(Senior) Scientist, Surface Remanufacturing Technology, ARTC Full-time

(Senior) Scientist, Surface Remanufacturing Technology, ARTC

The Surface Remanufacturing Technology (SRT) Group at ARTC develops advanced surface engineering, coating, and finishing technologies for industrial applications. Projects are often industry-driven or competitively funded, involving both fundamental R&D and translation into practical, production-scale processes.

Role Summary

You will lead and execute advanced laser material processing research encompassing surface texturing, surface blasting, cleaning, micro-drilling, cutting and related techniques. These processes will be applied for two broad purposes: modifying or preparing surfaces, such as for functionalisation texturing or surface preparation workflows, and performing precision micromachining of challenging materials. Responsibilities include experimental design, materials and process characterisation, technology integration, and collaboration with internal stakeholders and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead R&D efforts in laser material processing: laser surface texturing, laser blasting and cleaning, laser micromachining etc.
• Design, setup, and conduct experimental trials; optimise process parameters to meet functional requirements (wear resistance, water affinity, surface hardness and roughness etc.).
• Design optical setups and beam paths to perform beam shaping/splitting for novel processing capabilities, such as sub-micron texturing, multibeam large area processing, or ultra-high aspect ratio straight hole drilling.
• Perform materials and microstructural characterisation: sample preparation (sectioning, mounting, polishing, etc.), microscopy (optical, SEM), surface energy measurements, hardness / mechanical testing, etc.
• Troubleshoot and improve process stability, texture uniformity, reproducibility, and scalability; understand failure modes and address issues.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (materials scientists, mechanical engineers, surface metrology experts) and with industrial partners for technology transfer.
• Stay up to date on emerging laser processing technologies and guide incorporation of new techniques (e.g. novel optics, process monitoring and control, simulation and modelling, process sensorisation or machine learning).

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• PhD degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Surface Engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in at least one or more laser processing technologies (laser texturing, laser micromachining, other laser ablation-based processes or laser-based additive manufacturing techniques).
• Solid understanding of the fundamentals of laser-matter interactions: ablation threshold, thermal effects and dissipation, surface energy and composition, beam characteristics etc.
• Experienced in material characterisation tools: microscopy (optical, SEM), wear testing, hardness testing, etc.
• Ability to design experiments, optimise process parameters, analyse data, and draw actionable conclusions.

Desirable

• Experience in scale-up / pilot / industrial implementations of laser-based processes.
• Knowledge of post-process treatments (surface chemical grafting, surface passivation, coating overlay).
• Familiarity with surface metrology and performance testing (wear, corrosion, fatigue).
• Project management experience; ability to guide junior researchers / engineers / lab officers
• Good communication skills (technical writing, presentations), and ability to collaborate with internal & external stakeholders.