^st, 2022, or by agreement

Work description

The project is about establishing models and produce experimental data related to shape stability of wood or wood-based materials. The shape stability of wood is primary dependent on mechanical loading, changes in moisture content due to wetting or drying and the temperature. The model for shape stability should be based on an extended continuum approach for materials that can be categorized by consisting of different phases, e.g., dry solid, vapor and liquid water phases in wood. The model of interest in this project is the Hybrid Mixture Theory, HMT. In the project the HMT should be extended to also include fracture development in wood by using the concept of the Phase-field Fracture Model, PFM. The PhD student will work together with the supervision team and, among other things, do the following: 

• Learn the basics of continuum mechanics including constitutive modelling.
• Learn how thermodynamics is used in continuum mechanics to define constitutive functions.
• Learn the basics and underlying theories leading to the HMT approach.
• Learn the basics of large deformation mechanics and learn how deformation gradient splitting approaches related to swelling strains can be established.
• Learn the basics of FEM formulations including transient and dynamic systems.
• Learn the basics of fracture mechanics and especially learn the theory behind PFM.
• Learn how to establishing your own program codes for advanced FEM simulations including strongly coupled, transient and non-linear features.
• Learn about the microstructural properties of wood and how these properties relate to the mechanical behavior at macrolevel.
• Learn how to operate experimental equipment for measurement on shape stability of wood exposed to drying etc.

In the project the PhD student should gain knowledge and produce novel teoretical and experimental results in the following areas:

• Modelling of shape stability by using the approach of HMT and establishing FEM formulations based on large deformation mechanics for swelling materials.
• New knowledge should be established on how PFM can be integrated into HMT.
• Produce experimental data which should be used to verify the material parameters oft he established models.
• Implement models and test results to increase industrial utilization of wood materials and to propose new competitive and environmentally friendly wood building construction solutions.

The project is mainly about theoretical studies about wood and wood-based materials, applied mathematics (continuum mechanics), FEM modelling and its coding but also experimental studies will be included. The studies is to be performed in close cooperation with the supervision team at Linnaeus University and local companies that are expected to take advantage of the new opportunities.  

According to the Higher Education Ordinance, a person appointed to a doctoral studentship should primarily devote himself/herself to his/her own studies. An appointee may, however, work to a limited extent with education, research, artistic development, and administration. However, before a doctoral degree has been awarded, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20% of a full-time position.

Requirements

General requirements

A person fulfils the general entry requirements if he/she has:

• An advanced level degree
• A completed undergraduate program of at least 240 credits, including 60 credits at the advanced level
• Or the equivalent knowledge obtained in or outside of Sweden

Specific requirements

A person fulfils the specific entry requirements if he/she has:

• a minimum of 90 higher education credits in the subject Building Technology or in subjects related to the doctoral level studies, or equivalent knowledge acquired in some other manner either in Sweden or abroad.
• You have good communication skills and can express yourself both orally and in writing in English.

Lastly, the applicant must be assessed as having the ability to pursue the studies.

Other requirements

You have a master’s degree in construction engineering, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics or a degree from another equivalent technically oriented program.

Desirable qualifications

Strong merits are in-depth knowledge in the areas of continuum mechanics, applied mathematics and programming. Good ability to communicate both orally and in writing in Swedish and / or another language in addition to English is an advantage.

We are looking for a person who are curious, analytical, and open to learn about new theories and concepts. We expect that you develop your ability both by taking personal responsibility and by utilizing results and insights that have been established through the research group’s previous work.

Assessment criteria

The selection to third cycle studies is based on the assessed ability to pursue the studies. The assessment focuses mainly on study results from first cycle and second cycle studies. The following is considered:

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis work and the subject, see Work description above. These can be shown via attached documents
2. Assessed ability to work independently and ability to formulate and approach scientific problems. The assessment may be based on the degree project and a discussion about this at a possible interview
3. Level of written and oral communication
4. Other merits relevant to the third cycle studies, e.g. professional experience

The following will also be considered: ability to work with others, ambition, independence and personal aptitude, as well as the applicant’s assessed ability, based on their own experience and competence, to successfully complete the studies.

More information about assessment and selection criteria can be found in each subject’s General study plan for postgraduate education, please see https://lnu.se/utbildning/forskarutbildning/

Application process

Applicants are expected to submit their application in English, which should include:

• A personal letter which states the reason for being interested in the position and in which ways the research project corresponds to your interests, experience and educational background
• A CV
• Master’s degree transcripts/diploma, and copy, or link, to master degree project
• Any other relevant documents (references, recommendation letter, transcript of records)

For further information, please contact

Main supervisor: Björn Johannesson, +46 73 062 94 14, bjorn.johannesson@lnu.se

Head of department: Thomas K Bader, +46 72 522 59 78, thomas.bader@lnu.se

Regarding the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources Officer Ulf Sernelin, 0470 70 82 77, ulf.sernelin@lnu.se.

You are very welcome to apply according to instructions until August 31- 2022.

Linnaeus University has the ambition to utilize the qualities that an even gender distribution and diversity brings to the organization.

Please apply by clicking on the “Apply” button at the bottom of the ad. Applicants are requested to the application resolving CV, cover letter , a copy of a relevant essay , grades and certificates and other relevant documents. The applicant also requested to submit with their application a proposed research plan within the current area of research. All documents must be attached to digital in the application. The application and other documents shall be marked with the reference number. All documents cited must be received by the University no later than 24.00 (Local time in Sweden) on the closing day.

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