Research Assistant (If close to completing PhD) OR Research Fellow in Heat Engineering

School of Water, Energy and Environment

Energy and Sustainability/Centre for Energy Engineering

Research Assistant (If close to completing PhD) OR Research Fellow in Heat Engineering

Fixed Term Contract until June 2025

Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £32,810 per annum (Research Assistant) or £35,559 per annum (Research Fellow)

Location: Cranfield, Bedfordshire

We welcome committed, passions and skilled candidates to contribute to the growth of our team.

About the Role

You will contribute to the delivery of EU H2020 projects (DESOLINATION and REWAISE) and present the research findings in peer reviewed journals and conference proceedings.

The activities relate to these two projects are evaluating thermodynamic performance of advanced power generation cycles and the turbine exhaust heat utilisation for desalination applications and development of low-cost thermal desalination systems. These projects involve partners in EU and non-EU countries. The Key objectives for these projects are explained within the candidate brief.

Given the importance of the innovative component performance either for power cycles or heat utilisation scenarios, a thorough understanding of the practical challenges, and its performance characteristics will enable more efficient processes to be developed before the component realisation at the power plants in full scale.

About You

You will have a PhD (obtained or close to completion) in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial or Energy Engineering (or related discipline). You must be fluent in advanced power generation and heat recovery systems and its engineering design, thermal desalination techniques and methods, and could develop new ones. You will also have significant experience in design, engineering, and advanced modelling of energy systems/components through efficient simulation approaches, as well as an excellent understanding of engineering component design, leading to production of research reports or academic papers.

To succeed in this role, you will have a high level of programming skills, especially in global system models, and the ability to design novel configurations with different working fluids. You will also need excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills and good technical writing skills, to communicate complex information clearly to partners so that they can use the developed models for their novel configurations.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield’s world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here .

The School of Water, Energy and Environment leads in delivering Cranfield’s Mission within Water, Energy and Sustainability, and Environment and Agrifood. The school is committed to leading in its areas of expertise through investing in world class staff and facilities over the long term.

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here .

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer and proud members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme. We are also committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role. Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here .

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients, and partners.

How to apply

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Dr. Kumar Patchigolla, Reader in Low Carbon Energy Systems, on (T): +44 (0) 1234754124 or (E): [email protected]

Apply online now . Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on E: [email protected] . Please quote reference number 4173.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 31 August 2022

Interviews to be held 12 September 2022