PhD position: Experimental assessment of hot deformation and transformation behaviour of greener steel
The group of Production Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente has an opening for a PhD candidate on the experimental investigation of hot deformation and transformation kinetics of steels with increased levels of tramp elements.
The CO2 emissions of steel industry account for 5% of the total CO2 emissions of the European Union. The major part of these emissions comes from the reduction of iron ore in the blast furnace process. One line of reducing these emissions is to increase the scrap metal fraction in steel production, i.e., directly reduce the amount of primary iron per charge. While relatively simple to implement, this approach inevitably increases the impurity levels and tramp element content of the steel, which can have significant impact on processability and on the properties of finished products.
The aim of this project is to first replicate the hot deformation processes used in industry by means of thermomechanical simulations in a Greeble 563 device to assess the specific differences between conventional and greener steels. In a subsequent step the response of the different steels during typical heat treatments will be evaluated with novel in-situ experimental methods, such as isothermal resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (IRUS). The intended outcome is a new general characterization method for the isothermal and non-isothermal transformation kinetics, i.e., phase fraction, activation energies etc., which surpasses established methods in terms of resolutions and, especially, in terms of immunity to environmental influences. Conventional experimental techniques such as dilatometry, optical and electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and x-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement are available at the lab and can be used whenever needed. An important additional aspect of this project is the creation of samples with defined microstructures to validate the results of parallel PhD projects on modelling.
The successful candidate will report his research during bi-weekly meetings of our research group and quarterly meetings with the industrial partners. The candidate is encouraged to interact significantly with the industrial partners and is expected to present results at international scientific conferences and publish them in Q1 academic literature. Furthermore, the successful candidate is expected to work with MSc students doing their final assignment on sub-projects pertaining to the current research project.
The PhD research will be performed in the Production Technology group.
Information and application
Please submit your application before March, 1st, 2026 using the “Apply now” button, and include:
- curriculum vitae
- letter of motivation
- grades of the BSc and MSc courses
- IELTS or TOEFL score
- contact information of 2 references
The intended starting date is between May and July 2026.
For more information you can contact: Martin Luckabauer, e-mail: m.luckabauer@utwente.nl. https://people.utwente.nl/m.luckabauer
First (online) interviews will be held in the week of March, 23rd, 2026.
About the organisation
The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) engages in education and research of Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. We enable society and industry to innovate and create value using efficient, solid and sustainable technology. We are part of a ‘people-first' university of technology, taking our place as an internationally leading center for smart production, processes and devices in five domains: Health Technology, Maintenance, Smart Regions, Smart Industry and Sustainable Resources. Our faculty is home to about 2,900 Bachelor's and Master's students, 550 employees and 150 PhD candidates. Our educational and research programmes are closely connected with UT research institutes Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.
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