Assistant Professor in the field of “Fluid mechanics and machine learning for digitalization of wind energy”

The Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering (MPE) at Aarhus University is expanding its activities in the fields of “Fluid mechanics and machine learning for digitalization of wind energy” and invites applications for Assistant Professor position within the Section of “Fluids and Energy”.

For this open position, we are seeking candidates with experience in the following areas:

• Wind and atmospheric modelling, wind-farm flow modelling, and wind-farm flow control. The candidate is expected to contribute to teaching Bachelor and Master level courses on Wind energy and Fluid mechanics.
• Machine-learning and data science with special focus on topics such as generalization, interpretability, and explainability.

We specifically encourage candidates with an interdisciplinary research profile that can strengthen our strategic research activities within Green Transition and Digitalization in the MPE Department and the University. Candidates who can demonstrate the potential for industrial application of their research will have a significant advantage.

We encourage applicants to consider potential synergies with our existing research and educational program.

Expected start date and duration of employment

This is a 4–year position from 01 May 2024 or as soon as possible.  

The engineering field at Aarhus University is changing with a rapid growth in student population, and major research initiatives as well as through the establishment of a number of new physical facilities in the city center of Aarhus. We have ambitious plans for increasing activities in research, education as well as public and industrial cooperation. The Mechanical and Production Engineering Department within the Faculty of Technical Sciences has cooperation with universities and advisory service providers in more than 20 countries.

The candidate is required to:

• Conduct rigorous research at the intersection of fluid mechanics, data science, optimization, and control, particularly focusing on their applications within wind-energy science.
• Contribute to the development of cutting-edge tools for flow modeling and control in wind farms, ensuring their optimized performance with low-cost operation as a necessity for green transition.

To be successful in this role, we expect the candidate to fulfil the following requirements:

• A PhD or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering or a relevant subject area.
• A strong research history and high-quality publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Demonstrate leadership in establishing an internationally competitive research group.
• Compete for national and international research grants and make important research contributions.
• Excel in both research and teaching.
• Establish strong industrial R&D cooperation. Prior experience in establishing industry collaborations is desirable.
• Bring research results into the public domain. The candidates should have effective communication skills in English. It is a clear advantage if the candidates have the ability or are willing to develop their communication skills in Danish.

The engineering field at Aarhus University is changing with a rapid growth in student population, and major research initiatives as well as through the establishment of a number of new physical facilities in the city center of Aarhus. We have ambitious plans for increased activities in research, education as well as public and industrial cooperation. The Mechanical and Production Engineering Department within the Faculty of Technical Sciences has cooperation with universities and advisory service providers in more than 20 countries. The engineering field at Aarhus University is well established with extensive research activities and a long tradition of industrial cooperation that we wish to extend significantly.

What we offer

The department offers:

• a well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories, and access to shared equipment
• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international, and industrial collaborators
• a research climate encouraging lively, open, and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking, and social activities
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality, and a healthy work-life balance.

Place of work and area of employment

The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is the Mechanical and Production Engineering Department, Katrinebjergvej 89, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

Contact information

For more information about the position contact the Head of Department, Anders Brandt ([email protected] / +45 2912 5815) or the Head of Section, Mahdi Abkar ([email protected] / +45 9352 1694).

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 13 March 2024.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks 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 will receive his/her assessment. 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 .

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