Doctoral student in Thermomechanical fatigue of textile composites

How do advanced composite materials perform after millions of load cycles in the demanding environment of an aeroengine? As a doctoral student in this international research collaboration, you will help answer that question through a combination of experimental testing, advanced simulations, and close interaction with leading researchers and industry experts. Your work will contribute to the development of future aerospace structures that are lighter, more efficient, and more reliable.

About us

The PhD position is placed at the Division of Computational Mechanics and Materials Engineering . We foster an inclusive, friendly, and helpful work environment to which we welcome you to contribute. Our activities integrate computational mechanics and advanced materials technology, combining multidisciplinary expertise to predict, understand, and elevate the performance of engineering materials and structures.

Within the project, you will be supported by an international team of experts in the area of mechanics of composites, combining academic excellence with industrial expertise and experience.

About the research project

The project aims to enable the deployment of advanced composite structures in aeroengines by developing reliable methods for predicting fatigue life of textile carbon fibre composites under thermomechanical tension-tension loading. Through combined experimental characterisation and development of an industrially applicable simulation framework, the project will support safe and efficient design of complex aerospace components.

More specifically, the project goals are to

• Characterise the fatigue properties and stiffness degradation of a relevant prototype textile reinforced composite material system under pure cyclic tension-tension loading.

• Develop an industrially applicable and computationally efficient ply-level macroscale fatigue model that describes how damage evolves under varying load amplitudes and thermal conditions.

• Combine the novel ply-level fatigue model with an existing state-of-the-art inter-laminar fatigue damage model into a complete fatigue life assessment framework.

• Accelerate the computational efficiency of the framework by utilising novel cycle extrapolation techniques to represent the effect of fatigue loading over many cycles at a time.

• Evaluate realistic but critical thermomechanical fatigue cycles through a combined experimental-simulation approach.

• Enable industrial adoption of the proposed fatigue assessment framework into future design procedures at GKN Aerospace.

Who we are looking for

The following requirements are mandatory

• To qualify as a Doctoral student, you must have a Master's degree ( masterexamen ) of 120 credits or a Master’s degree ( magisterexamen ) of 60 credits* in Applied Mechanics, Structural Engineering, Computational Engineering, Engineering Mathematics, Engineering Physics or similar.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English

• Documented experience (education/courses or thesis project with high grades) in continuum mechanics, advanced finite element method and the mechanics of fibre-reinforced polymers

• Interest and high skills in programming and numerical methods

*for students with an education earned outside of Sweden, a 4-year Bachelor’s degree is accepted.

We also expect that you are analytical, ambitious, independent, and a strong team player that thrives through collaboration.

The following experience will strengthen your application

• Documented knowledge in experimental testing.

• Documented knowledge in aerospace applications and/or aeroengines.

• Documented knowledge and experience in ANSYS or LS Dyna, including implementation of user subroutines (such as user materials or user elements)

What you will do

• Characterise the thermoemechanical tension-tension fatigue behaviour of a prototype composite materials sytem with textile reinforcements.

• Develop and implement a complete numerical framework to assess the tension-tension fatigue life of aeroengine components.

• Develop your scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research through written scientific publications and oral presentations at international conferences.

• Take courses at an advanced level within the Graduate school of Solid and Structural Mechanics .

• Teach on Chalmers' undergraduate level corresponding to 20 percent of working hours.

Contract terms

• The Doctoral student positions are fully funded from start.

• The position is a fixed-term appointment of four years, with the possibility to teach up to 20%, which extends the position up to five years.

• A starting salary of 35,725 SEK per month (valid from May 1, 2026).

• Doctoral studies require physical presence throughout the entire study period. A valid residence permit must be presented by the study start date; otherwise the admission may be withdrawn.

What we offer

• As a Doctoral student at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits 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.

Find more general information about doctoral studies at Chalmers here .

Application

Application procedure

The application should be written in English and attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV

Personal letter

• A brief introduction about yourself.

• A brief motivation as to why you are interested in this position.

Bachelor’s and, if available, master’s thesis together with the transcripts.

Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.

A background check may be conducted as part of the application process.

Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Contact details to references will be requested after the interview.

We welcome your application no later than   6 November 2026.

For questions, please contact

Martin Fagerström Professor email: martin.fagerstrom@chalmers.se , phone: +46 70 224 8731

We look forward to your application!

*** 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.