The EngD programme is a 2-year post-MSc technological programme with a focus on technological design. This programme contains an educational part that will be followed at the University of Twente, and a design project that will be carried out in collaboration with several groups from the University and the international company VDL ETG in the Actuator project. The educational programme will have an in-depth and broadening character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the design project.

For the increasing accelerations of manipulation stages, the limits of permanent-magnet based actuators are (almost) reached. A next step would be to integrate superconduction in the positioning systems, but preferably not at the extremes of cryogenic temperatures. The goal of the project is 1) to design and build a miniature superconducting actuator system and 2) to develop generic tools and technologies for the design and manufacturing of superconducting actuators. This EngD project is part of a larger programme of the Science & Technology faculty in which technologies are developed for high-temperature superconducting applications. This technology includes optimized magnetic topology, coil design and the deposition of superconducting materials.

The EngD will be responsible for:

• Precision mechanical design aspects of superconducting actuators, which includes achieving high support stiffness, range and accuracy under extreme magnetic forces at cryogenic temperatures.
• Use of flexures to supply power and cooling to superconducting coils while allowing large movement strokes at cryogenic temperatures.
• Manufacturing strategies for (miniature) superconducting actuators.

The assignment will be carried out at the University of Twente.

• You should preferably have a solid background in mechanics of materials and precision design of mechanisms.
• Be able to collaborate with other members of the multidisciplinary research team at the UT, as well as with design- and manufacturing engineers at VDL ETG.
• Are the best MSc graduated in the field of Precision Design or related discipline with a demonstrable affinity with multidisciplinary assignments.
• Good communication skills,
• Like to take initiative,
• Fluently in spoken and written English.
• You have the ambition and talent to accelerate in finding solutions / creating designs for complex technological issues with a multidisciplinary character.

• A very challenging position fulltime position for two years in an inspiring multidisciplinary environment;
• A tailor-made post-master design program that has an educational component (50%) as well as a design project (50%);
• On successfully completing the program, you will receive a certified and recognized degree. You will be entitled to use the academic degree EngD and will be registered as a Technological Designer in the Dutch register kept by the Royal Institution of Engineers in the Netherlands (KIVI). The degree will soon be renamed to EngD (Doctor of Engineering), to be coherent with the more common abbreviation used in the Commonwealth;
• A salary of € 2.089,- gross per month;
• An annual holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, and an annual year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• A solid pension scheme;
• Minimum of 29 leave days in case of full-time employment.