Research Assistant (DED process development) in Mechanical Engineering
About this role
Faculty of Technology's Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, is seeking a motivated research assistant for the VALDED project funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The position is full-time. The selected candidate is expected to start 1.6.2026 or as soon as possible. The employment is fixed-term and the duration of the task is 13 months form the starting date.
VALDED (Validated Directed Energy Deposition for Critical Industrial Applications) is a joint project between the University of Turku and Turku University of Applied Sciences. The project aims to create opportunities for the broader adoption of the Directed Energy Deposition (DED) method and printing expertise in industry. In addition to developing application expertise, this requires advancing the manufacturing process and the quality assurance of the final product.
Project description
The project's central objective is to develop the DED process to a level of industrial reliability. Since industrial reliability requires statistical investigation in terms of quality, productivity, and material structure, the size of the test matrix and the number of experiments to be conducted are substantial.
The research assistant in directed energy deposition process development at the University of Turku should preferably have experience with the DED process, additive manufacturing in general, and basic capabilities in experimental work. The person in this role will participate in all work packages of the project, but the main tasks will focus on process development activities as well as the design and execution of test printing arrangements. They will bear primary responsibility for carrying out process development under the supervision of a project researcher. The position may also be adapted into a Master's thesis.
In addition, you will participate in the mechanical testing of materials, including fatigue testing and non-destructive testing (NDT), and produce results for the research dat