Ph.D.-scholarship in numerical optimisation of wind assisted propulsion systems

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, has a vacancy for PhD Research Fellow in numerical optimisation of wind assisted propulsion systems

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Høgskulen på Vestlandet, HVL) has an open Ph.D. position with a project period of 4 years at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Maritime Studies. The Ph.D. candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary project involving three research groups on energy and environmental technology, on wind, water and waves and on data science. 

Due to the nature of the work to be carried out in the project, the candidate will be a part of the Ph.D.-programme Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing. (https://www.hvl.no/en/research/phd-programmes/phd-programme-in-computer-science/). The research programme in Computer Science currently includes 20 professors and associate professors, more than 30 PhD and post-doctoral fellows, and a large number of master’s students.

This programme is located at the Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. PhD research fellows receive an annual work expense funding which can be used for conference participation, research visits, and equipment.

Workplace will be at HVL Campus Bergen.

Tasks and areas of responsibility:

Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS) are moving from demonstration to commercial scale. Rotor sails and rigid wing sails are currently installed on tankers, bulkers, and Ro-Ro vessels, and a growing number of wind-cargo ships are being purpose-built for sail propulsion. Sails reduce the ship’s onboard energy demand, and with it fuel consumption and emissions.

This PhD project will develop simulation and optimisation methods for modern sail design based on the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) and Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) as part of the optimisation loop. The developed method will be applied to optimise both existing sail technologies and novel concepts depending on ship size, route, and operation in order to determine fuel and emission savings.
 

The project will extend an existing Julia LBM in-house code, with established HPC LBM frameworks as references, benchmarks, and potential building blocks combined with Bayesian optimisation.

As part of the required duties (25% of the position), the candidate will join the team focusing on regional development at the faculty and the department. This might include:

• Promote more externally funded research projects in collaboration between our research environment and the shipping industry.
• Interact with regional, national and international partners, and work to promote cooperation between the department and the surrounding society (e.g., bachelor and master theses).
• Mobilization to promote research-based innovation in the shipping industry in collaboration with our participation in the project FORREGION Vestland.
• Supporting the department in our work related to lifelong learning in the shipping industry, with emphasis on strengthening the portfolio of flexible and decentralized education.

Qualifications (requirements):

•Admission to the PhD programme requires that the applicant holds a master’s degree in computer science or a closely related field, such as a master’s degree in informatics, software engineering, communication systems, engineering computing, scientific computing, or computational engineering.
•Candidates from other natural sciences or engineering disciplines holding a master’s degree with a strong emphasis on ICT and computing, for example mechanical, marine or aerospace engineering, applied mathematics or computational physics, may also qualify for admission to the PhD programme.
•Admission into the programme requires that the applicant has obtained strong grades for both the master’s thesis and the course work of the master’s degree. Specifically, admission into the programme normally requires that the applicant has obtained:
- a grade of B (Norwegian/ECTS scale) or better on the master’s thesis,
- an average grade higher than C (Norwegian/ECTS scale) on the coursework associated with the master’s degree
•Documented programming skills beyond scripting in Julia, or in a language Julia can call (Python, C, C++, Fortran).

The PhD research fellow must enrol in the PhD programme in Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and must meet the formal admission requirements for admission into the PhD programme. The position is announced for a period of 4 years with 25% of the 4-year period will be designated to duties such as teaching, development and administrative tasks.

The PhD candidate will be assigned two academic supervisors at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. An application for enrolment should first be submitted after an appointment is made and the supervisors will help with this procedure. The candidate must be enrolled as a PhD student within 3 months from the start of the employment.

Favoured qualifications (not requirements):

- Master’s thesis in computational fluid dynamics, ideally applied to wings, foils, rotors, or similar configurations.
- Knowledge of and experience with Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and/or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
- Knowledge of and experience with optimisation methods.

 

Personal abilities:

- Ability to contribute towards a good work environment and in teamwork.
- Excellent communication skills, ability to communicate well in both written and spoken English. Proficiency, written and spoken, in a Scandinavian language is an advantage.
- The candidate must be diligent and display the ability to work independently, supplemented with regular guidance, and is expected to carry out high-quality research and to publish the results in international workshops, conferences, and journals.

 

Candidates who have submitted a master’s thesis and who have not yet been awarded a master’s degree may also qualify for the position, provided that the master`s degree is awarded within four weeks of the deadline for applications to this position. Proof of successfully finishing the master’s degree along with the grade for the thesis and the final average grade must be submitted to HVL as soon as possible. Applicants already holding a Ph.D. are not eligible for this position.

In addition to the required educational and scientific background, the following criteria will be evaluated: competence and grades on completed course work, quality of the master's thesis, publications (if any), research and teaching experience, practical software engineering skills and experience. A possible outline of a research plan for a potential PhD project will also be taken into account.

The PhD candidate will be assigned two academic supervisor(s) at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. The necessary application to join the Ph.D. programme Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing must be submitted and accepted within 3 months of starting in the position. The supervisors will help with this procedure.

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation might be applied in the processing of the applications.

For more information, contact: Associate Prof. Norbert Lümmen: Norbert.Lummen@hvl.no 

Application procedure:

Applications will be evaluated by an expert panel of three members.

Applicants are asked to submit their application and CV online. Please use the link “Apply for this job” (“Søk stillingen”).

The following documentation should be uploaded as an attachment to the online application:

•A brief cover letter including a description of research interests and motivation for working within the current project. The cover letter should include a detailed justification of your qualifications in relation to the listed requirements.
•CV (summarizing education, positions and a complete list of academic publications)
•Master thesis
•Transcripts and diplomas of bachelor’s and master’s degrees. If you have not yet completed your master’s degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming the expected date of award of your master’s degree.
•Diplomas and certificates
•Names and contact details of 2 references. One of these should be the main supervisor of the master’s thesis.

In case the applicant already has publications, a complete list of these and copies of up to five selected publications should be uploaded. Applicants should indicate which of these publications or parts of these publications should be given special consideration in the evaluation.

If the documents submitted are not in a Scandinavian language or in English, the applicants must submit certified translations of these. The transcripts must specify the topics, the course works, and the grades at the bachelor`s and master`s degree levels. It is required that the applicant encloses a recognition document showing that their degree is equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD. You can read more about applying for recognition of foreign higher education here.

The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) offers an automatic recognition document for certain degrees from selected countries. If the applicant’s degree is covered by the automatic recognition, it will be sufficient to attach this document. Read more about automatic recognition here.

As the HK-dir application process may take some time it is recommended to apply to HK-dir as soon as possible. If you have not received a recognition document from HK- dir within the  application deadline, please enclose documentation from HK-dir showing that they have received your application.

Applicants should note that the evaluation will be based on the documentation submitted electronically via Jobbnorge within the submission deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date. It is of utmost importance that all publications to be considered in the evaluation are uploaded as an attachment with the application, since these are sent electronically to the expert panel. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at HVL.

Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Salary:

• Good occupational pension, insurance and loan schemes from The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Exciting academic environment with the possibility of competence enhancement and development
• Opportunities for training within the working hours 

The Research Fellow position is compensated according to position code 1017 Research Fellow.

There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no for more information). The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time.

General information:

The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte)". Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected.

State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Bergen has therefore adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that we achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons of various ethnic backgrounds.

Information about the applicant may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected.

Short-listed applicants will be called in for an interview.

Employed on condition that you are granted a work and residence permit (must be considered individually).

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is subjected to The Export Control Regulation. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications. 

Inclusion, challenging norms, collaboration

Homepage

https://www.hvl.no/en/research/phd-programmes/phd-programme-in-computer-science/