2 Postdoc openings on hydrogen embrittlement at Imperial College London

The Mechanics of Infrastructure Materials research group is looking to hire two postdoctoral researchers to conduct research in the area of hydrogen embrittlement. One position is for a modeller and the other one is for an experimentalist. The postdocs will be based at Imperial College London and supervised by Dr Emilio Martínez-Pañeda. Salary: £43,093 – £50,834. The postdocs will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and will also have the opportunity to (co-)supervise PhD and MSc Theses. Deadline: May 23, 2023. For more details and submission of applications check:

Computational: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/description/ENG02592/research-associate-hydrogen-embrittlement-modelling
Experimental: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/description/ENG02598/research-associate-hydrogen-embrittlement-experiments

Job description (Computational post) (see below for the experimental post)

Job summary

We are seeking a Research Associate to join the Mechanics of Infrastructure Materials group in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. You will work on the prediction of hydrogen-assisted failures using computational methods, as part of an EPRI funded project.  You will have access to innovative HPC facilities and codes and will also have the opportunity to (co-)supervise PhD and MSc Theses, and will work under the supervision of Dr Emilio Martínez-Pañeda.

Hydrogen embrittlement is arguably the biggest threat to the deployment of a hydrogen energy infrastructure and the cause of numerous structural integrity problems in the transport, defence, marine and construction sectors. When exposed to hydrogen, metallic materials exhibit a significant drop in ductility and fracture toughness (of up to 90%). Building upon recent developments in multi-physics modelling and computational fracture mechanics (e.g., phase field), there is an opportunity now to deliver predictions over technologically-relevant scales and map safe regimes of operation.

Duties and responsibilities

You will be responsible for conducting finite element analyses to predict the failure of materials and components due to hydrogen assisted cracking. You will have (or develop) a sound understanding of fracture mechanics and combine sophisticated calculations with first-order insight from sound analytical methods. You will use COMSOL or ABAQUS, as well as utilise in-house or open-source codes. You will address both fundamental and applied problems.  You will also take part in collaborative work with the activities of the research group, submit publications to reputed journals and liaise with academic collaborators and sponsors.

Essential requirements

• PhD (or near completion of) in engineering, mathematics, physics, materials science, or other closely-related fields
• Experience in numerical analysis
• Ability to carry out finite element analysis
• Excellent verbal communication skills and the ability to deal with a wide range of people
• Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative

Further information

This is a full time, fixed term post for 12 months. The starting date is relatively flexible, with a preference for the period July-September 2023.

For informal enquiries about the post please contact Dr Emilio Martínez-Pañeda e.martinez-paneda@imperial.ac.uk

For queries regarding the recruitment process please contact Briony Webb on b.webb@imperial.ac.uk

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £38,194 - £41,388 per annum.

Full details of the post are contained within the job description. Please make sure to upload a CV and a cover letter with your application.

Job description (Experimental post)

Job summary

We are seeking a Research Associate to join the Mechanics of Infrastructure Materials group in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, to work on improving our understanding of hydrogen-assisted failures using experimental methods. As part of an EPRI funded project, you will have access to innovative equipment for characterising the susceptibility of metals to hydrogen embrittlement, from both mechanical and electrochemical perspectives. You will work under the supervision of Dr Emilio Martínez-Pañeda.

Hydrogen embrittlement is arguably the biggest threat to the deployment of a hydrogen energy infrastructure and the cause of numerous structural integrity problems in the transport, defence, marine and construction sectors. When exposed to hydrogen, metallic materials exhibit a significant drop in ductility and fracture toughness (of up to 90%). There is a need to improve our understanding of the underlying physics governing hydrogen embrittlement so as to guide design and operation and develop novel scientific solutions to this pressing problem.

Duties and responsibilities

You will be responsible for conducting a wide variety of experimental tasks, including (but not limited to) mechanical testing, microscopy (SEM), hydrogen permeation (both gaseous and electrochemical), electrochemical charging, and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). You will also take part in collaborative work, join in the activities of the research group, submit publications to reputed journals and liaise with academic collaborators and sponsors.

Essential requirements

• PhD (or near completion of) in materials science, engineering, physics, chemistry, or other closely-related fields, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience
• Experience in in materials engineering
• Ability to conduct experimental testing
• Ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature
• Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative

Further information

This is a full time, fixed term post for 12 months. The starting date is relatively flexible, with a preference for the period July-September 2023.

For informal enquiries about the post please contact Dr Emilio Martínez-Pañeda e.martinez-paneda@imperial.ac.uk

For queries regarding the recruitment process please contact Briony Webb on b.webb@imperial.ac.uk

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £38,194 - £41,388 per annum.

Full details of the post are contained within the job description. Please make sure to upload a CV and a cover letter with your application.