General: Kansas State University locates in Manhattan, KS, which ranks as the best college town in the US. Research in the Zhang Research Group in the Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering is in the field of Advanced Manufacturing. Equal part fundamental theory and implementation, the current focus is on utilization of cellulosic biomaterials for renewable energy, additive manufacturing/ 3D printing of advanced materials for health, and ultrasonic vibration assisted processing. Dr. Zhang is the investigator of three NSF research grants, including โIncreasing Sugar Yield in Biofuel Manufacturing through Control of Cellulosic Biomass Particle Sizeโ, which will start in July, 2016. The Zhang Research Group has immediate position openings. Enrollment into the Ph.D. program is as early as Fall 2016
Required:Acceptance to Kansas State University graduate program
Students interested in joining the group should be self-motivated and hard-working individuals. A desirable candidate should be interested in establishing experimental platforms, conducting hands-on experiments, developing modeling techniques, as well as publish their results in high quality journals and present them in international conferences. This is a very hands-on lab, in which the students will have a unique opportunity to be involved in the designand set-up of the individual experimental platforms.
Preferred:Individuals with experience in some of the following areas are encouraged to apply:
Mechanical skills:machining, part assembly, hardware implementation, 3D printing;
Theoretical background:manufacturing,cellulosic biomass, heat transfer material characterization, modeling, optimization;
Equipment:size reduction mill, benchtop reactor, dynamometer, amplifier; optical microscope, SEM, TGA;
Programming skills:Matlab and Labview
Contact:Interested individuals should provide their CV and directly contact Dr. Meng Zhang (meng [at] ksu.edu).