About the position

A PhD position is available at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT), in the Fluids Mechanics group.

The appointment has a duration of 3 years as a researcher towards the degree of PhD. The appointment is financed by the Faculty of Engineering at NTNU. The position's supervision is by Associate Professor Nicholas Worth.

Job Description

The use of wind energy is becoming increasingly widespread, and is likely to feature heavily in sustainable energy networks of the future. In wind farms, the wakes from upstream turbines can negatively affect the performance and mechanical life of downstream turbines, and therefore a better understanding the turbulent wake structure will help lead to optimal turbine spacing and improved wind park design.

The current PhD project is aimed at improving our fundamental understanding of the unsteady three-dimensional flow structures formed by wind turbines. Experiments will be made in a large water channel facility, to capture the flow field behind scaled model turbines. Measurements will also be used to examine the flow behind actuator disks, which are static devices used to introduce comparable drag forces on the flow. High-resolution experimental measurements will be made using state-of-the-art Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) methods, permitting a detailed examination of the coherent turbulent flow structures, thereby improving our understanding of the wake structure and dynamics. In particular the project will focus on the development and application of the fully volumetric Tomographic PIV method to accurately measure large regions of the wake.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Further development of existing in-house tomographic reconstruction codes, and development of multi-camera setups suitable for measurement of large flow volumes
• Measurement and analysis of velocity fields behind wind turbine and actuator disk models, using both standard planar and tomographic methods.
• Dissemination of results in scholarly journals and at international conferences.

Qualification requirements

The PhD-position's main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is completion of a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) with a strong academic background in fluid mechanics or equivalent education with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. Applicants with no letter grades from previous studies must have an equally good academic foundation. Applicants who are unable to meet these criteria may be considered only if they can document that they are particularly suitable candidates for education leading to a PhD degree.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, postdoctor and research assistant

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

Required qualifications:

• A Masters (or second) degree in engineering, applied mathematics, physics or equivalent
• Strong background in fundamental or applied fluid mechanics.
• Programming skills in MATLAB, C, Python, or similar packages.
• Excellent command of the English language, and skilled in academic writing

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with state-of-the-art experimental fluid mechanics measurements (e.g., high-speed imaging, hot-wire, particle image velocimetry, laser-Doppler anemometry).
• Experience with CAD software packages (e.g., SolidWorks, Fusion360).

Personal characteristics

• Enthusiastic and highly motivated
• Able to work effectively by themselves and in a team
• Able to work in a structured and goal orientated manner
• Able to work in a multi-cultural environment.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated from NOK 479 600 before tax per year. From the salary, 2 % is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years. Appointment to a PhD position requires admission to the PhD programme in Engineering.

As a PhD candidate, you undertake to participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period. A condition of appointment is that you are in fact qualified for admission to the PhD programme within three months.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criterias in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

General information

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. Under the Freedom of Information Act (offentleglova), information about the applicant may be made public even if the applicant has requested not to have their name entered on the list of applicants.

Questions about the position can be directed to Nicholas Worth, e-mail: nicholas.a.worth@ntnu.no

About the application:
Publications and other academic works that the applicant would like to be considered in the evaluation must accompany the application. Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify the individual applicant's contribution to joint works, the applicant must include a brief description of his or her contribution.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applicants invited for interview must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters.

Please refer to the application number IV-2/20 when applying.

In addition to the required fields on the Jobbnorge website, please include a “qualifications” document explicitly detailing how you meet each of the required and some (or all) of the desired qualifications listed above. An application missing these this document may be considered incomplete by the selection committee.

Application deadline: 31.01.2020.

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Energy and Process Engineering

We conduct research and teaching covering the entire energy chain, from resources to the end-user. We look at how energy is produced and used by humans and machines in a sustainable way with regard to health, climate change and the resource base. The Department of Energy and Process Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Deadline 31st January 2020
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Fixed Term
Place of service NTNU Department of Energy and Process Engineering