Introduction
Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a young university, founded in 1956 by industry, local government and academia. Today, their spirit of collaboration is still at the heart of the university community. We foster an open culture where everyone feels free to exchange ideas and take initiatives.

Eindhoven University of Technology offers academic education that is driven by fundamental and applied research. Our educational philosophy is based on personal attention and room for individual ambitions and talents. Our research meets the highest international standards of quality. We push the limits of science, which puts us at the forefront of rapidly emerging areas of research.

Eindhoven University of Technology combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on mentality. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. We understand things by making them and we make things by understanding them.

Our campus is in the centre of one of the most powerful technology hubs in the world: Brainport Eindhoven. Globally, we stand out when it comes to collaborating with advanced industries. Together with other institutions, we form a thriving ecosystem with one common aim - to improve quality of life through sustainable innovations.

The Electromechanics and Power Electronics group is one of the nine research groups of the Department of Electrical Engineering at TU/e. The group is the main center for research in electromechanical power conversion and power electronics in the Netherlands. The research is aligned with the three main strategic research themes of the Eindhoven University of Technology, i.e. Energy, Health and Smart Mobility. The four research tracks of the EPE group are high-tech motion systems and robotics, power electronics systems, smart mobility and advanced modeling. Furthermore, the group is one of the founders of the High Tech Systems Center in which all mechatronic knowledge of the TU/e will be bundled.

The design and control of high-precision electrical machines and actuators, such as magnetically levitated systems, linear motors and gravity compensation systems, requires to find an optimum in multiple physical domains (magnetics, mechanics, heat transfer, electric insulation, power converters) which are strongly coupled. As the demands on high precision positioning devices, such as planar and linear motors, in terms of accuracy and highly dynamic motion are ever increasing, the parasitic effects occurring in the different domains have to be accurately modeled and analyzed. To investigate these parasitic effects, which are often dynamic and multi-scale, new modeling techniques should be formulated specifically tailored to the application.

The design and control of high-precision electrical machines and actuators, such as magnetically levitated systems, linear motors and gravity compensation systems, requires to find an optimum in multiple physical domains (magnetics, mechanics, heat transfer, electric insulation, power converters) which are strongly coupled. As the demands on high precision positioning devices, such as planar and linear motors, in terms of accuracy and highly dynamic motion are ever increasing, the parasitic effects occurring in the different domains have to be accurately modeled and analyzed. To investigate these parasitic effects, which are often dynamic and multi-scale, new modeling techniques should be formulated specifically tailored to the application.

The force production that is demanded from positioning applications with extreme accelerations, in e.g. the lithographic industry, cannot be met by classical actuation concepts nowadays. Where electromagnetic force is often produced by interaction of copper wound coils and permanent magnets, research has to be focused on new materials and approaches for bearing-less applications, such as superconducting coils and electrostatic levitation. Furthermore, in nanometer accurate applications, the flexible mechanical behavior of moving parts excited by the large force cannot be neglected. The challenge is to, by means of advanced machine design and novel commutation and control algorithms, also known as overactuation, manage the flexible body dynamics in an effective manner without an enormous increase of the power consumption. The developed techniques will be relevant to other type of applications, such as 3D printers, where the demand on energy efficient bearing-less positioning devices is growing.



The EPE-group is well known for its research in planar and linear motors and its experience with semi-analytical modeling techniques used for the design and analysis of electrical machines. Besides the theoretical research into electrical machines, the EPE-group carries out model validations and performance analysis using both synthetics tests, under various environmental conditions, such as vacuum, and on electric machines, which are designed based on model frameworks.

Position

The EPE group is looking for an assistant professor (tenure track) who will perform research into electrical machine modeling with a strong focus on multi-physical modeling. His/her tasks are to:

• Carry out fundamental and applied research in the forefront of multiphysical modeling of electromechanical interaction and parasitic effects in highly accurate positioning systems.
• Carry out fundamental and applied research in the forefront of novel levitational techniques and the principle of overactuation in bearingless machines.
• Contribute to the acquisition and management of (inter)national research projects.
• Cooperate with industrial and academic partners.
• Teach and supervise students on all academic levels, i.e. BSc, MSc, PDEng and PhD levels.
• Publish in renowned scientific journals and conferences.

We are looking for candidates which meet the following requirements:

• PhD in electromechanics, electromagnetics or applied physics, preferably with a focus on several of the following topics, magnetic-, thermal-, and/or mechanical modeling.
• Proven experience with (bearing-less) magnetically levitated systems and their commutation algorithms (dq0-decomposition, forcer based commutation, direct wrench-current decoupling, etc.).
• Proven experience with (semi-)analytical modeling techniques for the design of advanced electromagnetic devices and parasitic effects in electrical machines (Fourier modeling, charge modeling, MEC, etc.).
• Proven experience with the design, identification and control of advanced electromagnetic experiments.
• Teaching experience at a bachelor-level at least.
• Good programming skills (Matlab, C) and knowledge of real-time control systems environments (dSPACE).
• Extensive experience with 3-D FEM software (FLUX, ANSYS).
• Communicative personality with excellent knowledge of English and Dutch or willing to learn Dutch.
• Team-player.

• A challenging job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the autonomy to develop your own research line and participate in the curriculum of the department;
• A Tenure Track of five years with the prospect of becoming associate professor. After a maximum of 4 years the tenure decision will be made. If you have a more senior profile, you will receive a tailor-made career proposal.
• As an Irène Curie Fellow, you are entitled to a substantial start-up package to kick-off your career.
• In order to empower you, we provide support such as training programs for academic leadership and the university teaching qualification and a dedicated mentoring program to help you get to know the university and the Dutch (research) environment
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary;
• A broad package of fringe benefits (including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, savings schemes).
• Family friendly initiatives are in place, such as the Dual Career Opportunity program to support accompanying partners, an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.