Postdoctoral Researcher: Experimental Fracture Mechanics of Soft Materials

The role is a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the Professorship of Solid Mechanics (SMEC) within the Institute for Building Materials at ETH Zurich. The company focuses on understanding material deformation, degradation, and failure through a combination of numerical modeling, laboratory experiments, and theoretical analyses. This interdisciplinary and international team works on various topics, including the mechanics of particle systems, architected materials, and fracture of soft materials. The main day-to-day responsibilities involve leading experimental research on the fracture mechanics of advanced materials, including architected and soft materials. This includes using advanced imaging techniques such as confocal and high-speed imaging to quantify displacement, strain fields, crack-tip deformation, fracture energy, and rate-dependent behavior. The role also involves developing optical measurement methods to characterize interfacial contact, deformation, and friction in soft and architected materials. Collaboration with researchers specializing in numerical modeling, theoretical analysis, and soft materials is crucial. Additionally, the role includes supervising junior researchers, such as PhD and Master's students. The must-have requirements for this position include a doctoral degree in mechanics, materials science, physics, or a related field. Hands-on experience in mechanical testing, experimental design, instrumentation, and quantitative measurements of material deformation and fracture is essential. The ability to independently develop and validate experimental methods, collaborate across disciplines, mentor students, and communicate effectively in English is also required. A commitment to open and reproducible research is necessary, along with a curious, creative, and self-motivated approach to understanding the physical mechanisms governing material failure. Nice-to-have skills include experience with digital image correlation, particle tracking, high-speed imaging, optical microscopy, or other quantitative optical measurement techniques. The workplace offers a dynamic, international, and supportive research environment with access to advanced facilities and equipment. The team enjoys substantial freedom to develop independent research directions while collaborating closely with experimental, theoretical, and computational researchers. What the role asks for: - Doctoral degree in mechanics, materials science, physics, or a related field. - Hands-on experience in mechanical testing, experimental design, instrumentation, and quantitative measurements of material deformation and fracture. - Ability to independently develop and validate experimental methods. - Ability to collaborate across disciplines. - Ability to mentor students. - Ability to communicate effectively in English. - Commitment to open and reproducible research.