Post-doc on ID03 in XIM

Through its innovative engineering, pioneering scientific vision and a strong commitment from its 700 staff members, the ESRF is recognised as one of the top research facilities worldwide. Its particle accelerator produces intense X-ray beams that are used by thousands of scientists each year for experiments in diverse fields such as biology, medicine, environmental sciences, cultural heritage, materials science, and physics.

Supported by 19 countries, the ESRF is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversity.

As a postdoctoral researcher at the ESRF, you will develop multiscale models of deformation and recrystallisation structures within the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant project D-REX. You will use crystal plasticity finite element (CPFEM) modelling to describe the deformed state and its intragranular hardening, and phase field (PF) modelling to describe recrystallisation and grain growth, with the predicted deformed microstructure serving as the initial condition for annealing. The models will be validated directly against the 3D experimental datasets obtained at the ESRF by dark-field X-ray microscopy (DFXM), diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) and 3DXRD. The work is carried out in collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), KU Leuven and the University of Oxford.

Your responsibilities include:

• Developing and calibrating CPFEM models of deformation microstructures, with hardening laws validated at the individual grain level.
• Developing PF models of recrystallisation and grain growth parameterised from D-REX experimental data.
• Validating both against DFXM, DCT and 3DXRD measurements, and establishing reproducible workflows for comparing simulated and measured 3D orientation, misorientation and strain fields.

Publishing the results, presenting at international conferences, and releasing the modelling and comparison pipelines as documented open-source software.

For further information regarding this position and the D-REX ERC project please contact Can Yildirim via can.yildirim@esrf.fr.

You are enthusiastic about computational materials science and physical metallurgy, and motivated by the confrontation of models with demanding 3D experimental data. You enjoy building pipelines and working with large datasets, and you thrive in collaborative, international environments while being able to work independently. To be considered for this position, you should possess the following qualifications:

• A PhD in materials science, physics, mechanical engineering, computational mechanics or a related field, obtained within the last 3 years.
• Demonstrated command of crystal plasticity finite element modelling (for example DAMASK, MOOSE, Abaqus with user material subroutines, FEniCS) and/or phase field modelling of microstructural evolution (for example MOOSE, MICRESS, OpenPhase, or in-house codes).
• Solid background in physical metallurgy: dislocation substructures, texture, recovery, recrystallisation and grain growth.
• Strong programming skills in Python/MATLAB and experience running simulations on HPC resources.
• Ability to handle large, heterogeneous datasets and to design and implement new analysis pipelines.
• Familiarity with 3D characterisation techniques (DFXM, 3DXRD, DCT, EBSD) is welcome but not required; a strong theoretical and computational profile is equally suitable.
• Proven ability to collaborate within a multidisciplinary team across several institutes.

Proficiency in English (working language at the ESRF).

Contract of 18 months, renewable for a further 6 to 18-month period.

Do you recognize yourself in this description? Apply now for your next professional adventure!

What we offer:

• Join an innovative international research institute, with a workforce from 38 different countries
• Collaborate with global experts to advance science and address societal challenges
• Come and live in a vibrant city, in the heart of the Alps, and Europe's Green Capital 2022
• Enjoy a workplace designed to support your quality of life
• Benefit from our competitive compensation and allowances package, including financial support for your relocation to Grenoble For further information on employment terms and conditions, please refer to https://www.esrf.fr/home/Jobs/what-we-offer.html

The ESRF is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from disabled persons.

Job details

• Title: Post-doc on ID03 in XIM
• Employer: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
• Location: 71 avenue des Martyrs Grenoble, France
• Published: 2026-07-30
• Application deadline: Unspecified
• Job type: Postdoc
• Field: Materials Engineering, Mechanics, Computational Engineering, Computational Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Solid-state Physics, Experimental Physics