Salary: Grade 6 (£29,605 - £34,980)
Contract: Full-time (35 hours a week), Fixed-Term for 9 months
Detailed Description
The Research Associate will work within the HAPiWEC team at the Edinburgh campus of Heriot-Watt University. They will be expected to develop and test the control engineering control algorithms in both software and wave tank environments, which will be a key deliverable of the project. The control algorithms will be made openly available and easily tunable through software, developed by the Research Associate in collaboration with the HAPiWEC software engineer. An essential feature of the project is to allow future control algorithm developers to test their algorithms with the a step-change in speed. The Research Associate will need to collaborate closely with the rest of the HAPiWEC team to turn the research outputs into usable software code that is sharable with and usable by a diverse range of target audiences. The Research Associate will also need excellent inter-personal skills to lead on communication with the external participants in the HAPiWEC programme.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
We are looking for a collaborative and motivated researcher with control experience, good people skills and good knowledge of wave energy converter dynamics. Regular communication with the HAPiWEC team and external stakeholders will be essential. General tasks include control method development, software coding, documentation and external participant engagement, report writing, and preparation of scientific papers.
In detail, the postholder is required to:
1. Assist in the creation of and testing of usable controllers for wave energy converters in a software environment.
2. Work with project partners at Edinburgh University and the University of Strathclyde to assist external participants in engaging with the HAPiWEC programme.
3. Help undertake control engineering testing to ensure the developed controllers work well at each stage of the development process.
4. Work with the HAPiWEC software engineer to develop and document the software for easy controller development, so that future users have tools and clear guidance on the correct way to use the software developed.
5. Use GitHub (or similar) to ensure control algorithms and software are developed in a manner that minimises risk, and maximises updateability through version control.
6. Support preparation and editing scientific and software engineering journal papers.
7. Participate in the testing of wave energy control algorithms through software and hardware, including in-person at the University of Edinburgh Flowave facility.
Education, Qualifications & Experience:
Essential Criteria
8. Applicants should be educated to Masters level or above in a relevant topic of Engineering and / or wave energy
9. Applicants must have excellent inter-personal skills to easily collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of skill levels.
10. Experience of working and/or education within the marine renewable energy sector, particularly wave energy.
11. Clear evidence and examples of their ability to formulate and progress work on their own initiative.
Desirable Criteria
12. PhD (or equivalent R&D experience) in a related topic
13. Experience in control engineering and/or wave energy converter dynamics.
14. Experience in public presentations of scientific results (e.g. conference talks) and the writing of scientific papers.
15. Experience developing open-source software tools.
16. Evidence of ability to present work effectively in person, e.g. at conferences and seminars.
17. Capability to be self-directed and think innovatively.
18. Experience in assisting in the writing of scientific papers.
About our Team
The HAPiWEC project is an EPSRC funded research project that is investigating novel methods for designing and testing controllers for Wave Energy Converters. The project aims to develop and demonstrate software and hardware methods that facilitate vastly improved ease of use compared to typical methodologies for wave tank testing of control systems.
The Research team is based at three Scottish universities, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh University, and the University of Strathclyde. Whilst there are three universities involved in the research, the teams at each institution work closely together and a collaborative and collegiate approach is taken to project tasks.
About our Organisation:
Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and leading-edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business and industry.
Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business and finance. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.