PhD student in Applied Physics within SOFTWEAR Doctoral Network

 Skilled and committed employees are a crucial factor in the success of Linköping University. And we need more of them. Our core expertise comes from teachers and researchers, but a successful university requires experienced and motivated employees in many fields. Everyone is important. We need to recruit many new employees thanks to, among all, an expansion in our research activity. We need you here. We look forward to receiving your application!


The Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology conducts research and offers education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Research, the predominant activity, is often done in collaboration with corporate and international partners. We are one of the university’s largest, oldest and most well known departments, encompassing five interacting scientific fields: biology, chemistry, material physics, applied physics and theory and modelling.
Read more at https://liu.se/en/organisation/liu/ifm

We are looking for a PhD student in Applied Physics within SOFTWEAR Doctoral Network. (PhD student 2 – Additive Manufacturing of soft textile actuators)

Your work assignments
The PhD student will progress additive manufacturing (incl. 3D-printing) of soft actuators for wearables by developing new additive manufacturing methods and materials that will enable deposition and patterning of multiple materials (passive and active) monolithically integrated in/on textiles. The PhD student will start by learning to fabricate soft actuators based on ionic Electro-Active Polymers using traditional methods such as spin-coating and electrosynthesis and thereafter convert these methods to 3D printing. The PhD student will also develop/adapt ionogels so that they can be 3D printed. Employing the developed 3D printing methods and new ionogels, the PhD student will fabricate complex multilayer devices comprising ionic Electro-Active Polymer actuators fully integrated in/on textiles for wearables. 

As a doctoral student, you devote most of your time to doctoral studies and the research projects of which you are part. Your work may also include teaching or other departmental duties, up to a maximum of 20% of full-time.

Your workplace
The work will be carried out at Division of Sensor and Actuator Systems (https://liu.se/en/research/sensor-and-actuator-systems ) under the scientific guidance of Assoc Prof Edwin Jager. The Division of Sensor and Actuator Systems carries out research, undergraduate and postgraduate education within Applied Physics, in areas such as soft actuators, soft robotics, bioelectronics, biosensors, and gas and environmental sensing.

The PhD student will become a member of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network SOFTWEAR (www.softwear-dn.eu). The network will comprise 12 PhD students from 10 European Universities. SOFTWEAR is a highly interdisciplinary Doctoral Network in the emerging and rapidly growing field of wearables, with a unique focus on soft actuators for wearables and exoskeletons. The primary objective of SOFTWEAR is to train young researchers in the multidisciplinary science of soft actuators for integration in wearables and augmenting textiles. This will be achieved by merging chemistry, physics, mechanics, electronics, textile technology, design, human-technology interaction and ethics in a truly interdisciplinary manner, while teaching essential skills in ethics, product development, IPR and industrial realisation, thus providing a unique added value to the careers of the Researchers. This will be accomplished by on-the-job training on innovative research projects developing beyond-the-state-of-the-art soft actuator technology and integrating this into active garments and soft exoskeletons. The research will be carried out at leading academic groups and by immersion in applied projects at the industrial partners. The position will require traveling to participate in Training Schools and secondments of several months to academic and industrial associated partners.

Your qualifications
You have graduated at Master’s level in material science, mechanical engineering, (applied) physics, engineering biology, biophysics, (organic) chemistry, or related fields. with a minimum of 240 credits, at least 60 of which must be in advanced courses. Alternatively, you have gained essentially corresponding knowledge in another way.

Experience in additive manufacturing (3D-printing), smart textiles, wearables, soft actuators, electroactive polymers, linear actuators, or electrochemistry is meritorious.

You are passionate about science and engineering and have a strong interest in interdisciplinary research. You enjoy teamwork with colleagues in a multicultural setting but are also able to work on your own. You should adept at thinking at a system level, be interested in applications and enjoy building and testing working devices. You should be highly motivated, taking initiative, problem solving, communicative, quality minded, flexible, and eager to learn. You can both write and speak English fluently. You must be willing to travel to secondment hosts and Training Schools.

Formal requirements from MSCA:

  • No previous doctoral degree.
  • Mobility Rule: researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary (i.e. Sweden) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment

Terms of employment
When taking up the post, you will be admitted to the program for doctoral studies. More information about the doctoral studies at each faculty is available at Doctoral studies at Linköping University

The employment has a duration of four years’ full-time equivalent. You will initially be employed for a period of one year. The employment will subsequently be renewed for periods of maximum duration two years, depending on your progress through the study plan. The employment may be extended up to a maximum of five years, based on the amount of teaching and departmental duties you have carried out. Further extensions can be granted in special circumstances.

Starting date
By agreement, but latest January 2023.

Salary and employment benefits
The salary of doctoral students is determined according to a locally negotiated salary progression.

More information about employment benefits at Linköping University is available here.

Union representatives

Information about union representatives, see Help for applicants.

Application procedure
Apply for the position by clicking the “Apply” button below. Your application must reach Linköping University no later than 2 September 2022.

Applications and documents received after the date above will not be considered.

We welcome applicants with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives - diversity enriches our work and helps us grow. Preserving everybody's equal value, rights and opportunities is a natural part of who we are. Read more about our work with: Equal opportunities.

We look forward to receiving your application!


Linköping university has framework agreements and wishes to decline direct contacts from staffing- and recruitment companies as well as vendors of job advertisements.

Contact persons

Edwin Jager

Associate professor and Head of Division

+46 13 28 12 46

edwin.jager@liu.se



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