The Institut of Materials and Process Engineering (IMAP) of the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) and the Electron Microscopy for materials Science /EMAT) research group of the University of Antwerp are looking for a post-doctoral researcher to support various and mutual projects on transmission electron microscopy characterisation and nano-mechanical testing of novel metallic and metallic-based materials. Examples of materials include high-entropy alloys and aluminium alloys-based processed by friction stir and involving multi-material(steel, Mg, oxides, NiTi, ...) interfaces.

Profile:  The candidate must have a background in high resolution (scanning-transmission electron microscopy techniques (TEM and STEM), including aberration corrected microscopy and have experience in in-situ nano-mechanical experiments. Hands-on experience with Titan, Osiris and Tecnai instruments is useful, as well as with Hysitron pico-indentor PI95 sample holder and Nanomegas ASTAR orientation imaging including TopSpin strain mapping. Knowledge on behaviour of defects in materials under mechanical loads is important.

Applications can be submitted until 31 March 2017

To apply send your CV to Prof. Hosni Idrissi (hosni.idrissi@uclouvain.be) and Prof. Nick Schryvers (nick.schryvers@uantwerpen.be)

More details in:

This PhD will start in September/October 2017 and combines atomic simulations and TEM characterization.
The theoretical study will be essentially performed by using atomistic simulations (molecular dynamics, Nudge Elastic Band method...) with a semi-empirical potential of Embedded Atom Method type. The simulations will use the LAMMPS code and will be performed using lab computing facility or facilities at the regional or national scale.
The experimental part will be based on in-situ deformation experiments using different experimental setups, some of them already existing (high temperature tensile holder, nano-indentor), others in development, and different kind of imaging techniques (bright/dark field, orientation mapping, strain/stress mapping, high resolution). The use of new tensile devices incorporating micro-actuators and FIB (Focused Ion Beam) machined samples should for instance allow high resolution TEM experiments. The success of such experiments at a scale close to the simulations will allow the identification and the monitoring of the deformation at atomic scale.These experiments will benefit also from established international collaboration: we will study both freestanding metal thin films with small grain (processed in the US), or bicrystals containing only one grain boundary, provided by RWTH university in Aachen.

Profile: The candidate should have an overall good level in physics (mechanics, statistical physics, solid state physics, and crystallography) and knowledge in programming language (fortran, C, C++, python. . . ). Knowledge in elasticity and plasticity will be valuable.

Contact: N. Combe (combe@cemes.fr), F. Mompiou (mompiou@cemes.fr)

The Nexus of Bio-, Nano-, Architecture, and Mechanics of Interfaces
Topics and sessions will be centered around the fundamentals of small-scale material systems subjected to mechanical perturbation generated by a biological, chemical, or another nano-sized force. The point of departure for this meeting will be to stress the interdisciplinary and multi-scale nature of some of the most relevant nano-mechanics problems today. Of particular interest are topics on mechanotransduction of cells on substrates, properties of dissimilar interfaces - i.e. bio-nano, chemo-mechano, biological and bio-inspired materials, electrochemical interfaces relevant to energy storage, piezoelectric response, nano-optomechanical properties, and mechanics of architected materials. Multiple technological applications with these phenomena at their core require a thorough understanding of the mechanics of aforementioned
interfaces

Chairs : Julia R. Greer & Yuan Lin
Applications (before July 2nd, 2017) and more information on : 
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?id=15891

Starting this March 2017, Jean-Baptiste MOLIN (MPIE Düsseldorf - j.molin[at]mpie.de) will be one the webmasters of the GDRi Mecano Website.

Most of the announcements regarding the Mecano network (Jobs, Events, news... ) can be sent to both of us for  posting on the website or dispatching on the mailing list.

Welcome!

Marc 

A Summer School on Experimental Nano- and Micromechanics, will be held from 11^th to 15^th of September 2017 at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf (Germany).  The school is organized by Christoph Kirchlechner (MPIE, Düsseldorf) and Benoit Merle (FAU, Erlangen).

The school aims at providing a comprehensive overview on experimental nano- and micromechanical testing methods. Focus thereby is put on material properties which we can reliably extract from in situ micromechanical experiments. The school will deal with nanoindentation, methods to explore the small-scale plastic and fracture properties of materials and interfaces, frequently used characterization techniques with in situ capabilities and, finally, simulation techniques.

Invited speakers:

-          Nanoindentation and HT-Nanoindentation: Jeffrey Wheeler (ETH Zürich)

-          Plasticity: Erica Lilleodden (HZG Geesthacht) and Daniel Kiener (University of Leoben)

-          Fracture: David Armstrong (Oxford University) and Goran Zagar (EPFL Lausanne)

-          Thin Films: Ruth Schwaiger (KIT Karlsruhe)

-          In situ Characterization:  Frédéric Mompiou (CNRS Toulouse) and Stefan Zaefferer (MPIE Düsseldorf)

-          Simulation Techniques at the Mesoscale: Marc Fivel (CNRS Grenoble)

Hands-on exercises in state-of-the art laboratories will treat practical aspects of the experimental work, including nanoindentation, EBSD, microfracture mechanics, thin film mechanics.

Registration is limited to 40 participants. We advise young scientists interested in attending the school to send their application as soon as possible to micromech2017@mpie.de. The participation fee is 250€ and includes a BBQ party and 3 lunches, as well as all drinks during the school.

Further information can be found at www.mpie.de/2768772/scientific-events.