PhD in Meta-Structures Enhanced Damage Detection and Localization Wind Turbine Blades

Organisation/Company ETH Zürich Research Field Engineering » Electrical engineering Engineering » Materials engineering Engineering » Mechanical engineering Mathematics » Applied mathematics Mathematics » Computational mathematics Physics » Solid state physics Physics » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Country Switzerland Final date to receive applications 8 Mar 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Horizon 2020 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

PhD in Active Meta-Structures for Enhanced Damage Detection and Localization on Wind Turbine Blades

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Adapt (M2A) seeks to appoint 16 highly motivated Ph.D. candidates to a range of positions across Europe. The Early Stage Researcher (ESR) positions offer an exciting opportunity to work with leading experts across Europe to design and deliver sustainable meta-materials for vibration mitigation, self-aware meta-components and carbon-efficient meta-structures for the renewable energy sector via the M2A European Training Network (ETN), funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska‑Curie programme.

Project background

M2A puts forward a robust methodology to deliver innovative research and training vis‑à‑vis the following interlinked routes: (i) To engineer novel meta‑material architectures with optimum vibration mitigation capabilities tailored to the specific mechanical and environmental stimuli pertinent to wind and wave energy production; (ii) To innovate a robust multi‑physics simulation framework from the meta‑material to the meta‑structures scale, leveraging the advantages of physics rich AI simulation;

(iii) To design meta‑structures that are self‑tuned, resilient, and adaptable to adverse environmental conditions and eventually (iv) to deliver a closed system empowered with intelligent SHM and prognostics capabilities hence enabling a truly manageable and resilient green‑energy production ecosystem.

The M2A network consists of leading academic institutions and companies from 9 different countries (Greece, Portugal, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and United States).ESR
16 in particular is hosted at ETH Zurich.

ESR
15 will elaborate on the damage detection and localization problem of wind turbine (WT) blades. WT blades are amenable to quite complex mechanical and environmental loading over their life cycle. Among other failure mechanisms (such as operational errors and manufacturing defects) surface damage and structural cracks are common. While they, in general, do not reduce the operating functionality of the blade, damaged/cracked surfaces certainly reduce the aerodynamic performance and, upon growing, may lead to structural damage.

Therefore, early detection and localization is essential.

In this regard, the main objectives are:

• To classify the topology of damage on blades, by studying the extensive relevant literature. Indeed, often‑observed damage mechanisms of blades include the root and the transition regions, as well as the leading and trailing edges.
• To design a class of surface‑bonded metamaterials acting as meta‑filters for guided waves.
• To perform numerical and experimental (both on a laboratory scale and on real blades) verification and validation.

This doctoral student position is offered for 36 months with the earliest starting date as agreed upon recruitment. Primary advisor is Prof. Eleni Chatzi (ETH Zurich, DBAUG), co‑advisors are Dr. Vasileios Ntertimanis (ETH Zurich) and Dr. Andrea Colombi (Zurich University of Applied Sciences, ZHAW).

Applicants must:

• hold a M.Sc. Diploma (120 ECTS points) or equivalent in civil, mechanical or electrical engineering, geosciences, physics, applied mathematics, or related fields, and be at the beginning of their research career.
• possess principal qualifications that include strong analytical and quantitative skills in computational solid mechanics, nonlinear dynamics, data analysis, mechatronics, and interest in laboratory‑based experimentation and engineering applications.
• have a solid…