The Fluids and Porous Materials group of the Laboratory of Building Science and Materials at Empa and the Chair of Building Physics of ETHZ (Zurich, Switzerland) offer a postdoctoral position on “Optimization of sorption rate in hierarchical porous materials using computational methods”.
Postdoc position: Optimization of sorption rate in hierarchical porous materials using computational methods
The aim of the postdoctoral position is to develop new designs, using computational methods, of hierarchical porous materials, to be used in new generation thermally-driven adsorption heat pumps. The modelling of the mass and heat transport through hierarchical porous materials will lead to the identification of the main critical parameters for improving the sorption rates. The heat and mass transport mechanisms will be captured with a dual porosity approach. Special attention will be given to the modelling of sorption, including heat of sorption and moisture hysteresis. Model parameters will be identified using inverse modelling comparing dynamic and static experiments and simulations. The model will then be used to optimise the pore and matrix connectivity for heat and mass transport.
Interested candidates should meet following requirements to be eligible for the present postdoc position:
• A PhD in Mechanical, Civil, Material Engineering, or equivalent.
• A strong knowledge of heat and mass transport processes in porous materials.
• A profound experience with numerical (finite-element) modelling of transport processes
and optimization.
• Experience with laboratory heat and mass transport experiments is an asset.
• The candidate should be proficient in English.
This position will be under the supervision of Dr. Dominique Derome and Prof. Jan Carmeliet and includes a joint affiliation of Empa, Dübendorf and ETHZ. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Prof. Dr. Dominique Derome, dominique.derome<στο>empa.ch.
We look forward to receiving your application online at www.jobs.ethz.ch (or “Apply now” below) with attention to: ETH Zurich, Mr. Matthias Steiger, Human Resources, CH-8092 Zürich. Please submit your application including (i) a cover letter stating your motivation for this position, (ii) a comprehensive CV including publications and presentations, (iii) diplomas and a list of courses attended, (iv) names and addresses of references and upload all documents (PDF is recommended) through the website. Any other way of applying will not be considered.