PhD Student

The Maritime Technology Division (www.maritiem.ugent.be ) is a research group within the Department of Civil Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Ghent University. Their research is focussing on hydrodynamics of ships and other floating structures in general, and more particularly on the behaviour of ships in confined navigation areas. Additionally, the division is involved in research w.r.t. hydrodynamics of floating offshore wind and engineering aspects of aquaculture.
The behaviour of ships in restricted waters (access channels, canals, locks, harbour docks) is the main research topic of the Division. This research, covering the hydrodynamics of seagoing and inland vessels in navigation areas with restrictions in both depth and horizontal extent, is performed in close co-operation with Flanders Hydraulics (FH, Flemish Government, Antwerp) within the Knowledge Centre Manoeuvring in Shallow and Confined Water (www.shallowwater.be ). This research can be considered as a niche within the field of ship hydrodynamics, as ships are mostly designed for open, deep sea. As a result, most ship hydrodynamics research worldwide is focused mainly on deep water conditions. For this reason, the Knowledge Centre has gained international recognition as one of the leading research groups in ship behaviour in confined waters. Such conditions are of main concern for ships in access channels to ports, harbour areas, docks, locks, berths.
Within this research topic a new scholarship opportunity is available to study the use of system identification techniques to enhance the training speed of artificial intelligence algorithms to cope with manoeuvres in complex environments. The candidate will operate from a hydrodynamic and experimental viewpoint, i.e. analysing existing ship data and create new test programs. These test programmes, (carried out in one of the two available state of the art towing tanks of FH with free running ship models or in real life scenarios with small ships/equivalent floating structures) allow to assess and create simplified manoeuvring models that consider the effects of the environment and that facilitate the training of more complex autonomous algorithms. Part of the research is to be conducted in close interaction with other European universities/institutes, so a willingness to travel is a must.

Candidates should be holding a MSc degree in Engineering (or equivalent). Experience in ship manoeuvring, system identification, experimental (ship) hydrodynamics or with autonomous navigation is a strong asset, however, if this experience is not present, the candidate will have to follow appropriate courses from the doctoral school. Excellent marks during the Master Course will be considered during applications. Knowledge of Dutch is an asset, but not a formal requirement, as most of the research is done in an international context.

You will be supervised by the professors and post-doctoral researchers of the UGent Maritime Technology Division. Your default working place will be located in Ghent.
More information can be provided by prof. dr. ir. Guillaume Delefortrie ([email protected] )

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Master of Science in Engineering with maritime specialisation (Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Ocean Engineering or equivalent), with the following skills and competences:

• Candidates should be well‐qualified academically to masters level with maritime background. The project will require a mix of skills:
  
  • mathematical modelling
  • programming
  • simulation skills
  • practical engineering aspects
• Candidates must have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Candidates must be flexible, responsible and team workers;
• Candidates must be proficient in English. Knowledge of Dutch is convenient, but not a requirement;
• Prior experience in data analysis and related statistics using appropriate software tools is considered as an advantage.
• Candidates who already received a PhD scholarship (even a partial one) are excluded.
• Candidates with a PhD title are excluded.
• Candidates are tenacious, eye for detail and well organised

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on 01/05/2024 at the earliest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits  (in Dutch).

Send your cv, academic records, proof of English proficiency, motivation letter and any other supporting material to [email protected] .