Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Mid Sweden University has more than 21,500 students and has campuses in Härnösand, Sundsvall and Östersund.We offer 50 general programmes, 30 Master?s programmes and 750 courses in a wide range of fields; we are also a major player in distance and net-based education.Mid Sweden University has an annual turnover of SEK 845 million and has more than 900 employees, of which 70 are professors and 200 are research students.Research profiles are forestry and mountain regions, within the two thematic areas of Business and Growth and Quality of Life and Welfare.Mid Sweden University welcomes applications for the post of Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Natural Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics Ref.no.MIUN 2010/1252 Subject area: Failure of materials/systems is often characterised by its stochastic, time-dependent, and size-dependent nature.Although the phenomena are very well known for years for many engineering materials, understanding the fundamental mechanisms and describing the phenomena in a predictive manner are still in progress.The subject area is multi-disciplinary, residing at the intersection of statistical mechanics, stochastic process theories, fracture mechanics, chemical reaction theories, and reliability engineering.For this project, the material in question is ?paper?and paper-based products, whose structures are typically of random, heterogeneous nature.Our aim is to develop rational design criteria for this class of bio-renewable materials in order to make more effective use of materials/energy and to improve end-use performance.The candidate is expected to develop a model that captures stochastic nature of failure and time-dependency, based on some of the recent developments in this area, and to perform numerical experiments to investigate strength scaling and complex system failure.The model can be on a system level or on a particle level (constituent fibres), but the multi-scale structure aspect of the problem is also of prime interest.Job description: The candidate is expected to perform theoretical/numerical work in the above subject areas, as well as possible experimental work as the needs arise, analyse the results, and disseminate the conclusions to both academic and industrial communities. Eligibility: PhD in physical sciences and engineering.Proficiency in programming languages is necessary, and experimental background is also an asset.Place of work: The post is based in Sundsvall, Sweden.Scope: 100% Start date: Immediate.(Please use e-mail contact, first.Application: Please append the following to your application: one-page statement describing how you can contribute to this project and your career goal, CV, and one most significant publication.Four identical copies are to be sent to: Registrar, Mid Sweden University, 851 70 Sundsvall.State ref.no.MIUN 2010/1252.Applications must be received by Mid Sweden University no later than the 4th of January 2011.