项目介绍

2026年9月30日

项目介绍

代尔夫特理工大学（TU Delft）应用数学研究所（DIAM）数值分析组招收全职博士生，导师为 Dr. Artur Palha，研究方向为时变偏微分方程的结构保持有限元方法（structure-preserving finite element methods），涵盖从流体到电磁等物理系统的能量/动量守恒、辛结构与 de Rham 复形保持离散格式，以及大规模系统的高性能迭代求解。入学时间为 2027 年 2 月 1 日，月薪 €3,204–€4,051，每周 38 小时，申请截止 2026 年 12 月 21 日。

Job description

What if a simulation did not just approximate physical laws, but obeyed them exactly? Join us to design structure-preserving fast FEM solvers for time-dependent PDEs, from fluids to electromagnetics.

The Numerical Analysis group within the Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics at TU Delft is offering a full-time PhD position in the area of efficient structure preserving finite element methods for time-dependent PDEs.

Time-dependent PDEs are ubiquitous in science and engineering, governing the behaviour of fluids, electromagnetics, and many other physical systems. Numerical discretization techniques are fundamental to obtaining (approximate) solutions of these PDEs. One approach to constructing more accurate numerical methods is to design them such that key properties of the PDEs are exactly preserved, instead of only approximated: for example, conservation of energy, mass, and momentum; symplecticity; or preservation of the underlying de Rham complex structure. This class of numerical methods is called structure-preserving discretization, and is the main topic of this project. Specifically, this project will focus on both the construction of structure-preserving discretizations for time-dependent PDEs and the efficient solution of the resulting systems with iterative solvers for large-scale systems and HPC. The ultimate aim is to develop solvers that have strong theoretical foundations and are practically viable for real-world applications.

The PhD will be supervised by Artur Palha in the Numerical Analysis group at TU Delft. The group is internationally recognized for its contributions to structure-preserving finite element methods, iterative methods, and parallel computing.

Besides carrying out mathematical research and preparing scientific publications, you will be expected to actively participate in seminars and discussions within the department, as well as present your work at (inter)national conferences and workshops. You will also carry out minor teaching tasks (at most 15% of your time). Teaching and communication will be in English.

Job requirements

• You hold a Master’s degree (MSc) in Applied Mathematics, Computational Science, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related field. You have a solid foundation in numerical analysis, partial differential equations, and numerical linear algebra.
• You enjoy developing and analyzing mathematical theory, but also have the skills and motivation to implement algorithms and test them in practice.
• You are proficient in at least one scientific programming language (such as Python, Julia, C++, or MATLAB) and are motivated to work with parallel computing environments.
• You are able to communicate your ideas clearly and work effectively with a diverse set of researchers and stakeholders, both within mathematics and in application domains.
• You are eager to explore connections between mathematics, physics, and computing, and motivated to learn new techniques.
• An internship or collaboration in or outside academia is a plus, but not required.

Conditions of employment

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts: an initial 1.5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2.5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met. Starting date of this position is February 1, 2027. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from €3,204 to €4,051 gross per month from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School.

Additional information

If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Artur Palha via A.Palha@tudelft.nl. Please apply no later than 20 December 2026 via the application button and upload: a cover letter (max. 1 page), a comprehensive CV, transcripts and Master’s degree/diploma (if already available), and a copy of your Master’s thesis (or a comparable writing sample). You can apply online; applications sent by email and/or post will not be processed.