Research Assistant/Associate in Experimental Fluid Mechanics

Applications are invited for the post of Research Assistant/Associate in the Department of Aeronautics. The successful candidate will have the exciting opportunity to work on a cutting-edge project to develop the tools for designing the next generation of more efficient offshore wind farms, funded by EPSRC. This will involve performing novel experiments for wind-turbine wakes using the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities within the...

Job listing information

• Reference ENG01570
• Date posted 15 February 2021
• Closing date 17 March 2021

Key information about the role

• Location South Kensington Campus (map)
• Position type Full time, fixed term
• Salary £36,045 – £48,340 plus benefits
• Department Department of Aeronautics
• Category Researcher / Non Clinical Researcher

Job description

Job summary

Applications are invited for the post of Research Assistant/Associate in the Department of Aeronautics. The successful candidate will have the exciting opportunity to work on a cutting-edge project to develop the tools for designing the next generation of more efficient offshore wind farms, funded by EPSRC. This will involve performing novel experiments for wind-turbine wakes using the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities within the Department of Aeronautics. This post is part of a five-year fellowship that will ultimately see a research team of five people being assembled. This will be the first hire of the project and so offers a rare chance to shape the direction of a large research project involving industrial collaboration with both Vestas and Frazer-Nash Consultancy in the UK and academic collaboration with the University of Oldenburg in Germany.

Applicants’ track records should demonstrate excellence in acquiring experimental data and applying fundamental turbulence theory and analysis tools. Applicants are expected to have a strong publication record, commensurate with their experience. Applicants will also be expected to work collaboratively with other members of the research team towards the common goal of developing tools to optimise future wind farms.

Duties and responsibilities

The post involves overseeing the fabrication of wind-turbine models to be tested in the Department of Aeronautics’ water flume and wind tunnels. State-of-the-art experiments will then be performed to track the coherent structures present in the near wake of the turbine (e.g. the blade tip/root vortices) as well as measuring the turbulent entrainment rate into the far wake in response to varying freestream turbulence. The experiments will make use optical techniques (particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence) for simultaneous measurements of velocity and scalar.

Essential requirements

Applicants are required to have experience in:

• Design of physical experiments;
• Aerodynamics measurements, principally PIV for velocity measurements and PLIF for tracking scalar sources;
• Analytical techniques for fluid motion, in particular turbulent dynamics and modal decomposition;
• Presentation of data and ideas both orally and in publications.

Those appointed at Research Associate level

Hold a PhD (or equivalent) in Aeronautics, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

Those appointed at Research Assistant level

Near completion of a PhD (or equivalent) in Aeronautics, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant within the salary range £36,045 - £39,183 per annum.

Further information

Position is fixed-term until 30^th June 2024

Informal enquiries regarding the position – Dr, Oliver Buxton o.buxton@imperial.ac.uk

Queries relating to recruitment process - Lisa Kelly: l.kelly@imperial.ac.uk

For technical issues when applying online: recruitment@imperial.ac.uk