General

The energy transition is one of the major societal challenges humanity faces today and to support a society where sustainable energy is available anytime and anywhere, we are in urgent need of new storage materials and conversion technologies. TU/e therefore researches heat storage, conversion of gaseous and liquid future fuels (e.g. solar fuels), but as one of the only few in the world, it also studies the very promising alternative of metal fuels. The existing disciplines of combustion and complex reacting multiphase flows within Thermal Fluids Engineering (TFE) therefore need extension by areas including reacting flows in dense dust systems and electrochemical reduction processes of e.g. dissolved metal-oxides. Furthermore, the use of porous media to store energy is very attractive, like underground geothermal energy and salts undergoing phase transition and/or chemical transitions. Extension of our disciplinary knowledge on chemical reacting flow modeling using for instance reactive multiphase molecular dynamics and new diagnostic measurement techniques to visualize the (pore-scale) flow dynamics is needed.

For the new area of metal fuels we will appoint a senior researcher and two young staff members, while in the area of porous media flows we will allocate two junior positions.

Research field candidates

The Department of Mechanical Engineering of the TU/e seeks to hire five (5) outstanding faculty members at all levels within the field of (multiphase) flows for low-carbon energy systems, which should play a prominent role in addressing these challenges and trends in the above-mentioned areas. The department has a particular interest in candidates with a basis in one of the following subjects:

• Numerical simulation of metal fuels combustion and regeneration
• Laser diagnostics in dense reactive fuel clouds
• Numerical simulation of electrolytic regeneration of metal fuels
• Computational modelling for porous media
• Experimental diagnostics in porous media

Candidates can apply to (tenure-track) assistant, associate and full professor positions and are expected to have knowledge on relevant application domains of energy storage and conversion. She/he should have the aspiration to contribute to the creation of a strong, internationally renowned research group, while fostering a collaborative network with other academics working on the topic within the department, the university and industry. The candidate should contribute to the progress in the field of energy storage and/or conversion, to make major contributions to the fundamentals of the energy transition.

Education

The candidates will contribute to the existing BSc program Mechanical Engineering and the MSc programs Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Sustainable Energy Technology (SET) within the department. The candidates will be supported in obtaining the University Teaching Qualification ('BKO').

Next to teaching, the candidates will guide and supervise BSc and MSc students with their graduation projects. The supervision is also extended to PhD students under the projects in Thermal Fluids Engineering (TFE).

Financing

Five (5) positions of 1.0 fte, financed by the Mechanical Engineering Department. The candidates will vigorously work on pursuing research grants from different sources, both national funds from the science foundation (TTW, NWO), but also European grants within the H2020 program, including ERC grants. Experienced section members will guide younger candidates in writing proposals.

Embedding

The candidate's groups will strongly co-operate with existing groups in the Department, in particular the groups within the sections of Thermal Fluid Engineering (TFE). Depending on the function level to which the candidate applies, the candidate's group can be embedded in the Section of Power & Flow, or the Section Energy Technology and Fluid Dynamics. The department fosters a personnel strategy stimulating personal growth towards faculty forming individually groups within larger coherent sections.

The candidate's groups will be embedded in the Institute for Renewable Energy Storage (IRES) within the University. The groups will also be embedded in research school of fluid dynamics J.M. Burgerscentrum.

What we are looking for.

We seek to appoint scientists in the field of metal fuels or porous media, who are passionate about research as well as teaching. Current focus areas in Thermo-Fluids Engineering are Power & Flow (PF), Energy Technology and Fluid Dynamics. We welcome excellent candidates that can contribute to any of these areas as well as candidates that bring new research directions to the department. We have openings at all levels, ranging from tenure track assistant professor positions, to associate and full professor positions. The working language in the department and across the university is English. There is no requirement to speak Dutch for applying for these positions.

An important aspect of The TU/e's vision on education is that research and education go hand in hand, both at Bachelor and at Master level. Next to your research, education is an important part of your job, e.g. problem based learning, lectures and tutorials, practice, mentoring final projects and internships. The TU/e helps its scientific staff to further develop their teaching skills by offering a training program that leads to an official teaching certification from Dutch Universities (Basic Qualification Teaching).

The department's relationship with the high-tech industry in the Brainport region means that staff and students can contribute directly to the development of technological innovations with real-world relevance. The department has produced a number of successful spin-offs, and participates in many national and international research consortia. The unique positioning in one of Europe's leading tech regions also means excellent job opportunities for spouses. TU/e actively facilitates career opportunities for partners of successful candidates.

Furthermore, we require:

• A PhD degree/ Academic doctorate, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics or similar; or related discipline, with a strong publication record.
• Excellent communication, organization and leadership skills demonstrating the potential to build your own research group for that you need to contribute to the recruitment of second and third flow of funds (i.e. public and private funding).
• Strong cooperation skills and the ability to work in a team, being a good communicator and have didactic skills.
• You need to carry out independent research for the purpose of science, companies - where possible - government and the business sector.
• For this positions you need to show scientific creativity and production, as well provide specific guidance to the academic personnel in carrying out research.
• A successful candidate at the Associate or Full Professor level has a clear international academic reputation in Thermo-Fluids Engineering.

We offer a position in a successful and internationally-oriented department. The department has an attractive starting package for its new faculty members, which includes the possibility to appoint a PhD student. The city of Eindhoven offers a relaxed, multicultural environment, high quality of life and many options for extra-curricular activities. The city has a mild climate, and it is well-connected by rail, air, and road links with major European cities. The city is at the heart of the Brainport region of the Netherlands, a region with high growth, high innovation, and many permanent employment opportunities for expats. Candidates moving to the Netherlands from abroad may qualify for a tax incentive scheme, where 30% of your income is tax free for a (maximum) period of five years.

• 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.