15 MSCA Fully Funded PhD Positions Across Europe

Applications are now open for the REFFRACTEUR Doctoral Network. This is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Industrial Doctorates programme funded by the European Union. It offers 15 fully funded PhD positions in the field of refractory materials research. The focus is on circular economy approaches, digital traceability, sustainability, and high-temperature industries such as steelmaking.

The PhDs last 36 months and start in October or November 2026. Applications close on Monday, 8 June 2026. The programme is fully funded with a competitive salary and extra allowances. Candidates from all nationalities can apply if they meet the mobility rules. There is no application fee. You can check out BS, MS, PhD and postdoc positions here.

Key Details:

• Degree Level: PhD
• Host Countries: Belgium, Austria, Norway, France, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
• Application Deadline: Monday, 8 June 2026.
• Open to: All nationalities (subject to MSCA mobility rules).
• Start Date: 1 October or 1 November 2026.
• Duration: 36 months full-time.
• Application Fee: None.

What this scholarship offers:

• Competitive monthly salary: €4,010 (living) + €710 (mobility) + €660 (family, if eligible)
• 36-month fully funded PhD contract with social benefits
• Joint supervision from university and industry
• International secondments across Europe
• Training in digital tools, sustainability & refractory materials
• Personal career development plan, workshops & conferences
• Strong international research and industry network
• Excellent career prospects in green technologies

Also Check: PhD and Postdoc Positions at Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands

PhD 01: Digital product passport and data integration for circular refractory raw materials and industrial applications

• Supervisors/Locations: ULIEGE (Belgium, 9 months + 9 months) and RHIM-Leoben (Austria, 18 months).
• Focus: Develop a Digital Product Passport for refractory raw materials (primary and recycled), including composition, history, performance, and provenance. Integrate with digital twins, AI for missing data, and LCA indicators.
• Key Interactions: With PhD02, 03, 04.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science, Computer Science, or Big Data Engineering; programming (Python/C++) appreciated.

PhD 02: Ecodesign and life cycle assessment of ladle refractory configurations for sustainable steelmaking operations

• Supervisors/Locations: ULIEGE (Belgium, 9+9 months) and VESUVIUS (Ghlin, Belgium, 18 months).
• Focus: LCA for brick/monolithic/hybrid ladle linings, recycling routes, raw material criticality; integrate into Digital Product Passport and Decision Support System.
• Key Interactions: With PhD01, 04.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science, Chemical, or Environmental Engineering; experience with LCA tools (SimaPro, OpenLCA, etc.) appreciated.

PhD 03: Semantic data integration and cloud-based industrial platforms for circular refractory life cycle applications

• Supervisors/Locations: Chair of Cyber Physical Systems/TUL (Leoben, Austria, 18 months) and Siemens R&D (Graz, Austria, 18 months).
• Focus: Cloud platform for data harmonization (sorting, DPP, LCA, digital twins); ML predictive tools, secondary raw materials database, and matchmaking.
• Key Interactions: With PhD01, 02, 04.
• Requirements: Master’s in Computer Science, Physics, Mechanics, Robotics, etc.; strong programming and AI background.

Also Check: PhD, Postdoc and Academic Positions 2026 Maastricht University, Netherlands

PhD 04: Automation and digitalisation for quality control and classification of spent refractory fine fractions

• Supervisors/Locations: University of South-Eastern Norway (USN, Porsgrunn, 18 months) and RHIM-Leoben (Austria, 18 months).
• Focus: AI-driven multi-sensor (LIBS, hyperspectral, FTIR, Raman) sorting/quality control for fine spent refractories; uncertainty quantification and DPP integration.
• Key Interactions: With PhD01–03.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science or Mechanical/Chemical Engineering; lab characterization of powders advantageous.

PhD 05: Development and optimisation of MgO-C and MgO castables with high recyclate content for sustainable steel ladles

• Supervisors/Locations: ELKEM (Kristiansand, Norway, 18 months) and TUL (Leoben, Austria, 18 months).
• Focus: Impact of recycled MgO materials on corrosion, fracture, creep in no-cement castables; microstructure-property relations and optimization.
• Key Interactions: With PhD06, 13, 14.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science or Mechanical Engineering; lab characterization (fracture testing) advantageous.

PhD 06: Microstructural engineering of cement-free binder systems for sustainable, high-performance refractory castables

• Supervisors/Locations: ELKEM (Kristiansand, Norway, 18 months) and IRCER-Limoges (France, 18 months).
• Focus: Cement-free binders (microsilica gel, MgO-SiO2, etc.) for lower carbon footprint; chemistry, microstructure, and performance.
• Key Interactions: With PhD02, 05, 11.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science or Ceramics Engineering; interest in inorganic materials and microstructure.

Also Check: PhD, Postdoc, and Professor Positions at Aalborg University, Denmark (2026)

PhD 07: Virtual laboratory for microcracks prediction in refractory materials: From DEM modelling to industrial application

• Supervisors/Locations: IRCER-Limoges (France) and IMERYS-Vaulx-Milieu (France).
• Focus: Discrete Element Method (Distinct Lattice Spring Model) for microcrack prediction under thermal shock; phase transitions, anisotropy.
• Key Interactions: With materials-design projects (e.g., PhD05, 06, 08, 09).
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science or Computational Mechanical Engineering; programming (Python/C++) appreciated.

PhD 08: Investigation of the structural spalling and thermal fatigue of alumina-spinel refractory castables

• Supervisors/Locations: FGF (Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany, 18 months) and IMERYS-Vaulx-Milieu (France, 18 months).
• Focus: Microstructure-TSR correlations in alumina-spinel castables; thermal shock cycling, ATHORNA device, FEM calibration.
• Key Interactions: With PhD07, 09, 10.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science, Geosciences, or Mineralogy; microstructure and thermomechanical analysis background.

PhD 09: In situ multi-physics characterisation and modelling of refractory materials under severe thermal gradients

• Supervisors/Locations: CERAQUITAINE (Saint-Aulaye, France, 9+9 months) and IRCER-Limoges (France, 18 months).
• Focus: ATHORNA platform for in situ monitoring (temperature, strain, damage) under thermal gradients; high-temp DIC, validation of models.
• Key Interactions: With PhD08, 10.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science or Instrumentation/Physics/Mechanical Engineering; DIC or modeling experience advantageous.

Also Check: Fully Funded PhD Positions at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland

PhD 10: Advanced ceramic shell architectures for investment casting of turbine blades – Design for thermal shock resistance

• Supervisors/Locations: SAFRAN (Colombes, France, 18 months) and IRCER-Limoges (France, 18 months).
• Focus: Ceramic shell optimization for turbine blades; microstructure-architecture-TSR relations, in situ testing, multi-scale FEM.
• Key Interactions: With PhD08, 09.
• Requirements: Master’s in Materials Science or Computational Mechanical Engineering; FEM (Abaqus) and ceramics experience appreciated.

PhD 11: Thermo-hygral-mechanical modelling and optimisation of dry-out and early-age behaviour in castable refractory linings

• Supervisors/Locations: UMINHO (Portugal) and RHIM-Leoben (Austria).
• Focus: FEM for dry-out of castable linings (natural vs. accelerated); moisture, stress, damage; pilot ladle experiments.
• Key Interactions: With PhD06, 14, 15.
• Requirements: Relevant engineering/materials background for modeling.

PhD 12: Advanced creep characterisation for accurate thermomechanical lining simulations

• Supervisors/Locations: TUL (Leoben, Austria) and TATASTEEL-IJmuiden (Netherlands).
• Focus: Creep behavior under realistic loads; biaxial press, pilot trials; constitutive laws for FEM/digital twins.
• Key Interactions: With PhD13, 14.
• Requirements: Strong thermomechanical/refractories background.

PhD 13: Innovative wear modelling and ladle optimization (FEM)

• Supervisors/Locations: University of Orleans (France) and TATASTEEL-IJmuiden (Netherlands).
• Focus: FEM for ladle linings (brick/monolithic); dry-out, creep, corrosion, wear; reduced-order models for optimization.
• Key Interactions: With PhD11, 12, 14, 15.
• Requirements: Strong FEM/thermomechanical modeling skills.

Also Check: Doctoral (PhD) Positions at Tampere University in Finland (Fully Funded)

PhD 14: Physics-informed digital twins for design, monitoring and optimal operation of steel ladle refractories

• Supervisors/Locations: UMINHO (Portugal) and SHS (Germany).
• Focus: Physics-informed digital twin for lining condition, wear, remaining life; data pipeline, ML, dashboard.
• Key Interactions: With modeling/operations projects.
• Requirements: Data science, modeling, and AI background.

PhD 15: Development of a decision support system for optimizing ladle management under dynamic and sustainable conditions

• Duration: 36 months, starting October 2026
• Locations: TU Wien (Vienna, Austria) and FESIOS (Gmunden, Austria)
• Focus: Develop an advanced Decision Support System (DSS) for steel ladle fleet management. It combines predictive analytics (condition assessment, remaining useful life, heat-loss forecasts) with prescriptive analytics for optimisation and scheduling. The system will support both basic oxygen furnace (BOF) and electric arc furnace (EAF) operations, map operator logic and plant constraints, use optimisation methods + reinforcement learning, and connect to a discrete-event virtual melt shop.
• Key Interactions: Works with several other PhDs (especially modelling, digital twin, and data-related projects).
• Requirements: Strong background in Computer Science, Data Science, AI/ML, Operations Research, or Industrial Engineering. Programming and modelling skills are essential.

Also Check: PhD, Postdoc, and Professor Positions at Uppsala University, Sweden 2026

Eligibility criteria:

• You must have a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field.
• You must be an early-stage researcher: no more than 4 years of full-time research experience after your Master’s degree (at the time of recruitment).
• You must meet the MSCA mobility rule: you cannot have lived or worked in the host country for more than 12 months in the last 3 years (short holidays do not count).
• You need good written and spoken English skills.
• You must submit all documents in English.

Also Check: 42nd Cycle PhD Scholarships at Politecnico di Torino, Italy

How to apply:

• Go to the official recruitment page on the REFFRACTEUR website.
• Fill in the online application form

Also Check: PhD and Postdoc Positions at University of Amsterdam, Netherlands (Fully Funded)