MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2024 – Advanced functional metamaterials: from theory to design

Department of Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Art and Design

The department conducts high-impact research on a wide range of topics within national, European, and international projects on the top of the blue-sky research of pure academic interest. Activities cover various R&D areas at the cutting-edge of mechanics and mechatronics which are of global interest and broad applicability in solid and fluid mechanics as well as mechatronics and rely heavily on an integrated use of computational methods, experimental facilities, and analytical formulation within a modern paradigm of holistic view to research. In the Mechanical Engineering Group, the research is particularly focused on renewable energy, vibration, shock and impact, acoustic metamaterials, numerical modelling, optimisation, experimental and numerical characterization of advanced functional materials, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning and their applications in mechatronics and mechanics. These research areas are explored in close collaboration with our industrial partners, national, and international collaborators. Our team of experts comprises people of different backgrounds and is committed to conducting research on engrossing niche areas pushing the boundaries of well-established precedent of scientific knowledge and contributing to the development of innovative solutions that address the most pressing challenges in the field of mechanical engineering with an outreach to public while maintaining significant societal impact on the Norwegian society.

Call for Expression of Interest for a joint application under the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme – Call: MSCA-PF-2024

We hereby invite interested experienced researchers of any nationality, who have a PhD degree and maximum eight years of research experience after having obtained their PhD degree, to apply for the EU-funded Marie Skłodowska Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship (call HORIZON-MSCA-PF-2024) to conduct research at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University for a period of two years. 

Area of research

Architected latticed structural systems known as ‘metamaterials’ or ‘metastructures’ have attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their superior performance under a variety of loading conditions. This class encompasses phononic/acoustic metamaterials, acoustic blackholes, auxetic metamaterials, chiral and labyrinthine metastructures, fractal hyper-lattices, and materials exhibiting multistability and negative stiffness rendering them capable of manifestation of properties ascribed to their microstructure not readily available in nature. The focus of the proposed study will be phononic metamaterials, acoustic blackholes, and fractal metastructures with unique properties such as concurrent negative bulk modulus and non-positive-definite tensorial density for a given range of excitation frequencies. The computational methods developed by the PI and his colleagues throughout the years makes possible analyses of a plethora of designs in the space of alternatives. Furthermore, nonlinear optimisation techniques currently employed by the research team working in close collaboration with the PI will render feasible a limited choice of designs to be put forward to physical testing.

With the advent of additive manufacturing through 3D printing, it would be possible to print and test these metastructures and use the developed computational models and optimisation algorithms to correlate the experimental results with analysed models also to validate virtual testing results obtained computationally. The design-analysis-testing cycles with various iterations and improvements through AI and machine learning will make plausible adopting a particular design based on the application. Through the application of this research a door will be opened to several exciting topics as: smart noise cancellation protocols, stress wave guidance, phononic manipulation, acoustic diodes, sonic filters, acoustic black holes, and diffraction metastructures, to name but a few.

Some of the key areas to be touched upon through this research are:

• Micromechanics and multiscale simulation
  • Study of unit cells and lattices with focus on vibratory response
  • Applications in acoustics and sonic metamaterial design
• Nanotechnology
  • Design of cloaks and filters at small scale with focus on nonlocal interactions
  • Derivation of significant design parameters and analysis of latticed systems
• Homogenisation of latticed geometries across length scales
  • Attributes of response represented faithfully in a homogenised model
  • Equalisation of bandgaps and dispersion surface morphologies through judicious selection of relevant parameters
• Machine learning and application of AI
  • Smart choice of parameters of relevance along with their values
  • Quantification of types of error and minimisation of error for each application

Successful candidates will be supervised by Professor Arash Soleiman Fallah and co-supervised by Dr. Behrouz Arash.

With this call for Expression of Interest, we invite researchers to submit their application accompanied by CV (including publication list) and a one-page project description, that will be the basis for selecting a maximum of two candidates with whom we will collaborate for developing competitive MSCA-PF proposals. The cooperation for the proposal development will be carried out remotely, with regular online communication via email and virtual meeting platforms. Applicants who are successful in getting their proposals funded by the EU, must relocate to work at the Department of Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineering, at OsloMet main campus, in the centre of Oslo.

Starting Date 

The EU shall inform the results on the MSCA-PF-2024 applications in February 2025. Successful applicants are expected to be available to start the fellowship project from within the two months following the announcement of results and no later than September 2025. 

Main duties of the position

The successful candidate will primarily work on the MSCA fellowship funded project, but will be integrated in the Department, taking part in regular meetings and discussion groups. The candidate will specifically be introduced with the supervisor’s national and international network of researchers. In agreement with the candidate, he/she would be included in other ongoing projects and/or in the development of grant applications processes. 

Expected qualification of applicants 

Candidates must have a PhD in mechanical, aeronautical, structural, earthquake, or computational engineering or a PhD in material science or applied physics with relevance to the topic e.g. in solid state physics. We are primarily looking for experienced researchers who wish to use this period as an opportunity to further develop their research, and to develop longer term research collaborations with OsloMet and other organisations conducting research in the field. The candidates must be eligible for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship: have a PhD successfully defended by the deadline (11 September 2024), a maximum of eight (8) years research experience after PhD, and not having worked/studied in Norway for more than 12 months in the last three years.

We are looking for applicants who have

• A good track record in research and publications
• Knowledge and skills in modelling and simulation of mechanical, material, structural engineering or computational mechanics problems and developing and using relevant tools
• Commitment to develop a competitive MSCA-PF grant application
• An open and cooperation-oriented nature, with strong abilities for independent academic work
• Excellent command / highly proficient spoken and written English

Assessment and selection of candidates

Evaluation will be based on the qualification and project idea. Interested candidates must submit with their application the following documents:

• CV (including research track record and list of publications)
• A one-page description of the project idea for which a MSCA-PF grant will be applied (no predefined structure, excluding references)

Short-listed candidates will be invited for a virtual interview to select candidates that will be invited to develop the full MSCA-PF application with deadline on 11 September 2024 under the supervision of Professor Arash Soleiman Fallah and Associate Professor Behrouz Arash, with the support of the research administration staff at OsloMet. 

Under this call announcement a maximum of five candidates will be interviewed and two candidates will be invited to write applications with the endorsement of OsloMet. Candidates will be informed of the results of the internal pre-selection to apply by mid of March 2024. 

Original documents about your qualification must be presented if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet performs document inspections in order to give you as a candidate a proper evaluation and to ensure a fair competition. Proposals will be pre-selected based on internal evaluation and the availability of suitable supervision. All documents that you hand in to OsloMet, including your proposal idea, will be handled in full confidentiality, and strictly following  GDPR regulations.

Selected candidates must participate in the virtual masterclass on MSCA-PF, a two-day workshop organised by OsloMet on 26-27 March 2024 to provide applicants with detailed information and explanation of the application template to complete their proposal in compliance with the EU Commission requirements.

The postdoctoral position

Successful applicants who obtain a MSCA-PF grant will be offered a position at OsloMet to be hired as postdoctoral researchers to implement their proposed research projects, in conditions as explained below.

We offer:

Successful applicants who obtain a MSCA-PF grant will be offered a position at OsloMet as postdoctoral fellows, with conditions as explained below.

OsloMet will assist in developing competitive Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals. Then, successful applicants who are awarded the MSC-PF grant, we offer:

• Flexible working conditions
• An inclusive and friendly work environment
• Unique academic network with the possibility for the right candidate(s) to pursue his/her academic goals under the supervision of Professor Arash Soleiman Fallah and Associate Professor Behrouz Arash
• Norwegian language classes
• Onboarding assistance for relocation and other services

The position adheres to the Norwegian Government’s policy that the national labour force. It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population diversity, all qualified candidates from any nationality are welcomed to apply. OsloMet is an IA (Inclusive Workplace) organisation and operates in compliance with the Norwegian IA agreement. We make our active endeavour to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. If there are periods in your career when you have not been working, under education or training, you are also eligible to apply. Questions may be directed to the contact persons (per below).

Remuneration:

The competitive fellowship opportunities are 100% funded and include living and mobility allowances. 

• Type of employment: Temporary position
• Contract type: Full time
• Annual Salary: Approx. EUR 70,000 (plus additional fellowship applicable allocations)
• Earliest expected starting date 1 April 2025 and no later than 1 September 2025
• Number of positions: 1 – 2 
• Working hours: 37.5 hours/week 

Contact

Arash Soleiman Fallah, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, arashsol@oslomet.no

If you have administrative questions to your application, please contact hrtkd@oslomet.no. 

Last day of application

Call closes on 31st January 2024

Reference number: 23/09067