Open Post-Doctoral researcher position to work on the Project "Multiphysics-informed design of tunable smart materials” (PID2022-141957OA-C22), funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Our general objective is  the development of a computational environment embedding cutting-edge topology optimisation techniques, machine learning, dimensionality reduction and reduced order modelling techniques, efficient and robust discretisation techniques and solvers capable of addressing the open problem of design of tuneable smart metamaterials. Metamaterials are architected composites carefully designed to show superior properties to those available in nature, such as ultrahigh stiffness and strength-to-weight ratio, or unusual properties, such as a negative Poissons ratio, a negative coefficient of thermal expansion.

This project aims to take a metamaterial approach towards the design of soft machines. However, this inevitably leads to an increase in the number of degrees of freedom in deformation and the available geometrical parameters. Although this makes design considerably more challenging, it also offers exciting opportunities to embed robots with sensing, actuating, and interactive functionalities, not accessible through conventional approaches.

The candidate will join a multidisciplinary (namely, Continuum Mechanics, Computational Mechanics, Applied Mathematics, Material discovery and applications) team of professors and researchers based in UPCT at Cartagena (Professors Jesús Martinez Frutos and Rogelio Ortigosa Martínez) and CIMNE-UPC at Barcelona (Professors Javier Bonet and Alberto García González) in close collaboration with European institutions such that Swansea University, University of Glasgow and Technische Universität Darmstadt.

The candidate will be in charge of of implementing the algorithms developed as part of the different tasks of the project. Also it is expected to be active part of the team in terms of knowledge transfer research activities developed during this period: papers writing, congress participation, seminars, workshops among others.

• Knowledge of fluid-structure interaction and soft materials
• Knowledge of topology optimization and multiphysics material modelling.
• Knowledge of Finite Elements in the context of large deformation solid mechanics.

The requirements and merits will be valued with a maximum grade of 100 points. This maximum score will be obtained by adding the following points:

• Academic and/or scientific/technical career: 40%
• Scientific/technical contributions: 30%
• Mobility and internationalization: 5 %
• Candidate's willingness to develop the research activities of the job offer: 15%
• Language skills in English: 5%
• Interview: 45%