Research Position: Impact Identification and Structural Integrity of Ship Structures

Research Position: Impact Identification and Structural Integrity of Ship Structures Job description

Impact identification on ship hulls is of high importance in relation to operational safety, performance, and longevity. The hull must be sufficiently robust to withstand harsh conditions, challenging operation situations, and collisions. A monitoring system capable of identifying the location and severity of impact events can offer substantial help in assessing whether the structural integrity of the hull has been compromised.

When an impact occurs on a hull, it generates stress waves that travel along the surface and through the thickness of the material. In typical ship hulls with finite thickness, part of these waves propagate as guided waves. Guided waves are multi-modal dispersive ultrasonic waves that can travel over long distances with minimal energy loss, making them useful for monitoring large areas. This project primarily deals with development of identification and characterization approaches for impact events on ship hulls using guided waves.

Job requirements

We are looking for an outstanding and enthusiastic researcher with focus on developing new methodologies for monitoring of impact loads and the structural integrity of ship structures. In particular, the candidate is expected to have:

• Fundamental knowledge and understanding about maritime structures.
• Familiarity with fiber-reinforced composite materials and structures.
• Competence in measurement and analysis guided waves.
• Experience in impact localization and/or characterization methods.
• Strong mathematical skills and experience in numercial methods for structural analysis.
• Proficiency in programming skills (e.g. Matlab, Python).

You have obtained an MSc or equivalent degree in Maritime/Offshore engineering or expect to maintain such a degree very soon. Excellent spoken and written English and the ability to work independently are expected. Note that a minimum TOEFL score of 100 or IELTS of 7.0 applies to all candidates wishing to pursue a research career programme at TU Delft.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Mechanical Engineering

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It's a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME's outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well?'being.

to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 18 months Temporary
• A job of 36-40 hours per week.
• A salary based on Scale 10 of the CAO for Dutch Universities with a salary between €3546 - €5538 gross per month based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.

Application procedure

25 September 2025

via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV including your contact information.
• Academic record.
• The contact information of at least two references.
• Motivational letter.

The available position will be filled as soon as possible (i.e., as soon as a suitable candidate is found). This means the selection of candidates may already begin before the application deadline passes.

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• knowledge security.
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