PhD student position in Computational Science and Engineering - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

PhD student position in Computational Science and Engineering

Summary

The Department of Computing Science at Umeå University is looking for a PhD student in computational science and engineering for a project aimed at method development for computational design optimization. The application deadline is March 31, 2019.

About the department and research environment

The Department of Computing Science at Umeå University is a dynamic environment with around 100 employees representing more than 20 countries worldwide. We conduct education and research on a broad range of topics in Computing Science. The department's research is internationally well-established and includes basic research, method development and program development, but also research and development in various application areas. Information about the department's postgraduate education can be found on our website http://www.cs.umu.se/forskning/

Duties

The doctoral student’s main task is to devote herself/himself to her/his postgraduate education, which includes participation in research projects and postgraduate courses. In addition, teaching and other work at the department (up to a maximum of 20% of full time) can be included in the duties.

Project description

Computational design optimization is the field in which simulations are combined with numerical optimization algorithms for the purpose of engineering design. The purpose of this project is to develop efficient algorithms and methods for computational design optimization. These methods will be used to solve practical problems in, for example, acoustics, electromagnetics, as well as for linear elasticity. For instance, modern simulation software can quickly compute important performance measures, such as how much a machine part is deformed when loaded or how well an antenna radiates to the surroundings. Today, computational design algorithms can modify, or even create from scratch, geometries that outperform existing designs.

As an aspect of the digitalization of engineering, this field is in strong development both in academia and, increasingly, in industry. This project aims at a comprehensive advancement of central technical aspects of the field: computationally viable problem formulations, design space management, algorithms, and implementation including HPC aspects. Most of the method development in computational design optimization has been motivated by specifics in a particular application. However, our experience in a wide variety of fields has made it clear that central techniques are useful in a range of applications. Therefore, the focus here will be on generic issues of relevance for a broad class of problems. Nevertheless, the methods developed here will be assessed on specific design optimization problems in cooperation with partners. The assessment will include experimental testing on prototypes.

Requirements and qualifications

To be admitted for studies at the third-cycle level, the applicant is required to have completed a second-cycle level degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits, of which at least 60 ECTS credits are at second-cycle level, or have an equivalent education from abroad or equivalent qualifications.

To fulfill the specific entry requirements to be admitted for studies at the third-cycle level within the subject of computational science, the applicant is required to have completed courses within the field of computational science (such as mathematics, mathematical statistics, and computing science) comprising at least 90 ECTS credits.

The applicant needs to have very good knowledge of computational modeling as well as programming. The research will be carried out in collaboration with international researchers from different disciplines, so good collaborative skills are required. Moreover, the applicant must be able to speak and write English fluently.

The most important assessment criteria for the selection are scientific skills, suitability for the project, and documented ability to work both in groups and to independently carry out work tasks.

Conditions of employment

The successful applicant will be employed on a time-limited position, which includes salary for 48 months of full-time PhD studies provided that the studies are progressing reasonably well. Teaching duties and other work at the department are not counted toward the time allotted for the PhD studies; so without such tasks, the employment is time-limited to four years full-time, but the employment period may be extended to up to five years to cover the time spent on teaching and other departmental duties.

Application

The application should be written in English or Swedish and should include the following:

• A cover letter including a motivation why you are interested in the position and which briefly describes your qualifications and experiences and how they are relevant to the employment (maximum 1 A4 page)

• Curriculum vitae

• Certified copies of completed academic courses and grades and diploma

• Copies of master thesis and other relevant scientific publications

• Contact information of at least two reference persons

Please observe that all material needs to be in Swedish or English. If any material is submitted in another language, a translation to Swedish or English must be included.

The application should be submitted through the e-recruitment system Varbi no later than March 31, 2019. Reference number:AN 2.2.1-301-19. Log on to the system and apply via the button at the bottom of the web page.

The procedure for recruitment for the position is in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (chapter 12, 2§) and the decision regarding the position cannot be appealed. We value the qualities that an even gender distribution brings to the department, and therefore we particularly encourage women to apply for the position.

For more information, contact docent Eddie Wadbro, email: eddie.wadbro@umu.se or professor Martin Berggren, email: martin.berggren@umu.se.

Welcome with your application!