PhD position in Integrated Design and Optimization — EPFL
NewCHF 60'500 - 91'500
EPFL · Neuchâtel (NE)
- Location
- Neuchâtel
- Contract
- full-time
- Posted
- Today
SalaryCHF 60'500 - 91'500
Role overview
Mission
We are offering a challenging position as a full-time (100%) PhD Student at STI IGM LAMD at EPFL, Neuchatel.
- Mission
- We are offering a challenging position as a full-time (100%) PhD Student at STI IGM LAMD at EPFL, Neuchatel.
- Main duties and responsibilities As a PhD Student, you will be expected to:
- Have full responsibility for your own dissertation
- Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale A copy of your BSc thesis (in pdf) A copy of your MSc thesis (in pdf)
- Doctoral Candidates will benefit from a competitive salary, paid leave (in accordance with institutional regulations), and access to national social security schemes.
Main responsibilities
- Main duties and responsibilities As a PhD Student, you will be expected to:
- Have full responsibility for your own dissertation
- Research in close collaboration with industry partners Experiment design and execution Analyze and interpret experimental results
- Write scientific articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals Present at international conferences
- Participate in education and supervise student projects
- More specifically, within this project, you will:
- Develop viable concepts for internal cooling of hollow hub and blade structures in small-scale turbomachinery, addressing the thermo-structural challenges inherent in these configurations.
- Integrate hollow hub structural design with a robust design and optimization framework to ensure performance reliability across varying operating conditions and manufacturing uncertainties. Required competences
- Topology optimization, multi-objective optimization methods, and multi-disciplinary design optimization frameworks.
- Heat transfer fundamentals, structural mechanics and integrity assessment, coupled thermal-structural analysis.
Key requirements
- Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale A copy of your BSc thesis (in pdf) A copy of your MSc thesis (in pdf)
What the company offers
- Doctoral Candidates will benefit from a competitive salary, paid leave (in accordance with institutional regulations), and access to national social security schemes.
Application process
- Develop and apply multi-objective topology optimization to identify and characterize the trade-off between structural integrity and heat-transfer resistance in turbomachinery components.
- You will be working on the TurboImpact project, funded by Horizon Europe – MSCA-DN, tackles challenges in designing, optimizing, selecting materials, and manufacturing small-scale turbomachinery for applications in heat pumps, fuel cells, organic Rankine cycles, or gas turbines.
- This project develops robust system and component design methods, an integrated manufacturing platform, and multi-material joining techniques to efficiently produce small-scale turbomachinery.
- The goal will be achieved by establishing a network of 14 Doctoral Candidates (DC) working in synergy on complementary topics and supported by highly qualified supervisors from European universities and research-intensive European companies Application procedure
- Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 30 November 2026 (23:59h).
- 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 motivation letter Curriculum vitae
- The names of three referees who are willing to write a reference letter
Contacts
- For more information, please contact: [email protected] or [email protected].
Company and context
- Employment will be provided by the recruiting organization and will include mobility and family allowances (where applicable), together with full social security coverage.
- The period of employment is 3 years, starting on 1 February 2027 or according to mutual agreement.
- The position is a full-time position.
- Read about our employment conditions and employee benefits Assessment
- Recruitment will be carried out and monitored in full accordance with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, and the Doctoral Network mobility rules.
- The process will follow an open, transparent, merit-based, impartial, and equitable procedure, tailored to each individual DC position.
- Promising candidates will undergo a series of interviews with the PI, the Supervisory Team, and the Recruitment Committee. Successful candidates will:
- be enrolled in a PhD program of the hiring university,
- conduct research in a stimulating international environment with access to state-of-the-art facilities and supervision by recognized experts,
- participate in local and network-wide training activities aimed at advancing scientific knowledge and transferable skills,
Additional details
- The goal will be achieved by establishing a network of 14 Doctoral Candidates (DC) working in synergy on complementary topics and supported by highly qualified supervisors from European universities and research-intensive European companies Main duties and responsibilities As a PhD Student, you will be expected to:
- Research in close collaboration with industry partners Experiment design and execution Analyze and interpret experimental results
- Write scientific articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals Present at international conferences
- Integrate hollow hub structural design with a robust design and optimization framework to ensure performance reliability across varying operating conditions and manufacturing uncertainties.
- Robust design methodologies and uncertainty quantification. Special requirements
- Software Engineering, or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.
- Read about our employment conditions and employee benefits
- Promising candidates will undergo a series of interviews with the PI, the Supervisory Team, and the Recruitment Committee. Successful candidates will: Application procedure
- 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 motivation letter
- Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale A copy of your BSc thesis (in pdf) A copy of your MSc thesis (in pdf)
Notes and original content
- The goal will be achieved by establishing a network of 14 Doctoral Candidates (DC) working in synergy on complementary topics and supported by highly qualified supervisors from European universities and research-intensive European companies
- Main duties and responsibilities
- As a PhD Student, you will be expected to:
- Research in close collaboration with industry partners
- Experiment design and execution
- Analyze and interpret experimental results
- Write scientific articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals
- Present at international conferences
- Robust design methodologies and uncertainty quantification.
- Special requirements
Questions about this listing
What salary does EPFL offer for this role?
EPFL lists CHF 60'500 - 91'500 gross per year for this position in Neuchâtel. This is the salary published in the original listing (or, when the employer omits a figure, a realistic estimate for the role and sector) — the calculator on this site converts it to your actual net take-home once cross-border tax and social contributions are applied.
Is this a full-time role, and what type of contract does EPFL offer?
This listing is a full-time position. The contract type shown here comes directly from the employer's original posting; always confirm exact hours, notice period and probation length with EPFL during the application process, since these details can vary by role even within the same contract category.
Do I need a cross-border work permit for a role in Neuchâtel?
EU/EFTA residents living in the border zone of the country adjoining Canton Neuchâtel can apply for a G permit; the Swiss employer files it with that canton's migration office after the contract is signed. Border-zone rules and processing times vary by neighbouring country and canton, so confirm the specifics with Neuchâtel's cantonal migration office or with HR during the application.
How do I apply for this position at EPFL?
Use the "Apply now" button on this page — it links directly to EPFL's original listing at careers.epfl.ch, so your application goes straight to the employer's own applicant-tracking system. Frontaliere Ticino does not collect or forward applications itself.
