Empa

PhD student position on advanced granulated ceramic powder feedstocks

Dübendorf, Switzerland

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Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

Empa's Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics is involved in the scientific research, development and characterization of advanced ceramics, composites and inorganic powder-based materials for structural and functional applications.

You will study and characterize the powder and formulation dependent granulation process to develop advanced ceramic powder feedstocks for the dry pressing of precision ceramic parts. The aim is to corroborate the interplay between the process-chemistry-powder parameters towards high-performance feedstock developments overcoming specific and recurrent issues in shaping operations of our industrial project partner. At the interplay between fundamental and applied research, the goal of the PhD project is to understand the how the organic additives chemistry and mixture plays in the process variability and sensitivity and investigate the underlying mechanisms towards a lean and sustainable manufacturing of precision ceramic parts. The project results will be directly evaluated in industrial settings, establishing a feedback loop between lab scale observations and statistical relevance in production environments.

PhD student position on advanced granulated ceramic powder feedstocks

Your responsibilities

Formulate slurries suitable for spray granulations
Study the effects of the organic additives, their chemistry and mixture on the granulation process parameters and granule performance for the shaping of ceramic precision parts
Study the role of the powder type, its size and morphology on the chemistry-process parameter map
Publish scientific findings in peer-reviewed high-impact journals and present them at international conferences

Your profile

MSc in Materials science, Chemical engineering or related disciplines
Solid background and interest in organic chemistry
Strong analytical skills for materials and data analysis
Creative scientific mindset
Full proficiency in written and oral English, French is an asset
Self-motivated, critical-thinking, open-minded and communicative, with a strong interest to work in an international and interdisciplinary research environment
Fulfilling admission requirements of the EDMX doctoral school at EPFL

Our offer
We offer an Innosuisse funded PhD position at Empa, located near Zurich, to conduct cutting-edge research on ceramic shaping process related topics for the direct benefit of industry and the wellbeing of society. Applications are open immediately and the starting date is April 2025 or upon mutual agreement. The PhD candidate will be co-supervised by Dr. Andrea Testino from PSI.

We live a culture of inclusion and respect. We welcome all people who are interested in innovative, sustainable and meaningful activities - that's what counts.

We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation, CV, certificates, diplomas and contact details of two reference persons. Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e-mail and by post will not be considered.