Description : LEGO PhD on friction. Company : LEGO. Location : Billund

Job Description

LEGO PhD or Post Doc project on friction in collaboration with the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Friction is a key factor when building LEGO models. Without any friction there is no building function in LEGO elements.

When moving into new materials as part of our sustainability journey, we must ensure we retain the high-quality building experience that LEGO products are known for.

Thus, there is a need for an in-depth understanding of the friction behavior of new and old materials, so we are hereby inviting applications for a 3-year PhD or a 2-year Post Doc position starting 2nd half 2023.

The project will be financed jointly by the Innovation Fund Denmark, DTU and LEGO.

The candidate will be hired 4-6 months before project start to initiate onboarding at LEGO System A / S and participate in writing the application for funding to Innovation Fund Denmark.

This will also allow the candidate to influence the project's content. Funding from Innovation Fund Denmark is a prerequisite for the completion of the project.

The project is aimed at quantifying and understanding friction properties of plastics as a key contributor to the transition into sustainable plastics in a consumer goods market.

The present LEGO building system has been developed over the years empirically with the use of prototypes trial-and-error.

Prototypes were the only solution, as reliable tools for predicting friction were not yet available. Building a reliable, physics-based experimental tools to evaluate friction properties for plastics will enable simulation and prediction of function of sustainable materials ensuring that they will work in both the new products as well as in combination with the billions of LEGO elements already used by the consumers.

It will be a fundamental change to use material testing and simulations instead of product prototyping. In that the end goal if the project is to have reliable simulation based on, among other things, collected friction data, it is vital that there is an alignment of the methodologies used in simulation and measurement of friction properties.

The project?s success criteria are :

• Improve friction measurement accuracy by development of experimental test setups.
• Develop / modify friction test-setup to determine friction properties between material candidates.
• Identify key parameters that can be used to categorize the friction cases in various LEGO connectors.
• Measurement and application of friction properties into numerical simulation
• Improve the fundamental understanding of friction in plastic-plastic interfaces through an academic / industrial project.
• Build friction database on material pairs.

Requirements

PhD : The open-minded PhD candidate must have a master?s degree in engineering science or natural science or equivalent academic qualifications.

The bachelor's and master's degrees of the candidate must fulfill the requirements of the Innovation Foundation LINK. Please be aware that the requirements for national and foreign diplomas differ.

Post Doc : The open-minded Post Doc candidate must have a PhD degree related to research in friction and / or polymers. The degree must have been acquired less than 5 years ago.

All the candidates must have a strong background in statistical analysis. Candidates with practical and / or theoretical experience with polymers and friction are preferred and highly encouraged to apply.

Furthermore, knowledge in statistical software packages such as Minitab or Phyton and proficient coding skills is considered an advantage.

The candidate must be fluent in English, both speaking and writing with excellent communication and presentation skills.

Assessment

The assessment of the applicants will be made by Associate Professor Ion Marius Siveb�k, Senior Director S�ren Kristiansen and Senior Testing Manager Martin Brorholt S�rensen

Salary and appointment terms

The salary and appointment terms for the PhD position are consistent with the current Danish rules for PhD degree students.

The period of employment is 3,5 years.

Further Information

Further information concerning the project can be obtained from Associate Professor Ion Marius Siveb�k or Senior Testing Manager Martin Brorholt S�rensen

Applications must be submitted in English as one single PDF, and we must have your online application by July 15, 2023, at noon

You may apply prior to obtaining your master's / PhD degree but you cannot begin before having received it.

Applications must include :

• Cover letter (letter of motivation)
• Curriculum vitae
• Documentation of a relevant completed M.Sc., M.Eng. or PhD degree
• List of publications and activities within the research area (Post.doc. Candidate)
• Course and grade list of bachelor's and master's degrees (PhD candidate)
• Calculation of the weighted grade average (course names must be translated to English) (PhD candidate)
• An example technical text you have written in English such as a report prepared for a course, a consulting project, or a published peer-reviewed scientific article.

If one or more of the items requested above is missing, the application will be considered invalid.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion, or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

The LEGO Group

The LEGO Group is a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark, and is owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family who founded it in 1932.

The LEGO Group develops and manufactures high quality interlocking plastic toy bricks, and the company mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow .

Another cornerstone of the LEGO Brand Framework is the Planet Promise, where the ambition is to make a positive impact on the world our children will inherit.

Under the Planet Promise umbrella the LEGO Group back in 2015 announced its ambitions towards using sustainable materials in all core products and packaging by 2030 with a 1 BDKK investment to back up the claim.

Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

DTU Civil and Mechanical Engineering develops and utilizes science and technical knowledge for the benefit of society and sustainable development.

We undertake research, education, innovation, and scientific advice of the highest quality within building design and processes, building construction and safety, building energy and installation, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, materials technology, manufacturing engineering, engineering design and thermal energy systems.

Technology for people

DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programs, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN?s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Hans Christian �rsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society.

That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment.

DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.

Core Responsibilities

• Strong involvement with stakeholders to understand current production platforms, the future roadmaps and mould solutions
• Ensuring appropriate risk mitigation and innovative solutions through your professional expertise within mould development
• Development of our working processes and standards, and optimizing tools, concepts and production platforms (LEAN and in LEGO� Continuous Improvement Program)

What?s in it for you?

Here are some of what to expect :

Family Care Leave We offer enhanced paid leave options for those important times.

Insurances All colleagues are covered by our life and disability insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.

Wellness We want you to be your best self, so you'll have access to the Headspace App and lots of wellbeing initiatives and programmes run by local teams where you are based.

Colleague Discount We know you'll love to build so from day 1 you will qualify for our generous colleague discount.

Bonus We do our best work to succeed together. When goals are reached and if eligible, you'll be rewarded through our bonus scheme.

Your workplace When you join the team you'll be assigned a primary workplace location i.e. one of our Offices, stores or factories.

The hiring team will discuss the principles of our hybrid work model 'Best of Both', role eligibility and frequency with you during the recruitment process.

Children are our role models. Their curiosity, creativity and imagination inspire everything we do. We strive to create a diverse, dynamic and inclusive culture of play at the LEGO Group, where everyone feels safe, valued and they belong.

The LEGO Group is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and equal pay regardless of e.

g. race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity.

The LEGO Group is fully committed to Children?s Rights and Child Wellbeing across the globe. Candidates offered positions with high engagement with children are required to take part in Child Safeguarding Background Screening, as a condition of the offer.

Thank you for sharing our global commitment to Children?s Rights.

Just imagine building your dream career.

Then make it real.

Join the LEGO � team today.