Postdoctoral Researcher: Experimental Fracture Mechanics of Soft Materials

At the Professorship of Solid Mechanics (SMEC) in the Institute for Building Materials at ETH Zurich, we aim to understand how materials deform, degrade, break, and ultimately fail. Our research is driven by curiosity about the physical mechanisms that underlie failure and by the ambition to translate this understanding into more reliable and resilient materials and structures. By combining numerical modeling, laboratory experiments, and theoretical analyses, we seek to link microscopic processes with the macroscopic behavior of both engineering and natural systems and develop predictive tools for mechanical failure.

Our team is highly interdisciplinary and international, bringing together researchers with backgrounds in materials science, mechanics, and applied physics. We work across a broad range of topics, including the mechanics of particle systems (colloidal and granular), architected and topologically interlocked materials, the mechanics of fragility in collagen, the mechanics of earthquakes, fracture of soft materials, and modeling failure in multiphysical processes such as corrosion-driven degradation of concrete.

What unites these efforts is a shared curiosity about why complex materials fail and a commitment to developing new concepts, experiments, and models that advance our understanding of failure mechanics.

To expand our research in experimental fracture mechanics, we are seeking a motivated and innovative Postdoctoral Researcher with a strong experimental background. The successful candidate will develop quantitative experiments and imaging-based methods to characterize complex fracture behavior. Possible research directions include, but are not limited to, fracture of soft materials and architected materials, as well as dynamic crack propagation.

• You will lead experimental research on the fracture mechanics of advanced materials, including architected materials and soft materials, using advanced imaging techniques, such as confocal imaging and high-speed imaging, to investigate complex fracture behavior near the crack tip

• You will use image-based measurement techniques, such as digital image correlation (DIC), particle tracking, and other quantitative methods, to quantify displacement and strain fields, crack-tip deformation, fracture energy, and rate-dependent behavior

• You will develop optical measurement methods to characterize interfacial contact, deformation, and friction in soft materials and architected materials

• The position offers opportunities for close collaboration with researchers specializing in numerical modeling, theoretical analysis, and soft materials

• In addition to carrying out independent research, the Postdoctoral Researcher will actively contribute to the supervision of junior researchers (e.g., PhD students and Master's students) within SMEC

• The position provides a stimulating environment for scientific growth and collaboration

• You have a doctoral degree in mechanics, (civil, mechanical, aerospace, or bio-) engineering, materials science, physics, or a related field
• You have hands-on experience in mechanical testing, experimental design, instrumentation, and quantitative measurements of material deformation and fracture
• Experience with digital image correlation, particle tracking, high-speed imaging, optical microscopy, or other quantitative optical measurement techniques is highly desirable
• You have the ability to independently develop and validate experimental methods, collaborate across disciplines, mentor students, and communicate effectively in English
• A commitment to open and reproducible research is expected
• You are curious, creative, and self-motivated, with a strong interest in understanding the physical mechanisms that govern material failure
• You enjoy working in an interdisciplinary environment and are enthusiastic about collaborating with colleagues who combine experiments, modeling, and theory

• You will join our newly established fracture mechanics imaging and characterization lab, a dynamic, international, and supportive research group that values curiosity, creativity, and collaboration
• The laboratory is equipped with 3D-printing facilities, mechanical testing systems, and advanced imaging equipment, enabling the preparation, mechanical testing, and quantitative imaging characterization of soft materials
• ETH Zurich provides an outstanding scientific environment and access to additional facilities for optical and high-speed imaging, material…