2 x Senior or Post-Doctoral Researcher (1 x 28-month contract, 1 x 8-month contract)

The Role:  Due to the continued expansion of the Centre for Ocean Energy Research, we are seeking two Post-Doctoral Researchers:

Post-doctoral Researcher 1 (PD1) will be recruited for a period of 28 months for a Science Foundation Ireland, Department for Enterprise (Northern Ireland) and the National Science Foundation (US) funded project involving Control Co-Design of Heterogeneous Arrays of Wave Energy Converters. The focus of the role will be on the development of numerical optimisation-based control strategies for the linear and nonlinear models of Wave Energy Converter (WEC) arrays. The overall approach will rely on suitably adapting and extending existing frameworks based on direct transcription and other techniques such as networked model predictive control to the setting of multi-objective optimal control for WEC arrays.

Post-doctoral Researcher 2 (PD2) will be recruited for a period of 8 months with the possibility of an extension, funding permitting, for a major European Union (EU) project which will develop a new lift-based wave energy converter (WEC) to technology readiness level (TRL) 3, while also assessing the economic potential of the device. The project consortium is drawn from 6 different countries, with a range of expertise covering device/concept design, physical and hydrodynamic modelling, structural design, social and environmental impact assessment, operations and maintenance design, economic assessment and control design. The focus of the position is on the development of a suitable control system for this novel wave-energy converter, which will maximise the economic performance of the WEC. To this end, the contribution of COER to the consortium will require significant collaboration with other groups involved in physical and hydrodynamic modelling, economic assessment, and structural design. To facilitate this collaboration, there will be travel to partner institutions, as well as participation infrequent consortium meetings.

Principal Duties: The principal duties may include: • Development of numerical methods for control of wave energy devices • Real-time coding of the control, estimation and forecasting algorithms • Development of tank test protocols and executing tests • Preparation of reports and publications • Some level of engagement with PhD student mentoring and project management.

The ideal candidate will have: • A PhD in a relevant area, ideally related to the control of physical systems , engineering or mathematics. • To be appointed at Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher, suitable candidates must have a minimum of two years post-doctoral experience in a relevant field. • Applicants should have a background in mechanical, mechatronic or electrical/electronic engineering, fluid mechanics, hydrodynamics, applied mathematics. • Experience in numerical methods for optimal control. • Some record of scholarly publication. • Excellent written and oral communication skills and programming ability. • Good organisational skills and be prepared to get involved in aspects of the project management.