Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Mechanical and Production Engineering programme. The position is available from 01 August 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title:
Friction Tunability via Magnetically Responsive Shell-Structured Surfaces
Research area and project description:
Friction plays a central role in a wide range of engineering systems, from energy dissipation and wear to locomotion, manipulation, and tactile interactions. Despite its importance, friction is typically a passive property, determined by material choice and surface structuring during fabrication. This PhD project aims to introduce a new paradigm for actively tunable friction, enabled by magnetically responsive, shell-structured surfaces.
The core hypothesis is that frictional behavior can be dynamically controlled by coupling mechanical instabilities in thin elastic shells with externally applied magnetic fields. By reconfiguring surface topography in real time, the contact area, load distribution, and frictional forces can be actively modulated on demand.
The PhD work will combine numerical simulations, experiments, and theoretical modeling. Finite element models will be developed to capture large deformations, magneto-elastic coupling, and frictional contact in thin shells. In parallel, custom tabletop experiments will be designed to measure frictional response under controlled magnetic fields and loading conditions. The project further aims to develop reduced-order and scaling models that link magnetic input, shell geometry, and frictional response in a predictive framework.
The PhD student will be part of a strong international collaboration and will spend research stays at EPFL (Switzerland), where state-of-the-art facilities for the fabrication and testing of magnetic shells are available. The outcomes of the project are expected to advance fundamental understanding of friction and contact mechanics, while enabling new strategies for adaptive surfaces in soft robotics, haptics, and advanced manufacturing.
The PhD position is fully funded through a DFF research grant.
Project description: For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must hold a relevant master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
The successful candidate is expected to be highly motivated, independent, and able to work at the intersection of theory, computation, and experimentation. Strong written and oral communication skills in English are required.
As the PhD project involves close collaboration with EPFL (Switzerland), the candidate must be willing and able to spend at least three months at EPFL during the PhD period.
Hands-on experience in computational solid mechanics (e.g., finite element methods) and/or experimental mechanics is considered a strong advantage. Familiarity with nonlinear mechanics, contact mechanics, or magneto-mechanical systems is beneficial but not mandatory.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Katrinebjergvej 89F, 8200 Aarhus N., Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:
- Associate Professor Matteo Pezzulla (main supervisor)
- Associate Professor Ramin Aghababaei (co-supervisor)
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 30 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Preferred starting date is 01 August 2026.
Please note:
- Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
- The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
- Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:
- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:
Aarhus Kommune
-Virksomheden tilbyder:
-Arbejdsgiver:
Aarhus Universitet, Nordre Ringgade, 8000 Aarhus C
-Ansøgning:
Ansøgningsfrist: 21-02-2026;
Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/find-job/3219d3e3-5cf5-4cd2-be3a-fd730b955936
