Post/s of Full-Time or Part-Time Research Support Officer I or II or III or IV (post-doc) - Aerospace Technologies.

Call for Applications (Call ID: 74/2021)

Post/s of Full-Time or Part-Time Research Support Officer I or II or III or IV (post-doc)

ITERATE – TRAKE

Investigating hybrid Turbo-ElectRic AicrafT Engines

Institute of Aerospace Technologies.

1. Applications are invited for a Research Support Officer to work on a full-time or part-time basis on “Investigating hybrid Turbo-ElectRic AicrafT Engines – ITERATE”, a project financed by the University of Malta through the Transdisciplinary Research and Knowledge Exchange Complex (TRAKE). The selected applicant will develop a conceptual hybrid thermo-electric aircraft engine and model its performance for various scenarios. The Research Support Officer may also be required to work on other projects undertaken by the Institute of Aerospace Technologies.

2. Applicants for the post must be in possession of a degree in one of the following areas: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics or related disciplines. Applicants for the post in the possession of a PhD or with relevant post-doc experience in the research area will be given preference. Candidates in possession of a Master’s degree with an interest to pursue a PhD in an area will also be considered. Experience of Matlab, GasTurb and/or MotorCAD is considered an asset.

The University of Malta is an Equal Opportunity employer.

3. The full-time post is for a period of 36 months for RSO I or II and 30 months for RSO III or IV and carries an initial annual remuneration of:

Research Support Officer I - €20,800 or €10 per hour for candidates in possession of a first degree;

Research Support Officer II - €24,960 or €12 per hour for candidates in possession of a Masters degree;

Research Support Officer III - €31,200 or €15 per hour for candidates in possession of a PhD;

Research Support Officer IV - €41,600 or €20 per hour for candidates with significant post-doc experience.

4. Applicants need to be willing and able to work in Malta.

5. Candidates must submit their cover letter, a copy of their curriculum vitae and a copy of their certificates (certificates of degrees must be submitted in English) by e-mail to projects.hrmd@um.edu.mt by not later than Tuesday, 4th May 2021.

Late applications will not be considered.

6. Further information may be obtained from: https://www.um.edu.mt/hrmd/recruitment/projects. For more information on the IAT please visit https://www.um.edu.mt/iat. Further information about the project may be obtained by sending an email to robert.c.camilleri@um.edu.mt.

About the project

This project investigates hybrid turbo-electric aircraft engines as a cleaner means to power air transport. Aviation facilitates global mass transit of people and goods and is a primary driver of the economy. Despite the current slow-down in the aviation industry due to COVID-19, the industry has proven to be a resilient one. In the coming years, it is therefore expected to recover to Pre-COVID-19 growth rates of approximately 5% per annum. Yet, these growth rates are environmentally unsustainable. This project addresses this by proposing a new generation of hybrid turbo-electric engines. The hybrid-electric engine requires a lower use of battery storage whose low energy density still presents key limitations to fully electric aircraft. Hybrid-electric engines may yield significant benefits particularly in short haul twin-engine turboprop airliners (such as ATR 72). Such aircraft perform over 40% of all commercial flights and thus small fuel savings collectively account to a significant impact on the environment. The project will also extrapolate a technology route to Category D single aisle aircraft with turbo fan engines (such as the A320 or B737), thus identifying missing technological building blocks.

Further information

1. The Research Support Officer will be responsible for the execution of a number of tasks related to ITERATE. The project is financed by the University of Malta, in which the Institute of Aerospace Technologies is the lead partner.

    

2. The appointee will report to the principal investigator of the project and will be responsible for carrying out research with the main duties including:

1. Assist in the management of the project;
2. Developing a hybrid turbo-electric engines conceptual designs and investigate the dis/advantages of series/parallel configurations;
3. Develop performance models of gas turbine engines and carrying out simulations to investigate various operating scenarios of the hybrid engine;
4. Investigate electric machine topologies to establish the best fit for the application;
5. Develop an electro-magnetic design of the electrical motor through analytical and finite element models, and carrying out simulations to investigate various scenarios;
6. Producing project deliverables within the time frames specified in the project description;
7. Preparation scientific conference or journal papers related to the project;
8. Travel to attend meetings/conferences as the need arises;
1. Assisting in dissemination activities related to the project; and
10. Performing any other project-related tasks as instructed by the principal investigator.

3. The appointee will be expected to work on UM campus during hours determined by the University authorities.

4. The selection procedure will involve:

a. scrutiny of qualifications and experience claimed and supported by testimonials and/or certificates (copies to be included with the application);

b. shortlisting; and

2. an interview and / or extended interview.

5. The post is for a period of 30 or 36 months which will be subject to a probationary period and to the provisions of the Statutes, Regulations and Bye-Laws of the University of Malta which are now or which may hereafter be in force.

Office of the University,

Msida, 13th April 2021