Lecturer/Associate Professor in Advanced Electrical Machines

About us

UCL's Department of Mechanical Engineering is seeking to fill a research focused position in Advanced Electrical Machines at either the Lecturer level (equivalent of a U.S. tenure-track Assistant Professor position) or the Associate Professor level. Appointment at Lecturer (Grade 8) or Associate Professor (Grade 9) will be determined by depth of experience and track record. For Associate Professor, the appointee would be expected to demonstrate sustained excellence in all aspects of academic life.

In our single biggest development since we were founded, University College of London is expanding to East London. Located on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, UCL East will be dedicated to disruptive thinking and discovery across disciplines and beyond academic walls, to find solutions to the biggest challenges for future living. More than just a conventional campus, UCL East represents a future focused mindset. We will deliver new research, technology and innovation, and more than 50 undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes for up to 4,000 students.

This academic post is part of the recruitment to the Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL) and its associated MSc programmes. The post will be located in the Marshgate Building of the UCL East campus which has brand new world-class collaborative research laboratories and teaching facilities. The APL brings together researchers and students from the UCL departments of Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, with the Department of Mechanical Engineering as the lead partne for this recruitment. The post will initially be based at UCL's Bloomsbury campus in Central London and will move to UCL East later in 2023.

Research in the APL will focus on the critical challenge of decarbonizing the transport sector, including land, sea and air applications, as well as the generation of electrofuels to service these sectors.

Teaching at APL will be centred on two MSc programmes MSc Power Systems Engineering and MSc Advanced Propulsion. The former is an existing, well established programme taught predominantly by the Mechanical Engineering Department. The latter is a brand-new programme led by the Chemical Engineering Department but with significant contributions from Mechanical Engineering. It will address the critical gap of the development of propulsion technologies from different scales (materials, electrodes, systems, etc.) and the associated system integration. Taking a cross-disciplinary approach, the programme will provide its graduates with a firm foundation in fundamentals, research methods and research knowledge, as well as interdisciplinary teamworking skills on the decarbonisation of the transport sector, including land, sea and air applications, as well as the generation of electrofuels to service these sectors. Through a cross-disciplinary training, the graduates will bring innovative solutions that provide step change improvements in propulsion technologies.

About the role

We are seeking a highly qualified academic professional with expertise in electric machines to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of building and optimizing electric motors for energy efficiency and performance.

You will be expected to work collaboratively with colleagues within the department and other departments that form part of the APL, as well as within UCL East more widely.

1. To provide leadership (grade 9) support (grade 8) for the delivery and development of research promoting the future of electric propulsion in areas including, but not exclusive to (not in order of priority):

- Design of electrical machines for advanced propulsion systems, e.g., road vehicle propulsion, marine, rail, aerospace. - Simulation, construction and characterisation of electrical machines
- Integration of electrical machines and power electronics and drives
- Systems modelling and integration

2. Support postdoctoral research staff and PhD students

3. Contribute to teaching including the MSc Power Systems Engineering and MSc Advanced Propulsion.

About you

We are keen to accept applications from candidates with experience of research activities of international quality and who have contributed to the advancement of knowledge and scholarship in advanced propulsion systems as evidenced through publications and other research activities at a level of international significance.

- PhD/EngD in electrical engineering, mechanical or other relevant discipline.
- An appropriate background and research expertise to make significant contributions at the forefront of international research in mechanical engineering with emphasis on the areas of relevance to the post
- Undergraduate and/or postgraduate teaching experience and pedagogical knowledge in mechanical engineering or a relevant discipline.
- Experience supporting the development of students / early career researchers / direct reports, through mentoring, sponsorship or personal tutoring.
- Proven skills of designing and delivering excellent, and inclusive undergraduate and postgraduate education at an international level.
- Ability to secure research funding.
- Ability to produce quality publications relevant to the discipline.

Although not essential, your application will be greatly enhanced if you have experience of:

- Partnership with organisations in education, public sector, or industry, for example research co-production or public engagement.
- Leading positive culture change, or culture creation, within a discipline or organisation.
- Creating and running short courses

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits which are detailed on our Rewards & Benefits page.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.