Research position in Electrical Engineering at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aarhus University

Are you interested in applying your electrical engineering skills to develop new technologies for groundwater exploration, then the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aarhus University invites you to apply for a 2-year position.

Expected start date and duration of employment

This is a 2–year position from September 1st 2023 or as soon possible thereafter.

Job description

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an emerging technique for groundwater exploration. The method is unique, as surface NMR can non-invasively, that is, using only measurements conducted from the surface and without drilling of boreholes, provide depth-resolved estimates of the water content and porosity of subsurface layers. The method is based on the same physical principles as common NMR technology, e.g., hospital MR scanners. It works by pulsing a strong, resonant current (>100 A) in a large coil laid at the surface. The current gives rise to an electromagnetic field that excites the nuclear spins of the hydrogen nuclei in subsurface water molecules. The subsequent decay of the nuclear spins gives rise to an NMR signal, which is measured with an induction coil at the surface. The amplitude of the NMR signal is directly proportional to the number of excited water molecules and the host material of the water controls the decay of the NMR signal.

Our research group has recently developed our own surface NMR instrument, denoted Apsu, with novel transmit and receive capabilities. In a new project, we will explore novel surface NMR transmit and receive protocols to improve the depth penetration and resolution of the measurements. To reach this goal, further advances in our surface NMR instrument technology are required and we are hiring one talented researcher in a postdoc position to drive instrumentation development.

The tasks in the position include:

• Instrument development, system integration, and testing
• Programming of instrument control software
• Implementation of data processing in instrument software
• Fieldwork, primarily testing of equipment under field conditions, but potentially also participation in surface NMR campaigns
• Communication of research results

You will work closely with the other members of the research group, and you will be contributing to supervision of bachelor and master thesis students. We therefore expect you to have strong communication and collaboration skills.

Your profile
Required qualifications for the positions:

• Qualifications equivalent to PhD level in electrical or computer engineering, experimental physics, or similar.
• Experience with instrumentation and firmware development
• Experience with analog electronics including low noise amplifiers and filters
• Programming experience, preferentially in C/C++ and Python
• Experience with programming of FPGA/ARM/Linux systems is an advantage, but not required
• Strong analytical skills
• A desire to work in an interdisciplinary research area
• Practical electrical engineering and problem solving skills
• Excellent English skills both oral and in writing

Who we are

You will be part of the

Geophysics, Instrumentation, and Signal Processing research group

at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aarhus University. We specialize in electrical and electromagnetic instruments and signal processing for groundwater exploration. The research group currently consists of one Associate Professor, three postdocs, three master’s thesis students and three bachelor thesis students. In this project, we work closely with researchers at the Hydrogeophysics Group at Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University.

What we offer

The successful candidate will be part of an engaged, multidisciplinary research team working on developing novel methods for groundwater exploration. Your focus will be surface NMR, but you will also be involved in other on-going research projects. In this position, you will have the opportunity to make lasting contributions to this research area with long-term impacts in a world with scarce groundwater resources.

Place of work and area of employment

The place of work is the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Finlandsgade 22, 8200 Aarhus N, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. 

Contact information

For further information, please contact: Associate Professor Jakob Juul Larsen, +45 41 89 32 73,

[email protected]

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 22 June 2023.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

Formalities and salary range

Technical Sciences refers to the

Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation

.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here . Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here .

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here .

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.