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PhD Position on Elastocaloric Microcooling for Photonic Systems
Part-time 75%

Organizational unit

Institut für Mikrostrukturtechnik (IMT)

Job description

You will work on the development of a next-generation elastocaloric microcooling system with an intelligent thermal switch for precise temperature control in photonic systems.

This includes the following tasks:

  • Design and development of an elastocaloric microcooling system based on shape memory alloy (SMA) thin films
  • Concept and development of an intelligent thermal switch for controllable heat transfer
  • Integration of the thermal switch into the elastocaloric cooling device to enhance heat dissipation and reliability
  • Rapid prototyping (optical lithography, 3D printing, laser technology)
  • Development, characterization and control of cooling demonstrator variants
  • Simulation-based design optimization

You will be embedded in the Hector Fellow Academy network and will collaborate closely with project partners from ETH Zurich and Fraunhofer IWM.

    The position offers the opportunity to pursue a part-time doctoral degree.

    Starting date

    01.06.2026 or later

    Personal qualification

    • Master's degree (GPA <1.7) in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Microsystem Technology, or a related field
    • Knowledge of thermodynamics, heat transfer, or microsystems engineering
    • Experience in CAD, Lumped element modelling and/or FEM simulation and/or MATLAB programming, thermal characterization, mechanical testing
    • High proficiency in spoken and written English

    This is what we offer

    Become a member of staff of the only German University of Excellence that conducts large-scale research on the national level. Work under excellent working conditions in an interna-tional environment and be active in research and academic education for our future. Benefit from specific training when starting your job and from a wide range of further qualification offers. Use our flexible working time models (flexitime, work from home), our sports and leisure offers, as well as our child and holiday care services. We also pay a share of EUR 25/month in the Job Ticket Baden-Württemberg. Enjoy a large variety of dishes, snacks, and beverages at our canteens.

    Salary

    Salary category 13 TV-L, depending on the fulfillment of professional and personal requirements.

    Contract duration

    Three years (with the possibility to extend for one year)

    Application up to

    19.04.2026

    Contact person in line-management

    For further information, please contact Dr. Xu email: : jingyuan.xu@kit.edu

    Please apply online using the button below for this vacancy number 136/2026.

    Vacancy number: 136/2026

    We prefer to balance the number of employees (f/m/d). Therefore we kindly ask female applicants to apply for this job. Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

    Contact

    Personnel Support is provided by:
    Personalservice (PSE) - Human Resources
    Ms Gätcke
    Phone: +49 721 608-25010,

    Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT)

     

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