Dr. Cornelia Kaden Tel.: +49 351 260 3431

Job-Id: 2025/126 (2125)

At HZDR, we promote and value diversity among our employees. We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds regardless of gender, ethnic and social origin, belief, disability, age, and sexual orientation. Severely disabled persons are given preference in the event of equal suitability.

Helmholtz-Zentrum

01328 Dresden

PhD Student (f/m/d) in Ion Irradiation and Materials Characterization of Novel Additively Manufactured Materials for Fusion Applications

With cutting-edge research in the fields of ENERGY, HEALTH and MATTER, around 1,500 employees from more than 70 nations at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) are committed to mastering the great challenges facing society today.

The Institute of Resource Ecology performs research to protect humans and the environment from hazards caused by pollutants resulting from technical processes that produce energy and raw materials.

The Department of Structural Materials is looking for a PhD Student (f/m/d) in Ion Irradiation and Materials Characterization of Novel Additively Manufactured Materials for Fusion Applications. Recruitment is subject to final approval by the project sponsor.

Structural materials in future fusion reactors must withstand extreme conditions, especially high neutron fluxes. Existing materials only partially meet the associated requirements such as irradiation resistance, high-temperature strength, and low activation.

Within the scope of an interdisciplinary research project, the suitability of novel, consortium-developed and innovatively manufactured material candidates, particularly high-entropy alloys (HEAs), for use in fusion applications is investigated. To this end, ion irradiations with iron (Fe) and helium (He) ions are applied to experimentally emulate fusion-specific damage phenomena such as hardening, swelling, and embrittlement.

A particular focus is on developing methods to transfer ion-induced damage results to neutron-induced damage scenarios and accelerating material development cycles. The findings provide not only a scientifically sound assessment of the irradiation resistance of innovative materials but also directly feed into the consortium’s utilization plan involving industrial partners. The developed methods are also transferable to other material systems, thus laying the foundation for more efficient development processes in energy technology and related technological fields.

Your tasks

• Planning, conducting, and evaluating ion irradiation experiments on newly developed material candidates
• Planning and conducting thermal aging experiments
• Characterization of materials in the initial state and after irradiation/aging using analytical (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (TEM/STEM), nanoindentation, and complementary microstructural and mechanical analysis methods
• Comparative evaluation of innovative materials with reference materials
• Literature research and evaluation of the current state of research
• Independent concept development and experimental validation
• Documentation, analysis, and scientific publication of results (publications, conferences, dissertation)

Your profile

• University degree (Master’s or Diploma) in Materials Science, Physics, Materials Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or a related field
• Solid knowledge of materials characterization, particularly regarding microstructure and mechanical properties
• Initial experience or strong interest in ion irradiation and radiation-induced effects (e.g., hardening, swelling, embrittlement)
• Basic knowledge of transmission electron microscopy (TEM/STEM) and/or nanoindentation is an advantage
• Knowledge of defects, phase transformations, and activation/decay behavior desirable
• Ability to work in a team within an interdisciplinary consortium
• Independent, structured, and solution-oriented working style
• Willingness to communicate and collaborate with partner institutions
• Enthusiasm for tackling challenging and complex scientific questions
• Proficient in scientific software (e.g., Gatan DigitalMicrograph, Python, Origin, Matlab, SRIM/TRIM)
• Basic knowledge of scientific data analysis and statistical evaluation
• Good command of MS Office and reference management tools (e.g., Zotero, EndNote)
• Excellent written and spoken English skills, German skills desired
• Scientific curiosity, openness to new topics, and willingness to develop professionally
• Willingness to present research results at national and international conferences

Our offer

• A vibrant research community in an open, diverse and international work environment
• Participation in a pioneering and societally highly relevant research field
• Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure: ion irradiation facilities, electron microscopy analytics, materials testing, hot cells
• Individual scientific supervision and active collaboration in a well-networked project consortium
• Possibility for international visibility through presentations and publications
• A structured PhD program with a comprehensive range of continuing education and networking opportunities - more information about the PhD program at the HZDR can be found here
• Salary and social benefits in accordance with the collective agreement for the public sector ( TVöD-B und) including 30 days of paid holiday leave, company pension scheme (VBL)
• We support a good work-life balance with the possibility of part-time employment, mobile working and flexible working hours
• Numerous company health management offerings
• Employee discounts with well-known providers via the platform Corporate Benefits
• An employer subsidy for the "Deutschland-Ticket Jobticket"

We look forward to receiving your application documents (including cover letter, CV, diplomas/transcripts, etc.), which you can submit via our online-application-system.