PhD scholarship on Data-driven Design and Analysis of Architected Materials - DTU Engineering Technology

Technical University of Denmark · Ballerup

DTU Engineering Technology is offering a 3-year PhD position on data-driven design and analysis of architected materials. Cellular architected materials, such as regular microlattices and stochastic foams, exploit the programmed distribution of matter to attain superior mechanical, acoustic, and thermal properties compared to those of traditional solids, and have thus shown unlimited potential for sustainable manufacturing, resilient structures, and bioengineering. Tuning the meso-structure of these material systems facilitates a “materials-by-design” approach and the synthesis of novel architectures with tailored functionalities. The vast number of morphological parameters, however, is a significant hurdle that often leads to ad-hoc design approaches, based on approximate scaling laws or repetitive trial-and-error attempts to achieve desired properties. This project’s goal is to employ virtual structure generation, mechanics, and interpretable learning techniques to develop a rigorous, data-centric framework for the design and analysis of ordered and disordered architected materials.

The research will be supervised by Associate Professor Stavros Gaitanaros.

Responsibilities and qualifications
We are looking for a motivated and ambitious PhD student, ideally with prior experience with solid mechanics, materials, numerical techniques, and machine learning algorithms. Your overall focus will be to strengthen the department’s competences within advanced materials and new technologies. You will work with colleagues at DTU Engineering Technology and DTU Construct, as well as academic partners abroad.
Your primary responsibilities will include:

Generative design of cellular architected materials
Multi-fidelity computational modeling
Graph representation learning and explainability
Active dissemination of the results in scientific articles
Participation in national and international conferences
Assisting with supervising B.Eng., B.Sc., and M.Sc. students.

The ideal candidate is expected to have experience in several of these areas:

Computational geometry
Solid mechanics
Geometric deep learning
Computational modelling - finite element analysis

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Please see DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures

The period of employment is 3 years. The expected starting date is 2027-03-01 (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Stavros Gaitanaros (staga@dtu.dk).

You can read more about DTU Engineering Technology at www.engtech.dtu.dk

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than Friday, December 4, 2026 (23:59 Danish time).

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
Curriculum vitae
Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to obtaining your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

About DTU Engineering Technology
We work at the forefront of university-industry collaboration and develop tools and methods for technology implementation. We are organized in eight sections all focused on technology implementation, engineering technology and engineering education within a wide range of engineering fields.

The Section for Mechanical Technology is striving to be a globally recognized player within the fields of design, advanced materials, autonomous systems, and thermal processes, aiming to create novel implementable technologies for sustainability, energy, and health. Our research efforts in advanced materials integrate novel synthesis and characterization techniques with state-of-the-art multi-scale modelling and scientific computing methods.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829
DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.

DTU Engineering Technology offers a 3-year PhD position that integrates generative design, mechanics, and interpretable machine learning techniques to develop a rigorous, data-centric framework towards novel architected materials with superior mechanical properties.

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