Full-time, fixed-term contract for 18 months.
Dr. Katharina Brinkert’s (University of Warwick, UK) and Dr. Álvaro Romero-Calvo’s (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA) groups are seeking exceptionally qualified candidates for a Research Fellow position in liquid-gas multiphase flow simulation and experimentation with applications to low-gravity electrochemical systems.
The ideal candidate will:
- Have a strong background in fluid mechanics, with special attention to incompressible multiphase flow simulation in any relevant platform (Basilisk, OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, COMSOL Multiphysics, etc.). The candidate should be ready to study the growth, detachment, and displacement of single and multi-bubble systems subject to external driving forces.
- Be familiar with the principles of magnetohydrodynamic flow simulation, including the generation of magnetic fields and current paths within a water-based electrolyte.
- Support the development of an upcoming ESA-sponsored sounding rocket experiment flying magnetohydrodynamically-enhanced (photo-)electrochemical cells through (a) numerical simulations, (b) sample preparation, and (c) rapid prototyping and testing.
A theoretical and/or experimental background on (photo-)electrochemical systems (e.g., solar water-splitting, carbon dioxide reduction), space systems engineering (e.g. power generation, flow management in microgravity), and microgravity research will be positively valued.
The candidate will be employed by the University of Warwick and will spend at least 6 weeks (visit extensible depending on funding availability) at the Georgia Institute of Technology as a visiting scholar. Interested candidates must have a PhD in a related field by August 1st, 2023. The position is funded by the UK Space Agency in the context of a recently awarded ESA SciSpace suborbital rocket experiment.
Applications must include:
1. A 1-page supporting letter detailing any relevant background and how this aligns with the project.
2. A Curriculum Vitae with educational and work experience, honours and awards, list of journal articles, and list of conference publications and presentations to date.
Applicants should provide these as attached documents in the supporting documents section of the application form.
If you are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD but have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant at the top of level 5 of the University grade structure. Upon receipt of evidence of the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure.
To find out more about the role, please contact: Katharina Brinkert
(
[email protected]).
Relevant references:
- Á. Romero-Calvo, G. Cano-Gómez, H. Schaub, “Diamagnetically enhanced electrolysis and phase separation in low-gravity“, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 59, No. 1, pp. 59-72, 2022. doi: 10.2514/1.A35021.
- Á. Romero-Calvo, A. Ömer, H. Schaub, and K. Brinkert. “Magnetic phase separation in microgravity“, npj Microgravity, Vol. 8, No. 32, 2022, doi: 10.1038/s41526-022-00212-9.
- K. Brinkert, M. H. Richter, Ö. Akay, J. Liedtke, M. Giersig, K. Fountaine, and H.-J. Lewerez, “Efficient solar hydrogen generation in microgravity environment”, Nature Communications 9, 2527, 2018, doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04844-y.
The Department is dedicated to supporting a diverse and inclusive work environment, and hence applications from candidates from groups traditionally under-represented in Chemistry are particularly encouraged and welcome.
Interview Date: TBC.