Doctoral student in Multifunctional Battery Interphase Mechanics

Publiceringsdatum: 2025-12-09

Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB söker just nu efter en doktorand och du kan vara den de letar efter. Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB söker en medarbetare på heltid som vill arbeta 6 månader eller längre. Kan det vara du? För detta jobb är Göteborg den angivna tjänsteorten.

Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB söker för närvarande efter en person att anställa inom doktorand-branschen. Ta en titt på deras lediga tjänst för att se om något av dem passar just dig. Bli en del av Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB genom att ansöka till jobbet som doktorand senast fredag den nionde januari 2026.

Jobbannons

How can we design longer-lasting and multifunctional loadbearing batteries by understanding how their internal interfaces evolve over time?

In this Doctoral student project at Chalmers University of Technology, you will investigate this question at the intersection of electrochemistry, materials science, and mechanics. Your work will advance the next generation of structural batteries—materials that store energy while carrying mechanical load—enabling lighter, more energy-efficient, and sustainable solutions for future transport and infrastructure.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary research environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities and international collaboration.

About us 

The Department of Industrial and Materials Science shares knowledge and their vision of technical solutions for the future industry in a sustainable society. Through excellent research, innovation, and education, we contribute to the development of future industrial value chains.

In the Division of Material and Computational Mechanics we foster an inclusive, friendly, and helpful work environment to which we welcome you to contribute. Our activities focus on the modelling of the mechanics of structures, components, and processes along with involved materials, thus providing mechanics-based solutions and virtual solution tools to our engineering challenges.

About the research project  

The project aims to uncover how electrochemical interphases form, evolve, and mechanically interact with anisotropic carbon fibre electrodes during cycling, focussing on the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). The key question is how SEI growth, lithium consumption, stress development, and transport processes are coupled to determine interface stability and long-term durability. Addressing this challenge will advance fundamental understanding of degradation phenomena relevant to both structural batteries and conventional lithium-ion batteries.

You will in this role collaborate with researchers at the Division of Materials and Manufacture and the Department of Physics at Chalmers as well as colleagues at KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, Imperial College London, UK, and Deakin University, Australia.

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, Solid Mechanics, Materials Science or Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry / Chemical Engineering or similar field.
• Knowledge in FEM (including programming thereof) is required.
• You will need strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

You will be expected to take on responsibilities within the project, have the ability to take own initiatives, and, when needed, work independently. At the same time, being a successful researcher also involves working with others and disseminating the results within existing and new networks, both within academia and to industry and society. Therefore, networking skills, team work skills, and quality assurance are important.

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

The following experience will strengthen your application: 

• Education in materials science, experimental techniques, numerical analysis, and programming is meritorious. 
• Knowledge of the Swedish language is desirable, but not required. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

What you will do

• Pursue your doctoral studies within the project, focusing on developing models for coupled electro-chemo-thermo-mechanical processes in structural batteries and their interphases, along with their experimental characterisation.
• Develop multi-physics material models, implement them in a finite element code, and conduct experimental characterisation. The balance between modelling and experiments can be tailored to your interests.
• Develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing
• Your research activities will contribute to enhanced knowledge in the scientific field, in particular by presenting your results in scientific journals and at international conferences
• Take courses at an advanced level within the Graduate school of Solid and Structural Mechanics
• The position generally also includes teaching on Chalmers' undergraduate level or performing other duties 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 34,550 SEK per month (valid from May 25, 2025). 
• 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 procedure 

For information about the application, please refer to advert on Chalmers' webpage.

We welcome your application no later than January 9th, 2026. 

For questions, please contact:  

Assistant professor Johanna Xu, johannax@chalmers.se or;

Professor Fredrik Larsson, fredrik.larsson@chalmers.se

We look forward to your application!