Supramolecular and hybrid nanomaterials are attracting much interest in view of their potential applications in various branches of engineering. New experimental techniques are offering unprecedented opportunities in the design of new materials at the molecular scale, vastly outperforming materials currently in use. Yet, the exploration of the huge design space is a severe bottleneck, and computational models are needed to provide quantitative, predictive guidelines for material design. Multiscale modeling is required in order to bridge the spatiotemporal gap between computer simulations and engineering applications and to capture emergent behaviour at several scales.
Polymeric materials offer great flexibility in their molecular design. Complex new materials made of branched polymers or polymer nanocomposites have been recently emerging for novel medical and industrial applications thanks to their tunable properties, but the prediction of their macroscopic behaviour remains vastly unexplored from a computational point of view, particularly in out-of-equilibrium conditions of interest for experimental applications.
The aim of this project is to use molecular dynamics simulations to link polymer architecture and functionality at the molecular scale to the material’s macroscopic properties like self-organisation, dynamics, and mechanical response. Our goal is to develop predictive models at multiple scales to bridge the gap between simulations and experiments. The project is highly interdisciplinary, with possible collaborations with several experimental groups in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
As a PhD candidate, you are committed to conduct independent and original scientific research, to report on this research in international publications and presentations, and to present the results of the research in a PhD dissertation, to be completed within 4 years. You are expected to contribute 10% of the overall workload to teaching.

You are a highly motivated candidate with:

• a MSc degree in physics, chemistry, engineering or other relevant subjects
• strong interest in computational research and material science
• demonstrable affinity with programming and/or computer simulations
• strong communication skills (in English).

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

We offer in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• a salary of € 2,395 in the first year to a maximum of € 3,061 gross per month in the final year (PhD salary scale), based on a full-time position
• a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income and an 8.3% year-end bonus
• a position for four years. First you will be offered a temporary position of one year with the option of renewal for another three years. Prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate whether a successful completion of the PhD thesis within the contract period is to be expected. A PhD training programme is part of the agreement and the successful candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering of the Faculty.

The conditions of employment are available at the University of Groningen website under Human Resources: https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/

The starting date is in October 2021 or shortly thereafter

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Flexible study programmes and academic career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines encourage more than 35.000 students and researchers alike to develop their own individual talents.

This position is embedded in the micromechanics group of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, at the interface between physics, chemistry, biology and engineering. The mission of the micromechanics group is to develop new models and computational tools for the micromechanics of (bio)materials, and to employ these to develop relationships between the internal structure of a material and its mechanical and functional properties. More information on the Institute’s activities can be found at http://www.rug.nl/research/zernike/.