Post-Doctoral Researcher Fatigue of Composite Materials

Mode II fatigue delamination tests only go in one direction, but what happens if we reverse the shear?

Job description

To build the next generation of advanced composite materials, including for example those with morphing capabilities, we need to go beyond the use of traditional lay-ups such as cross-ply or quasi-isotropic. However, evaluating the fatigue performance of such non-traditional laminates is difficult. Current state-of-the-art methods require extensive testing which has to be repeated for each change of lay-up.

Building on the results of the D-STANDART project, the Duramorph project aims to advance our ability to predict the fatigue behaviour of arbitrary lay-ups, based on minimal testing. Finding out how minimal that testing can be, and which tests remain needed is part of the aim of Duramorph. Within Duramoprh, your position will focus on investigating the effect of fibre orientation on mode II delamination growth in CFRP lay-ups. Of particular interest is investigating the fatigue behaviour under reversed shear (R<0) conditions, for which you will need to develop a new test set-up. Throughout the project you will be collaborating with researchers at the other project partners: NLR, University of Twente and XCTE (a start-up focusing on high frequency testing) in order to algin on the overall project outcomes. You will also be expected to communicate your work to the project's industrial advisory board and to outside stakeholders. In addition you will have the opportunity to participate in educational activities at TU Delft, should you wish to increase your experience in that area.

In this position you will be a part of the Damage Management and Certification team (PI: John-Alan Pascoe), having the opportunity to interact and collaborate with a supportive community of MSc thesis students, PhD candidates and post-docs working on related fracture and fatigue topics. This group is part of the Aerospace Structures and Materials department of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, and has access to extensive lab facilities for both manufacturing and testing of aerospace materials, including composites.

In summary, the expected activities in this position are:

• Develop a test-rig for conducting mode II fatigue delamination growth experiments.
• Investigate the effect of fibre orientation on mode II fatigue delamination growth under both R >0 and R < 0 loading.
• Communicate your findings via journal papers and conference presentations.
• Present your findings to project partners and the industrial advisory board.
• Participate in project management.
• Participate in project meetings to ensure alignment with other project partners.

Job requirements

For this position we are looking for the following requirements:

• A PhD degree in a relevant field, e.g. Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or similar, with a thesis topic relevant to the topic of the research.
• Affinity with the topics of fatigue and delamination growth in composite materials.
• Affinity with mechanical testing, ideally involving fatigue and/or fracture of composite materials
• A desire to proactively acquire any new skills and knowledge needed to complete the project.
• A critical attitude towards your own work and that of others.
• Good written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate the value of your work in both academic and industry settings.
• English proficiency as described on the Graduate School admission page: https://www.tudelft.nl/lr/onderzoek/ae-graduate-school/admission.

A desire and ability to proactively acquire new skills and knowledge is more imporant than already having a perfect match with all points mentioned above, so even if you don't meet all points above you are encouraged to apply. In that case, please indicate in your cover letter which skills you believe you still need to acquire and how you would do this.

Faculty Aerospace Engineering

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology is a leading international community where innovation in aerospace meets global challenges. Our support and scientific staff, including PhD candidates, postdocs, and students, largely work together on three main themes: the energy transition, sustainable aerospace, and safety and security, with the aim of tackling climate change and contributing to the independence and security of Europe.

When you join us, you become part of a diverse, collaborative, and forward-thinking environment where your ideas and perspectives are valued. Our work extends beyond the lab—into field labs, innovation hubs, and partnerships with other faculties, research institutes, governments, and industry, both locally and globally.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming workplace, assisted by an active Diversity & Inclusion team. This includes tangible support such as funding for extra personnel for family and caregiving responsibilities, mentoring programmes, and initiatives that promote cultural exchange and integration.

You don’t just join our faculty — you join a community where you can thrive, grow, and help shape the future of aerospace.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering.

Conditions of employment 

• Duration of contract is 24 months. Temporary external finance.
• A job of 38-40 hours per week. 
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch 
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP. 
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year. 
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages. 
• Flexible working week. 
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget. 
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses. 
• Partially paid parental leave 
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program. 

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.  

Additional information
For more information about this vacancy, please contact John-Alan Pascoe (j.a.pascoe@tudelft.nl).

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 4 December 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV.
• Motivational letter. In your cover letter indicate what aspects of this specific project excite you, and what you think the main challenge is in testing mode II delamination growth under reversed shear.

Based on the cover letter and CV, a shortlist of candidates will be selected an invited to an (online) interview. During the interview you will be asked to give short presentations on (1) your previous research experience and (2) a research proposal for the project.

The selection committee will consist of Dr. ir. John-Alan Pascoe, Prof. dr. ir. René Alderliseten and Mr Leith Afilal MSc.

While you are free to use AI to assist in preparing your application, please be aware that other candidates may do so as well, with the result that their cover letters may sound similar to yours if you simply rely directly on the output of the AI model.

Please note that applications sent via e-mail will be deleted in order to comply with GDPR requirements 

Please note:

• To protect your personal data, we only accept applications submitted via the ‘Apply’ button advertised under the vacancies on our website. Applications and additional information sent by email or through other channels, including unsolicited applications, will not be considered or responded to. This also applies to open applications.
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