Postdoc Position in Highly Flexible R718 High Temperature Heat Pumps at SDU Sønderborg

The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites applications for a 2-year postdoc position in the area of sustainable cooling and heating technologies. The candidate will be offered the exciting opportunity to provide ground source R718 high temperature heat pumps with highly operational flexibility. All the activities will be carried out within the GEOSYN project in close collaboration with relevant industrial and academic partners.

Application Deadline: 30 September 2024 at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST)

Unique Opportunity
The SDU Cooling and Heating Research Group is a recently established investigation unit in the Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IME). IME is building up a Mechanical Engineering Degree and laboratories to support the educational activities as well as its research and commercial activities. Therefore, the candidate will have the unique opportunity to influence the further development of both the research group and the IME.

Workplace Description
IME covers innovation, research and education spanning from fundamentals to applications of engineering science. All our courses are taught in English reflecting the fact that more than half our students and staff are internationals. The Cooling and Heating Research Group is located at SDU's beautiful campus in Sønderborg, in the inspiring building of Alsion, which is a centre for science, culture and learning in the heart of Sønderborg. The university has very close relations to the industry in Sønderborg, Southern Denmark and Northern Germany, among others. A significant fraction of the projects in the centre are conducted in close cooperation with the industry, which count world leading companies in crucial fields, such as e-mobility and energy efficiency.

Research Project
GEOSYN aims at developing and demonstrating an R718 high temperature heat pump coupled with a heat-powered R718 chiller to simultaneously maximise the cascading use of geothermal energy with the option to connect to underground thermal energy storage and operation flexibility. This GEOSYN solution meets the specific requirements of various industrial sectors while offering advantages such as increased access to geothermal energy, enhanced efficiency, avoidance of environmental hazards, increased safety and improved social acceptance.

Job Description
The successful candidate will:

• be the key person implementing the dynamic simulation models of the ground source R718 high temperature heat pumps integrated with a heat-powered refrigeration system in different case studies, validating the models against experimental data and implementing effective operational flexibility strategies (e.g., starting-up and ramping-up).
• carry out the technical, dissemination and management activities related to the GEOSYN project.
• be involved in the daily supervision of Ph.D., Master and Bachelor students working on similar scientific topics.
• publish her/his work in scientific journals with high impact.
• assist in teaching activities.
• be engaged in funding applications.

Profile and Requirements
The successful candidate should have:

• a PhD degree in Mechanical (or Energy or similar) Engineering.
• a strong background in Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Control Engineering and Energy Conversion Systems.
• experience in implementing dynamic simulation models of energy systems (preferably of vapour-compression cooling and/or heating systems by using Dymola/Modelica).
• great capacities to work both in team and independently.
• strong communication skills in English, both spoken and written.

Contact Information
For further information, please visit https://www.sdu.dk/en/ime and contact Associate Professor Lars Duggen, (Head of Centre for Industrial Mechanics, tel. +45 65501640, e-mail: duggen@sdu.dk) or Associate Professor Paride Gullo (tel. +45 65507314, email: parigul@sdu.dk).

Conditions of Employment
Appointment as postdoctoral researcher is temporary and for an initial 2-year period. Extension may be possible depending on available funding. The preferred starting date is 1 January 2025.

Application Procedure
Applicants are advised to read the SDU information on how to apply and specific faculty information for application at the Faculty of Engineering. Assessment of candidates is based on the application material. Please include the following documents in English (in PDF-format):

• Letter stating the interest, motivation and qualifications for the GEOSYN project (max. 2 pages).
• Curriculum Vitae, including personal contact information, describing research, along with any other relevant information.
• Complete list of publications.
• 3 publications most relevant for the position, preferably with the applicant being the first author.
• Documentation of other qualifications with relevance to the position.
• Certificates/Diplomas (master's and PhD degree) – incl. transcripts of grades in Danish and/or English.

Placement: Sønderborg, Denmark