项目介绍

2026年10月21日

[Net salary (after taxes) starting from 2600 EUR/month]UGent-MMS is coordinating a 4-year research project on snap fit joints. Snap fit joints, also called snap-lock joints or clickable joints, are one of the most widely used connection types in all sorts of construction elements, automotive parts, medical devices and many more. Those joints are more and more important in the context of disassembly, recycling and repair.This research project does not deal with the most simple snap fit joints, based on cantilever flexible beams. Rather it focuses on the complex snap fit joints that are used in window profiles, laminate flooring, injection moulded parts for automotive, etc. When those joints are engaged, they follow a complex loading path, with effects of friction, strain rate, geometric nonlinearity and manufacturing tolerances. After that, the snap fit joints have to keep the parts together for many years, despite temperature fluctuations, creep and environmental ageing.The project is funded by Flanders Make, and is a collaboration between UGent, KULeuven and Flanders Make. The project is supported by 10 companies from the construction, automotive and consumer goods sector.This PhD will focus on development of experimental characterization techniques for the engagement and long-term performance of snap fit joints. Instrumentation techniques such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and high-speed imaging will be used, and tests will be extended from quasi-static loading to long-term creep loading, combined with temperature influences. He/she will collaborate with the other PhD students and postdoc, involved in the project.Only candidates with a Master degree should apply. The candidate should have a strong interest in experimental mechanics of materials, and should be enthusiastic to work in a collaborative project between industry and academia.Contact person ?The responsible person at Ghent University is Prof. Wim VAN PAEPEGEM. He has 25 years of experience in mechanics of composites and finite element simulations. More information on the achievements of the research group can be found on http://www.composites.ugent.be/.Who do we look for ?you are interested in research and have obtained a Master and/or PhD degree,you are interested to interact and collaborate closely with the industrial partners during the research period,you have an education in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computational Mechanics, Biomedical Engineering, or similar,you are familiar with mechanics of materials and experimental or computational techniques (depending on the specific vacancy requirement mentioned above),mastering the Dutch language is not a prerequisite, but a good knowledge of English writing and speaking is absolutely required.What do we offer ?you will be working in a dynamic environment. Our group has expanded quite fast the last few years and currently, 8 postdoc’s and 15 PhD students are working in our group. Besides, 18 PhD students have successfully obtained their PhD degree in the last five years,we have extensive experimental and numerical facilities. You will have access to several Linux workstations and a high performance computing cluster to run finite element simulations on 2000+ cores,we have good contacts with the regional composite and additive manufacturing industry and regional universities, so you will come into contact with industrial applications of composites and related research in other universities,you will get the chance to attend international conferences (e.g. ECCM, ICCM,…) and to present papers on these conferences. For those who are interested, an international exchange with another university is possible. As publications are increasingly important (also for your career afterwards), you are encouraged to publish your results not only on international conferences, but also in peer-reviewed international journals,you will have a personal laptop and a private workspace. All PhD students and staff have their office in the same wing of the building. The laboratories are separate in another wing of the same building,if you are just graduated (junior PhD student), your net income is about 2600 EUR per month. That is the amount of money that is deposited on your bank account every month (after taxes). If you have a dependent wife/husband and/or children, the salary is raised. Also seniority can be taken into account if you can show former relevant experience. The salary for postdoctoral researchers starts at 2900 EUR net income per month (after taxes).the cost for the PhD study itself is very limited. Our education system is very different from for example the system in the United Kingdom. When you start your PhD study, you pay a once-only tuition fee of ca. 1000 EUR, and the rest of your study is free of charge,the university offers compensations for public transport (train) and bicycle. The work location can be reached easily by public transport (train and tram/bus),a hospitalization insurance policy can be concluded,there are a lot of sport accommodations and other benefits (reductions on computer purchase, internet connection, fitness,…) for university personnel,there are specific organizations for the international student community in Gent. There are ISAG (International Students Association Ghent) and ESN (European Students Network). They are quite active in organizing all sorts of events (Student Unions and Societies for international students).Ghent University has 6 regional platforms, which give support, guidance and advice to international students from different continents (see UGent regional platforms). For example, for Chinese students, there is the East-Asia platform and for Indian students, the South-Asia platform.How to apply ?you write a detailed Curriculum Vitae in Dutch or English, containing:your personal details (name, address, date of birth, nationality,…)your education, subject of master thesis and degreestranscripts of records of Bachelor and Master degreeyour work experience (previous jobs)additional skills (finite element software, programming languages, communication skills, …)mastered languages (Dutch, English, French)references (previous projects in the domain, published papers,…)you send the C.V. by e-mail to the following person:Prof. Wim VAN PAEPEGEMGhent UniversityMechanics of Materials and StructuresTechnologiepark-Zwijnaarde 469052 ZwijnaardeBelgiumTel.: +32-(0)9-331.04.32E-mail: Wim.VanPaepegem@UGent.beAdditional information ?you can freely download our research brochure. This PDF-document contains a lot of pictures and impressions of our research activities. You can find it on the webpage http://www.composites.ugent.be/slideshow/Slideshow.pdfyou can contact Prof. Wim VAN PAEPEGEM for any additional information, either by phone or e-mail or a personal appointment.

Job details

Title

PhD (4 years) on experimental characterization of snap fit joints

Employer

Ghent University

Location

Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 33 Ghent, Belgium

Published

2026-10-19

Application deadline

Unspecified

Job type

PhD

Field

Materials Engineering, ,

Manufacturing Engineering, ,

Mechanical Engineering, ,

Mechanics, ,

Experimental Physics,

and 2 more

Materials Physics,

Instrumentation Engineering

Application instructions

Please send your application to Wim.VanPaepegem@UGent.be