Introduction

We are looking for a highly motivated and ambitious PhD candidate who is interested in research at the frontiers of complex fluids, non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, soft matter, bubbles, droplets, and mathematical and computational fluid mechanics.

Short Description: Currently, little is known about cavitation bubble dynamics in complex fluids. We are particularly interested in yield-stress fluids, which form a specific class of non-Newtonian fluids that possess a characteristic yield stress below which they may support the imposed external stress elastically but beyond which they no longer act as a solid but rather flow like a viscous fluid. Such viscoplastic behaviour is present in a wide range of soft materials, such as emulsions, foams, detergents, and gels. Cavitation bubble dynamics in such media is relevant in numerous industrial sectors such as additive manufacturing, food industry, cosmetics, and ultrasound-induced degassing and defoaming processes.

The project is highly interdisciplinary and a collaboration between the Institute of Physics (IoP) at the University of Amsterdam and the Multiphase Fluid Dynamics group at the Institute of Fluid Dynamics at ETH, Zurich.

For more information about the Groups, please visit FluidLab, Soft Matter Group, Computational Soft Matter Group, Multiphase Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Fluid Dynamics

What are you going to do

We seek to appoint a PhD student to conduct numerical research to discover the effects of mechanical properties on cavitation bubble dynamics in yield stress fluids and soft elastic solids. You will design your own numerical setups/methods and perform mathematical and physical analysis.

You will:

• Simulate and analyse multiphase non-Newtonian fluid flows at different length scales using advanced numerical tools.
• Study how non-Newtonian properties affect interfacial flows.
• Develop mathematical model for bubbles and droplet dynamics in complex fluids.
• Present your results at international workshops and conferences.
• Closely collaborate with experimentalists.
• Work collaboratively and participate actively in scientific discussions between research groups in the Institute of Physics (e.g., Soft Matter Group, Computational Soft Matter Group, Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena: DIEP) and with the Multiphase Fluid Dynamics group at ETH.
• Publish in high level international journals.
• Take part in supervision of Bachelor and Master students.

What do we require

We are looking for a candidate with:

• A creative, curious, and driven nature.
• A MSc degree in one of the followings fields: physics, mechanical or chemical engineering, applied mathematics, fluid dynamics, material sciences.
• Previous experience in mathematical and/or computational fluid dynamics. Experience in using open-source codes such as basilisk (http://basilisk.fr/) is an advantage, but not necessary. However, you should be excited about the prospect of developing open-source computational fluid dynamics codes.
• Demonstrated experience with programming (C, C++, Python, …) and data analysis in physics.
• Demonstrated interest in the interplay between physics, mathematics, and engineering.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

Fixed-term contract: 18 months.

A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of four years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of four years). The preferred starting date is negotiable. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,443 to € 3,122 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Promovendus  is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

University of Amsterdam

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds and scientific excellence.

Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam is located in the center of the Amsterdam Science Park. The IoP – as part of the Faculty of Science –is housed in a modern building with excellent labs and technical facilities. Surrounded by several national research institutes and with our partners at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, the institute is part of a strong physics center of international standing.

The Van der Waals - Zeeman Institute for Experimental Physics (IoP-WZI) is part of the IoP and home to three research clusters: Quantum Gases & Quantum Information (QG&QI), Quantum Materials (QMat), and Soft Matter (SM).

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.