PhD Student in Thermal Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE)

About the job

Company Description American University of Sharjah (AUS) is a not-for-profit, independent institution of higher education based on the American model and located in University City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Established in 1997, AUS is recognized for fostering academic excellence, research, and creative work that contribute to regional and global development. The university hosts a culturally diverse community and supports students’ academic, social, and personal growth. AUS offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs across the College of Architecture, Art and Design, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, and School of Business Administration, preparing graduates for dynamic professional and industrial environments. More information about AUS is available at www.aus.edu.

Role Description

Applications are invited from prospective PhD students seeking to pursue a doctoral degree at the American University of Sharjah in the area of Thermal Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE). The successful candidate will enroll in the PhD program and conduct research focused on advanced thermal imaging, heat transfer modeling, inverse problems, and physics-based computational methods for defect characterization and material evaluation.

The selected PhD student will be expected to undertake high-level theoretical, numerical, and experimental research involving transient heat transfer, multiphysics simulations, thermal signal analysis, and advanced NDE methodologies for the inspection and characterization of engineering materials and structures.

Desired Qualifications

Applicants should demonstrate strong competency in the following areas:

• Solid background in solving transient partial differential equations (PDEs), particularly heat transfer and diffusion problems

• Strong numerical and programming skills using MATLAB

• Experience with coupled multiphysics simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics

• Experimental experience in thermal NDE, thermography, heat transfer experimentation, or related diagnostic techniques

• Experience in digital signal and image processing techniques.

• Experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning for data analysis and solving inverse problems

• Familiarity with inverse problems, numerical methods, or computational modeling is highly desired.

• Strong analytical, research writing, and problem-solving skills

Research Areas May Include

• Active thermography and thermal wave imaging

• Isotropic and anisotropic heat transfer

• Inverse heat conduction problems

• Defect detection and characterization

• Coupled thermal-structural or thermal-electromagnetic simulations

• Physics-informed data analysis and model validation

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in thermal NDE

• Experimental thermal imaging and instrumentation

Candidate Profile

• The ideal candidate should be highly motivated, capable of independent research, and interested in publishing in high-impact journals.

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, applied physics, or a closely related discipline.

• Candidates should also demonstrate an established record of research publication resulting from their MS thesis or graduate research work.

Thank you for your time and interest in joining our team. Please the following Google Form link to submit your application (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOKOWe1H-fY7RpcDOs2FhdfNLjrMdzdOThqbOK1jm-TNfl6A/viewform)

Best regards,

Bassam Abu-Nabah

Note: Please do not send inquiry emails or LinkedIn messages. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted via email.