PhD Position in Mechanical Engineering

Project

Performance variability of nominally identical gearboxes is often observed in industry after production and/or assembly of a gearbox. One of the main reasons for this variability is the presence of manufacturing variations. Traditional gear design manuals and/or software based on international standards lack the resolution required to include the influence of factors such as (within-tolerance) surface roughness or (within-tolerance) geometrical deviations. In this context, the proposed thesis will focus on developing manufacturing variations measurement methodologies and prediction models to be used for robust design with respect to manufacturing variations and assembly conditions.

Profile

We are looking for a PhD student researcher with:

• a master's degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics engineering or production engineering,
• experience in surface metrology and modelling of machining or related production processes is a plus,
• good communication skills (oral and written) in English,
• interest for research and ability to pay close attention to details,
• enthusiasm for learning and willingness to take initiatives to acquire new skills and explore innovative ideas.

Offer

You will get:

• the opportunity to be part of a dynamic research group and to conduct research towards a PhD at an internationally renowned research university,
• a fully-funded scholarship for 4 years of PhD research (starting net monthly salary around €2,500),
• networking opportunities through participation in conferences, workshops and collaborations with local and international research groups,
• industry relevant experience through our partnership with Flanders Make,
• the opportunity to develop teaching and management skills,
• a work location in the nice environment of the High Tech Campus Arenberg in Heverlee, Belgium.

The Arenberg Doctoral School requires a cum laude for admission to the doctoral program and provides ample attractive opportunities to develop scientifically, personally, and professionally while pursuing your PhD.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. Sylvie Castagne, tel.: +32 16 37 74 23, mail: sylvie.castagne@kuleuven.be or Dr. Jun Qian, tel.: +32 16 32 25 24, mail: jun.qian@kuleuven.be.

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com