项目介绍

2026年6月17日

Description of the workplace

The Division of Solid Mechanics was the first department established at LTH and is now part of the Department of Construction Sciences. The division operates in an international environment and has connections with research organizations and companies both nationally and internationally. Today, the Division of Solid Mechanics consists of approximately 25 employees, of which around 15 are PhD students. The work environment is open and welcoming, striving to provide each employee with the opportunity to develop personally and professionally.

The field of solid mechanics relates to methods and principles aimed at understanding and modelling the mechanics of deformable bodies. Solid mechanics is a core discipline in mechanical engineering and is of fundamental importance to many other related disciplines. The questions addressed in solid mechanics have high relevance for industrial applications in many sectors. 

Research in solid mechanics at LTH is specifically focused on constitutive mechanics, numerical methods, microstructural mechanics, structural optimization, and experimental methods. The department also has strong activity in X-ray and neutron methods for materials research.

Being a doctoral student

As a doctoral student, you are both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University. 

As a doctoral student, you will be trained in a scientific approach. In short, you will be trained to think critically and analytically, to solve problems independently using the right methods, and to develop an awareness of research ethics. In addition, you will have the opportunity to work on projects, to develop your leadership and pedagogical skills. Throughout your studies, you will be guided by supervisors. Doctoral studies end with a thesis and a doctoral degree. More about being a doctoral student at LTH on lth.se. 

Subject and project description.

This PhD project is part of the “RAPTOR” project funded by the NovoNordisk Foundation and is a collaboration between Lund University, the University of Copenhagen and the Danish Technical University. The overall aim of the RAPTOR project is to develop a next-generation foundation model for analysis of 3D volumetric data to enable accelerated classification, segmentation and quantitative characterisation of the multiscale structures contained in X-ray microtomography images. The development and training of the foundation model is already underway and is based on large volumes of existing data from diverse sources, including synchrotron and laboratory micro-CT scanners, medical imaging datasets and electron microscopy. During the project, RAPTOR will be further advanced and applied to materials and biomedical research challenges. 

In this PhD project, you will contribute to the development of RAPTOR and related methodologies with a particular focus on exploiting the model to classify, segment and quantitatively characterise the multiscale structures and processes in materials, including metals, fibre-based materials and porous/granular materials. You will develop protocols and pipelines for scanning, curating and analysing of large 3D data sets to explore material structures and heterogeneity. You will also develop and carry out in-situ experiments with 4D X-ray tomography to explore structure-property-process relationships.

Work duties

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral programme, which includes participation in research projects as well as third cycle courses, seminars and conferences. 

The work duties in the research project will include: 

• development of strategies for high-throughput 3D/4D X-ray tomography imaging to study multiscale material structures and heterogeneity;
• development of in-situ/operando experiments to study material processes during, for example, mechanical, thermal or fluid loading;
• development of effective image processing/analysis approaches for large volume 3D/4D data including classical and machine-learning based approaches;
• participation in the development of the RAPTOR model;
• performing experiments exploiting X-ray tomography at laboratory and synchrotron facilities;
• establishing protocols for curation of large-volume data sets;
• materials analysis using 3D/4D X-ray tomography and image analysis;
• statistical analysis of large-volume 3D/4D data sets in connection to, e.g., mechanical testing data, and linking this to solid mechanics modelling/simulation.

The duties may also include participation in teaching and other departmental work (however, a maximum of 20% of working hours).

Qualifications

To be eligible for admission and employment as a doctoral student, you must fulfil the requirements below.

Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant: 

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or 
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or 
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Solid Mechanics if the applicant has: 

• at least 45 credits in courses relevant to the subject, or
• a MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Engineering Mathematics, Civil Engineering or related fields.

Additional requirements

In order to complete the doctoral programme in question, the following are also required: 

• good knowledge in physics, maths and computer programming;
• curiosity about research and teaching, in general, plus motivation for the particular research project;
• ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems;
• creativity with a good ability for cooperation and networking;
• good written and oral communication skills;
• very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Other qualifications

For the doctoral programme in question, the following are considered as other qualifications: 

• interest and experience in imaging methods, X-ray imaging techniques and data/image-analysis;
• interest and experience in materials characterisation and micromechanics;
• experience in computer programming in Matlab®, python, C, or equivalent;
• knowledge in image analysis and computer programming;
• a thesis (e.g., master’s thesis) at an advanced level within the subject area.

Consideration will also be given to how the applicant, through experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees receive particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. More about working at Lund University on lu.se. 

About the employment

The employment is a fixed-term employment at full time, starting as soon as possible or according to agreement. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. In the case of teaching and other departmental duties, the employment is extended accordingly. Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§. More about terms of employment for doctoral students on Lund University´s Staffpages.

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include: 

• CV and a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the doctoral programme/employment and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. 
• Copies of issued study certificates and/or awarded degree certificates. These must confirm that you meet the general and specific admission requirements for the doctoral programme and show that you have the subject knowledge required for the doctoral programme project. 
• Grade transcripts.
• A copy of your completed or ongoing thesis, if available.
• At least two references with complete contact details.

We welcome your application!