Postdoc Position in Material Characterization and Additive Manufacturing of Metallic Materials

Centre of Industrial Mechanics part of the Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Sønderborg invites applications for one or more 2-year postdoctoral positions in material characterization and additive manufacturing of metallic materials part of a Sapere Aude grant funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark. The specific start date will be agreed with the successful candidates preferably autumn 2026.

Workplace description

The Institute of Mechanical and Electrical engineering covers research and education spanning from fundamentals to applications of engineering science. All our courses are taught in English reflecting the fact that more than half of our students and staff are internationals. The SDU Centre for Industrial Mechanics is located at SDUs beautiful campus in Sønderborg in the inspiring building of Alsion which is a center for science culture and learning in the heart of Sønderborg city and perched on the strait of water separating the island of Als from the mainland. The university has very close relations to the industry in Sønderborg Southern Denmark and Northern Germany. A significant fraction of the projects in the center is conducted in close cooperation with the industry which counts world leading companies in growing fields such as e-mobility manufacturing automation climate solutions and energy efficiency.

At SDU Centre for Industrial Mechanics research education and innovation are performed in teams of scientists and support staff with competences spanning a wide range of fields including applied cyber-physical systems manufacturing energy systems modelling and mechatronic prototyping.

Your profile

To complement our team in smart structures and manufacturing we are looking for one or more postdoctoral researchers with expertise in metal additive manufacturing and material addition experience in two or more of the following fields is preferred:

• Characterizing metal powder
• Scanning electron microscope
• X-ray computed tomography
• Recycled metals.

The ideal candidate has experience with:

• Fatigue testing
• Python scripting and programming.

Duties of the Position

• Establish a process of converting metal machining chips into metal powder usable for additive manufacturing
• Evaluate different types and levels of contaminations on produced powder using different material characterization techniques
• Perform fatigue testing on additively manufactured samples fabricated using chip-to-powder feedstock
• Publish results in high-quality peer-reviewed international journals and present outcomes at international conferences and workshops
• Collaborate with academic and industrial partners contributing to joint research activities project meetings and collaborative proposals
• Co-supervise Bachelor and Master students at SDU Centre for Industrial Mechanics supporting their research and thesis works
• Provide regular progress reports and milestone updates to the supervisor and project partners.

The candidate must have:

• PhD in a relevant discipline (Mechanical Engineering Materials Science & Engineering or any other relevant Engineering discipline)
• Strong track record of publications in reputable peer-reviewed international journals in the field
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an international academic environment.

Contact information

For further information please visit contact Associate Professor Lars Duggen Head of Centre for Industrial Mechanics tel.e-mail: or Associate Professor Mohammad Malekan tel.email: .

If you experience technical problems please contactour email support.

Reference letter

You should state the referees contact information when you submit your application if you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referees contact information and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.

Application

Applicants are advised to read theSDU information on how to apply.

Assessment of the candidates is based on the application material and the application must include:

• Motivated application.
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Masters and PhD degree certificates or equivalent (original and an official English translation).
• Complete list of publications.
• Publications most relevant to the position.
• Summary and documentation of experience in teaching if relevant to the position.
• A research statement may be included.
• References/reference letters may also be included.
• A statement/documentation of other qualifications relevant to the position may also be included.

All documents must be in English and PDF format. CPR number (civil registration number) must be crossed out. All PDF-files must be unlocked allow binding and may not be password protected.

SUBMISSION GUIDE: Motivated application must be uploaded under Cover letter (max. 5 MB) Curriculum Vitae must be uploaded under Resume (max 5 MB). All other documents must be uploaded under Miscellaneous documents (max 10 files with a maximum 50 MB per file).

The application deadline isAugust 30 2026at 11:59 PM/23:59 (CET/CEST)

Assessment and selection process

Applications will be assessed by an expert or assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied and only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment.Read about shortlisting at and tests may be part of the overall about theAssessment and selection process.

Employment terms

Appointment as a postdoc is temporary foran initial 2-year period. Extension may be possible depending on available funding.

Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level at the time of will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state including the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for postdoc as described therein.

Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria including the content of the position responsibilities and qualification requirements. As an applicant you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process. SDU does not collect information on applicants previous salary.Further information on salary and taxation.

Persons employed in the position may based on a specific individual managerial assessment be exempted from time registration also known as a self-organizer.

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The University of Southern Denmark wishes its staff to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone regardless of personal background to apply for the position. SDU conducts research in critical technologies which due to the risk of unwanted knowledge transfer is subject to a number of security measures. Therefore based on information from open sources background checks may be conducted on candidates for the position(s).

Further informationfor international applicants about entering and working in Denmark. You may also visitWorkinDenmarkfor additional information.

Further informationabout The Faculty of Engineering.