Postdoc in solid-state batteries – Precision manufacturing

Job description

Next leap in the battery development is expected to be the lithium solid-state batteries (SSB), allowing the replacement of the flammable organic electrolyte in Li-ion batteries with a safer and a more compact solid electrolyte. Within the framework of the Swedish governmental battery initiative COMPEL, aimed to support competence and excellence in battery research and education for the transport sector, KTH join forces with a coordinated initiative on composite SSB with seven postdoctoral positions in several disciplines, focusing on various aspects along the battery value chain, ranging from synthesis, cell assembly, characterization, modeling to scaled-up manufacturing. The 2-year postdoctoral project on Precision Manufacturing for scalable production of Solid-State Batteries will be conducted within the Dept. Production Engineering. The project offers the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research at the interface of precision manufacturing and metrology, production engineering, and digital manufacturing, applied on solid-state batteries. The project focuses on investigating how manufacturing precision and integrated metrology can reduce process variability, minimize process-induced errors, and improve production robustness and how sources of variation arise and propagate throughout the manufacturing process chain, from equipment performance and component processing to cell assembly, and how they can be characterized, quantified, and controlled. A central objective is to develop measurement-based methodologies that establish the relationship between manufacturing precision, process capability, and product quality. Precision metrology and inline quality assurance will be used to identify critical process parameters, understand error sources, and define manufacturing tolerances that support robust production. Advanced measurement and non-destructive evaluation techniques, including optical and laser-based metrology, industrial X-ray computed tomography (CT), and ultrasonic sensing, will be used to monitor process stability and detect defects at different stages of manufacturing. The resulting measurement data may be combined with process models and digital engineering tools to support tolerance engineering, process analysis, and continuous improvement. The expected outcomes include new methods for reducing manufacturing variability, improving process capability, and enabling the reliable industrial scale-up of solid-state battery production.

Qualifications

Requirements

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree in Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, or a closely related field, with experience in manufacturing, precision engineering or manufacturing metrology. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled no later than the date on which the employment decision is made.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English, as this will be required in day-to-day work.
• Strong theoretical foundation combined with hands-on experimental experience.
• Awareness of diversity and equal treatment issues with a particular focus on gender equality.

Preferred qualifications

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline.
• Experience in solid-state batteries and well-acquainted with manufacturing of batteries.
• Hands-on experience with precision manufacturing, manufacturing metrology and quality assurance.
• An innovative mindset and ability to work independently.
• Good collaborative skills and abilities and interest in working in a team.

Great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

Join us at KTH

KTH shapes the future through education, research and innovation. As a leading international technical university, we play an active role in advancing the transition towards a sustainable society. At KTH, you have the opportunity to grow and develop in a creative and dynamic environment, with good working conditions and attractive benefits. Equality, diversity and equal opportunities are essential to quality and form an integral part of KTH’s core values as a university and public authority.

Learn more about our benefits and what it's like to work and grow at KTH.

Trade union representatives

Contact information to trade union representatives.

To apply for the position

Log into KTH's recruitment system to apply for this position. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete according to the instructions in the ad.

The application must include:

• CV including relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Copy of diplomas and grades from your university studies. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents have not been issued in any West-European languages.
• Brief account of why you want to conduct research, your academic interests and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. Maximally one page long.
• Contact to reference persons or recommendation letters.

Your complete application must be received at KTH no later than the last day of application, midnight CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

About the employment

The position offered is for, at the most, two years.

A position as a postdoctoral fellow is a time-limited qualified appointment focusing mainly on research, intended as a first career step after a dissertation.

Other information

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Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

1. Andreas Archenti, [email protected]
2. Magnus Wiktorsson, [email protected]
3. Amir Rashid, [email protected]