This PhD Studentship ‘Low carbon generation: social welfare impact of CHP installations at local level’ is funded by WPD, the electricity distribution network operator for the Midlands, South Wales and the South West. The research project on the welfare impact of CHP installations is part of a collaborative FLEXDGRID research project (between WPD and the University of Warwick), which investigates new solutions to accommodate more low carbon generation across the city of Birmingham.

The FLEXDGRID project is one of several projects on the role of the electricity network in a low carbon energy system, undertaken by WPD with the support of Ofgem’s Low Carbon Network Fund. The project will investigate technical options which will help support the timely and cost-effective integration of CHP generation with the aim of making a major contribution to reaching UK’s carbon emissions reduction targets in a cost effective way.

The doctoral research work will contribute to socio-economic component of the project by investigating the effects of changes in overall expenditure and tariff structure resulting from the deployment of CHP generation in Birmingham. The project will evaluate the impact of this technology on different social and income groups, with a particular focus on the alleviation of fuel poverty in relatively deprived areas of the city. The research will be based on an analysis of data from an extensive survey of residential energy consumers, to be undertaken with the support of WPD and Birmingham City Council. The analysis will be informed by the literature on consumer behaviour and social policy in the energy market.

For more information please go here or contact Dr Monica Giulietti. The closing date is the 21^st June 2013.

Within UCL’s Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering, Environmental Engineering is concerned with devising, implementing and managing innovative multi-disciplinary engineering solutions to protect and restore the environment, in a framework of sustainable development. We have core expertise in resource efficiency, including sustainable water treatment, supply and use, and waste management, as well as air pollution, coastal engineering and support of marine renewable energy, and building services.

We are seeking an outstanding and dynamic individual with a strong record of Environmental Engineering research and collaboration in an area that is complementary to our present interests, potentially expanding into other exciting aspects of Environmental Engineering.                               

The successful applicant at Professor level will be a recognised subject leader and have outstanding potential for high quality Environmental Engineering research, income generation and collaboration with industry. They will be able to demonstrate the ability to provide effective academic leadership and make valuable contributions to the full range of academic life in the Department and UCL. A commitment to high quality teaching is essential to support our undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes in Environmental Engineering. The appointment may be made at Reader level for talented but less experienced candidates working in an exceptionally promising area of research.

The expected start date is 1st September 2013 and the closing date for applications is 23rd June 2013. Further information can be found here.

Mr Ed Wallis will step down as Chair of Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in December 2013. The Secretary of State is seeking a successor to lead NERC, working with the full-time Chief Executive and the Council.

Candidates will bring experience of chairing Boards at a senior level in a substantial organisation, including a global business, with proven ability to exercise judgement across a broad spectrum of policy and high-level management issues; the ability to deal with complex difficult discussions with diplomacy and resolve; first rate
intellectual, communication, negotiation and influencing
skills; and experience of dealing with a wide range of stakeholders
including interacting with Government at a senior level.
In making an appointment the Secretary of State will consider
advice from an Appointments Panel. The preferred candidate may be required to appear before a Parliamentary Select Committee prior to appointment. The appointment will be for four years in the first instance.

The Secretary of State is committed to the principle of public
appointments on merit through an open and transparent process
and to providing equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race,
age, disability, gender, marital status, religion, sexual orientation,
transgender and working patterns.

For more details please see here, the closing date for applications is 24th June 2013.

An exciting opportunity has arisen as part of the Strategic Partnership between Cranfield University, Severn Trent Water, and Atkins Ltd to work on new research demonstration project in wastewater engineering. The work is aimed at developing the next generation of wastewater phosphorus treatment and recovery technology. The role is mainly based in Cranfield University with frequent interaction with Seven Trent Water and Atkins Ltd at Severn Trent’s head office in Coventry. In this challenging and exciting role, you will manage the engineering and development process.

Suitable candidates from academia, consultancy or industry will be passionate about your subject. Your background will ideally include research experience in wastewater engineering and phosphorus recovery processes, together with practical laboratory and/or pilot plant experience. You will have a postgraduate qualification to PhD level, be self-motivated, innovative and enthusiastic, with good written and verbal communication skills. You will be good at integrating across disciplines and have a growing publication track record.

Working with considerable autonomy and within a vibrant research environment, you will have the flexibility to develop your own work programme and to develop your career. Cranfield University offers substantive opportunities for professional development and an effective, collegiate working environment.

See here for further details. The closing date for applications is 26th June 2013.
 

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Technology Strategy Board (TSB) are jointly funding a network, The Algal Bioenergy Special Interest Group (AB SIG) with the high-level science goal of understanding the opportunities and risks to the quality of freshwater and marine environments of using algal biomass as a source of renewable energy. As part of the AB-SIG, NERC is supporting a Knowledge Exchange (KE) Fellowship in Algal Bioenergy. 

The post requires a whole systems, interdisciplinary approach to Algal Bioenergy and the ability to transfer knowledge from all relevant academia, Centres and units into industry.  The KE Fellow will also help to coordinate joint KE activities between the KTNs.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­For further information and to apply for this position online, please see here.  The closing date is Thursday 27th June 2013.
 

The University of Manchester seek one Research Associate to join the Electrical Energy and Power Systems Group within the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. This post is part of the projects “Reactive Power Exchange Assessment and Characterisation (REACT)” funded by National Grid and the six Distribution Network Operators in Great Britain (ENWL, NPG, UKPN, WPD, SSE, and SP). Within the context of this project, a significant volume of distribution network and monitored data will be studied in order to identify the key factors and corresponding trends influencing the decline of reactive power demand seen by National Grid.

The candidate will be responsible for: modelling distribution networks (up to the grid supply point) and corresponding demand/generation using the distribution system analysis software package OpenDSS; validating models through data from monitoring devices; characterising key factors affecting reactive power demand; performing sensitivity and impact studies based on scenarios; production of trends/forecasts; and estimating potential investment.

The candidate must hold or be about to obtain a PhD (or hold an MSc degree coupled with equivalent industrial/research experience) in an area related to modelling and analysis of electricity distribution networks. Proven experience of programming in Matlab, VBA or Python plus experience in the management of databases is required.

For further information/apply online here. The closing date for applications is 28th June 2013.
 

The University of Birmingham is seeking a Research and Knowledge Transfer Officer to deliver the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences’s Strategy on Research and Knowledge Transfer.

The key responsibilities are –

• To support the implementation of College Research and related Knowledge Transfer strategy consistent with the University strategy, working closely with College Director of Research, School Directors of Research, Head of Research and Knowledge Transfer (Support), Research and Innovation Services, Finance and Contracts.
• To influence and support College decision making on the direction and priority of Research and Knowledge Transfer activities through effective market intelligence gathering, analysis and internal reporting, including the evaluation of broader political, economic and social trends as they relate to the job holders designated area of responsibility.

For more information please go here. The closing date is the 1^st of July 2013.

NERC is inviting applications from across the NERC science remit to its key scientific advisory board, the Science & Innovation Strategy Board (SISB). Appointments will commence on 1 October 2013 and 1 January 2014 for a period of two years with a possible two year extension. SISB is the key source of advice to NERC Council on science and innovation related issues.

NERC is committed to the principle of providing equal opportunities for all. We are keen to obtain more diversity in our public appointments, so would welcome applications from a range of candidates from all backgrounds and from across all sectors of our diverse communities.

The closing date for applications is 2nd July and further information can be found here.
 

University College London (UCL) is seeking to appoint two Research Associates (RAs) in Energy-Economic Modelling to undertake dedicated research in energy-economic modelling as a key member of the UK’s leading energy systems and modelling research team. You will primarily work on the ground-breaking £5.7 million EPSRC funded Whole Systems Energy Modelling (wholeSEM) consortium. As a core member of the energy systems research team in the UCL Energy Institute, this post presents an opportunity to contribute to the Institute’s strategic direction in this arena, and to develop and apply world-leading energy-economic models. Researchers publish extensively, interact with colleagues around the world, and provide strategic policy analysis to UK government departments and international organizations. The post is funded for 24 months in the first instance and then subject to further funding becoming available.

The ideal candidate for the post is a quantitative, analytical person with a keen and established interest in multi-disciplinary and policy-relevant energy research. The successful applicant will have an outstanding aptitude for energy systems analysis in general and energy-economic modelling specifically. Candidates with previous experience in building, critiquing and applying energy-economic models are especially encouraged to apply. However we are also very keen to speak to highly analytical economists, engineers, social scientists, and natural scientists who wish to develop and apply their quantitative and programming skills to energy-economic modelling. The successful candidate will become a fully-fledged energy system modeller, able to build, run, critique and explain a range of modelling frameworks. (S)he should have a proven ability to initiate, implement and complete modelling based research to a high standard. A postgraduate degree in economics, engineering, operations research or related quantitative field is required.

For more information please go here. The closing date for applications is the 2^nd July 2013.

Two Research Fellow posts are available to work on separate RCUK funded projects on travel and energy demand. Both projects involve working with exciting sources of secondary data related to travel practices or car ownership. They will require the application of innovative approaches to data analysis as well as working with leading experts in the field of travel and energy research.

Post GEO211R - 1 year Research Fellow post: "DEMAND (Dynamics of Energy, Mobility and Demand)". This project focuses on trends and patterns of energy demand. The work will identify multiple and inter-linking sources of data and analyse these to understand the structure, sequencing, distribution and flexibility of end use energy practices. The Research Fellow will have a particular (though not exclusive) focus on travel practices and will have experience of working with time use data, travel diary data or other large data sets to understand changes in behaviour over time.

Post GEO201R - 2 year Research Fellow post: "MOT (Motoring and vehicle Ownership Trends)". In 2010, the UK Department for Transport released a dataset containing annual car worthiness test records for vehicles from 2005 onwards. By providing relatively comprehensive information about British vehicle ownership and use, this dataset offers a key opportunity to address a number of issues in transport and energy debates. The MOT project uses this dataset as its foundation and applies a set of inter-linked modelling and analysis tasks using multiple sources of vehicle-specific and area-based data to achieve a spatially and temporally disaggregated understanding of car ownership and use in the UK. The Research Fellow will be able to apply statistical (including spatial statistics) and modelling techniques to investigate the relationship between the vehicle data and other spatial factors from linked datasets.

Both vacancies must be filled by 1st October 2013. For both jobs, candidates are required to have a PhD or be in the very final stages of submitting or correcting their thesis. However, candidates do not necessarily have to have a transport-related PhD for either of these posts as energy studies, economic geography, GIS and spatial statistics, applied economics, urban studies or a number of related fields will be relevant.

For more information please go here and for informal inquiries, please contact Dr Jillian Anable. The closing date is the 3^rd of July 2013.

Swinburne University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences is seeking a Research Fellow to work in the Centre of Ocean Engineering, Science and Technology. The role will involve coding and using the third-generation wave-forecast models, to forecast, hindcast and study ocean waves, including extreme storms and wave-climate trends, as well as the ocean-mixing schemes of the general circulation models. In addition to this, the Research Fellow will lead and develop new research projects and prepare or contribute to refereed journal publications, conference and seminar papers arising from the research.

It is essential that you have an earned doctoral qualification in physical oceanography, applied mathematics or coastal/ocean engineering. You will also need to demonstrate substantial knowledge in one or more disciplines of physical sciences, applied mathematics, oceanography or ocean engineering. Demonstrated ongoing research activities and a track record of publications within relevant fields are also essential to be successful in this position.

Applications close at 5pm on 5th July 2013 and further information can be found here.

The research undertaken in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies, at the University of Sydney is multidisciplinary and centred around the key themes of biomedical engineering and technology, clean energy, water and the environment, robotics and complex systems.

The Clean Energy Research Cluster at The University of Sydney, including the Centre for Future Energy Networks, is leading a new three year, multidisciplinary, multi-institution research project looking at Australia's Future Grid. This CSIRO Flagship and University collaboration, complemented with research projects funded by the Australian Research Council, will develop new tools, platforms and insights to analyse power stability, changing energy demand, integrating renewables, understanding cyber stability, and managing efficient infrastructure investment. The research will take a holistic approach covering modelling and security of future power and energy systems, grid planning and co-optimisation, economic and investment modelling, and robust energy policy frameworks for investment in the future grid.

The research fellows will lead projects focusing on distributed control for wide-area demand response, the role and modelling of energy storage and modelling of future power and energy systems. The closing date is Sunday 7th July (11.30pm Sydney time) and further information can be found here.
 

The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment are seeking to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the growing stranded assets research area. Working with the Programme Director, you will be developing research and teaching on these issues, and facilitating collaborative relationships with key financial institutions and companies also concerned with these issues.

The ideal candidate will have a doctorate or equivalent experience in finance, or economics, or economic geography and/or environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility. You will have demonstrated the ability to utilize statistical tools and databases and have excellent written and spoken English. A demonstrated track record in writing papers for publication is necessary. An ability to work in a demanding environment subject to deadlines and exacting professional and academic standards is essential.

The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 12th July 2013 and further information can be found here.

An opportunity for an 18 month postdoctoral appointment in the measurement of solvent properties used for post-combustion carbon dioxide capture is available in the carbon capture group at the University of Edinburgh. This is part of the EPSRC funded projects GAS-FACTS (EP/J020788/1), and offers the possibility of an extension to 24 months. The position also involves a strong interaction with the remotely operated mobile lab of the UK CCS Research Centre.

Candidates should have (or have submitted) a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or a relevant field with a strong background in experimentally led work and must have good working knowledge of experimental techniques used for the measurement of thermodynamic and/or transport properties of different solvents (such as amines). The experimental techniques might include Liquid Chromatography, or Gas Chromatography or Mass Spectrometry or other techniques, analytical methodologies.

The role benefits from multiple contacts from academia and industry within the GAS-FACTS project and within the UK CCS Research Centre and the Edinburgh-based Scottish CCS Centre. The successful candidate will also become a member of the UK CCS Community Network a collective network coordinated from the University of Edinburgh of over 250 engineering, technological, natural, environmental, social and economic academic members with CCS interests.

For more information please go here. The closing date is the 15^th July 2013.

Based within the Energy Performance and Technology Team at URS in London (negotiable) and at the University of Reading.

Data and sensing is central to a number of technologies for sustainable built environments. Data can influence how people behave in buildings. Harnessing the right data and communicating it in efficient ways (which might include social media) could positively influence the behaviour of decision makers and occupants for the advancement of sustainability and energy reduction.  In the context of a smart grid, two-way multi layered data flows enable integration between energy generators, consumers and storage/transmission systems, minimising environmental impact and maximising value.

This new research project (EngD) will apply the development of new sensing and data analysis technologies. Depending on the specific application (building energy monitoring, smart grid etc) chosen by the team, the research would involve real time energy and activity monitoring using advanced analysis, wireless meters and sensors to underpin the people-centred approach to energy management, or demand-side management considerations within a smart grid. Both projects involve sensing, collection, assimilation and interpretation of data regarding energy and building usage. By innovating techniques and systems to automate and improve this, the sponsoring company expects to make better informed and longer lasting asset management decisions, critical to the way buildings interface with the rest of the world.

The deadline for applications is 28th July and further information can be found here.

This project focuses on the development of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies, including novel materials for CO₂ capture; long term fate of CO₂ (experimental and modelling studies) and CO₂ utilization.

This studentship is available from Autumn 2013 and is fully funded for 36 months, with an annual tax-exempt maintenance of £15,000 (UK/EU) or £10,000 (Overseas), and include fees at the appropriate level. 

For more information please go here or contact Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer.

The EngD Centre in Efficient Fossil Energy Technologies at the University of Nottingham will produce research leaders to tackle the major national and international challenges over the next 15 years in implementing new power plant to generate electricity more efficiently using fossil energy with near zero emissions, involving the successful demonstration of CO₂ capture, and reducing CO₂ emissions generally from coal utilisation, including iron making.

A number of Engineering Doctorate postgraduate studentships starting October 2013 are available. The EngD training provides:

• An in-depth four year training programme
• A non-taxed stipend of up to £20,000; much higher than a conventional PhD
• Approximately three years’ extensive research time in industry
• International travel for conferences and attending summer schools held in China and India
• Preparation for high-level careers in the energy sector

The deadline for applications is 6th August and further infomation can be found here.

The Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC) based at Cumbernauld is a brand new collaborative £12M venture by the University of Strathclyde’s highly rated Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering which aims to provide members with diverse scientific and technical expertise and to execute research, development, demonstration projects and programs.

Building the next generation of active power delivery networks requires a mix of new technology, existing technology to be applied in new ways, optimisation of existing asset infrastructure and changes in operating practices by electrical utilities. The PNDC is seeking to expand its research and development team which focusses on the design, development and maintenance of web and mobile tools/applications for the electricity industry.

The Knowledge Exchange Associate/Assistant will assist with the delivery of expected results, generation of growth and the development of a reputation for excellence, through the delivery of research efforts in software development to include a wide range of projects ranging from image and data analysis to cybersecurity. This will involve undertaking research, co-ordination of schedules and and monitoring budget/spend to ensure the timely completion of the project, in addition to supporting activity within PNDC‟s laboratories.

For more information please go here.  The closing date is the 30^th November 2012.

The University of Exeter is recruiting a Lecturer in Renewable Energy (Solar). The successful candidate will contribute to extending the research profile of Clean Energy within the Environment and Sustainability Institute.

The successful applicant will hold a PhD in Physics/Material Science or Engineering and have an independent, internationally-recognised research programme in an active field of solar energy research related or complementary to existing Exeter strengths.

For more information please see here, the deadline for applications is 22nd January 2013.