11 PhD Positions in the Excellence & Sustainability Programme

Applications are now open for 11 outstanding PhD positions in the Excellence & Sustainability Programme offered by the Section Mechanics of Materials at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Netherlands.These positions focus on sustainable materials, green steels, hydrogen-resistant steels, cryogenic thermal interfaces, and silicon wafer handling.

The programme is fully funded with competitive salaries and excellent employment benefits. It is open to highly motivated international and domestic candidates with excellent academic records. There is no application fee. You can check out BS, MS, PhD and postdoc positions here.

Key Details:

• Degree Level: PhD
• Host Country: Netherlands
• Host University: Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)
• Application Deadline: 30 September 2026
• Duration: 4 years full-time
• Funding Type: Fully funded
• Open for: All nationalities
• Application Fee: None

What This Scholarship Offers:

• A competitive monthly salary ranging from € 3,059 to € 3,881 (scale P) for the full four years.
• Year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• Full social security benefits including pension scheme, paid pregnancy/maternity leave, and partially paid parental leave.
• High-quality professional training programmes and personal development support to become an independent researcher.
• Excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus sports facilities, and children’s day care.
• Commuting, work-from-home, and internet cost allowances.
• Special support for international candidates through the Staff Immigration Team and the 30% tax compensation facility.
• Opportunity to work in a world-class, international research environment with strong industry collaborations (e.g., Tata Steel, SKF, ASML, Philips).
• Valuable teaching experience (10–15% of time) and the chance to coach students.
• Access to state-of-the-art laboratories and computing facilities.

Also Check: University of Bayreuth Funded Professor and Doctoral Opportunities 2026

Eligibility Criteria:

• Outstanding, motivated, and curiosity-driven researcher with excellent analytical skills and creativity.
• Hold an MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related field.
• Strong academic background in mechanics of materials, continuum mechanics, or experimental mechanics.
• Proven excellence demonstrated by outstanding grades in all BSc and MSc courses.
• For some projects, prior experience in materials science, metallurgy, micromechanics, or experimental testing is an advantage.
• Strong interest in interdisciplinary research and collaboration with industrial partners.
• Willingness to contribute to teaching and student supervision.
• Excellent command of English (spoken and written, minimum C1 level).

Also Check: University of Bayreuth Funded Professor and Doctoral Opportunities 2026

The PhD Projects:

All projects are embedded in four larger programmes and involve collaboration with industry partners.

1. Green Steels

The Dutch steel sector is undergoing a major transition toward significantly more sustainable production, processing, use, and recovery by 2030, aiming for complete CO2 neutrality by 2050. This programme studies how new processing routes affect the microstructure and properties of green steels.

2. Physics Based Design of Hydrogen Resistant Steels

Hydrogen can make steel brittle, especially in new green steel grades. This programme develops physics based models, digital twins, and experimental validation to optimize steel microstructures for the hydrogen economy.

3. Thermal Interfaces at Cryogenic Conditions

Many advanced technologies require extreme cooling. This programme creates multiscale models to understand thermal and mechanical behaviour at cryogenic temperatures, enabling better, more energy efficient cooling systems for quantum computers, medical imaging, and high tech manufacturing.

4. Wafer Handling

This programme investigates mechanical contact on silicon wafers to maintain surface quality and cleanliness during lithography processes through advanced scratch experiments and micromechanical analysis.

Also Check: University of Bayreuth Funded Professor and Doctoral Opportunities 2026

Computational Mechanics PhD Projects

1. PhD 1: Rolling contact fatigue in green bearing steels – numerical microstructural modelling [SKF; Ron Peerlings]
2. PhD 2: Predictive analysis of edge crack sensitivity of green steels [Tata Steel; Marc Geers]
3. PhD 3: From structure to properties in green metastable stainless steels [Philips, Alleima; Marc Geers]
4. PhD 4: Solute dependent bcc crystal plasticity in hydrogen resistant circular steels [Tata Steel; Ron Peerlings]
5. PhD 5: Grain boundary plasticity and damage in hydrogen resistant circular steels [Tata Steel; Ron Peerlings]
6. PhD 6: Pipeline fracture twin: Digital twin development for hydrogen assisted crack propagation in buried steel pipelines [APS, Tata Steel; Karo Sedighiani]
7. PhD 7: Cryogenic interface heat transfer for advanced thermal interfaces [Thermo Fisher Scientific, ASML, AAE, MI Partners; Olaf van der Sluis]

Experimental Mechanics PhD Projects

• PhD 11: Micromechanical experimental analysis of particle generation in silicon wafer handling [VDL; Johan Hoefnagels]
• PhD 8: Rolling contact fatigue in green bearing steels – experimental microstructural analysis [SKF; Johan Hoefnagels]
• PhD 9: Effect of surface changes due to tramp elements and new heating methods on the mechanics of green steel [Tata Steel; Johan Hoefnagels]
• PhD 10: In situ micromechanical investigation of hydrogen induced plasticity in circular steels [Tata Steel; Johan Hoefnagels]

Also Check: University of Bayreuth Funded Professor and Doctoral Opportunities 2026

Application Process:

The selection happens in two steps:

1. Excellence assessment (all candidates).
2. Detailed project information and final selection in consultation with the principal investigators (for candidates who pass step 1).

Required Documents:

• Cover letter describing your motivation and qualifications.
• Curriculum Vitae including study periods, list of publications, brief MSc thesis description, and contact information of three references.
• Official grade lists from BSc and MSc (must show excellent grades).
• Clear indication of the PhD position(s) you are interested in (you may select multiple).
• Separate list of relevant experience with continuum mechanics, computational skills, programming, experimental techniques, etc. (only mention skills relevant to your chosen projects).

Also Check: University of Bayreuth Funded Professor and Doctoral Opportunities 2026