Do you want to work on the great challenges that society is facing in the next decades, focused around and on nature based solutions? Would you like to work in an interdisciplinary environment, expressed by the presence of scientists with different backgrounds and by the cooperation of groups with different scientific or disciplinary signatures?
Electrical engineering at Wageningen University is related to the focus area distributed electrical energy supply and demand, especially system and technology design for combined centralized and decentralized (hybrid) energy distribution systems. The university chooses to strengthen the focus area in Electrical Engineering on these energy distribution systems, embedded in the Environmental Technology (ETE) group, as part of the national sector plan in natural sciences and technology. Much research at WUR is done to develop innovative technologies to produce and recover energy from non-fossil resources, especially related to urban and (agro-)industrial water and waste streams. We study how these technologies can be integrated in regional energy networks, taking demand-supply dynamics and storage requirements into account. The research in Wageningen will be focused on the use of materials abundantly available in nature - especially charge dense porous solids like salts, carbon and metal oxides- for the fabrication of these storage systems, as an alternative to rare earth metals such as lithium, which is considered to become scarce. Electric-thermal conversions as part of smart grid are also considered. We join the Wageningen Energy Alliance, a platform for scientists from different disciplines working on various projects related to the energy transition.
In a challenging career trajectory you are, as Assistant Professor system and technology design for combined centralized and decentralized (hybrid, smart grid) energy distribution systems responsible for the organization, implementation and coordination of new research activities in the field of decentralized energy distribution systems. Dynamic models are developed to evaluate the performance of decentralized technologies for energy production and storage in smart grids for demand response management. In these models, we consider the power and energy density of various storage systems, with a focus on inclusion of natural abundant materials and conversions of electric-thermal -and vice versa- nature. These dynamic models can be used to support decision making processes with respect to the implementation of these energy distribution and storage systems, and the effects of load shifting on the required storage capacity. In this position you will be in addition to novel research, be motivating and teaching students and develop new courses. Training and coaching is provided for the Assistant Professor to accomplish all this.
For more information about Tenure Track within Wageningen University & Research look at
https://www.wur.nl/en/Jobs/Why-choose-WUR/Your-development-in-focus/Tenure-Track.htm