Funded 4-year PhD studentship: LEAP-HI – Control co-design for ocean wave energy conversion

€18,500 stipend p.a. (tax free) + fees + research expenses

 The Centre for Ocean Energy Research (COER) at Maynooth University, Ireland has further opportunities for a well-qualified applicant interested in PhD level research on a prestigious, new Science Foundation Ireland, National Science Foundation (US) and Northern Ireland’s DfE (Department of the Economy) ocean energy project:

LEAP-HI – Control co-design for ocean wave energy conversion

Applicants should be well qualified to bachelors or master’s degree level in one of the following areas: mechanical, electrical/electronic/control engineering, naval architecture, or hydrodynamics, physics, mathematics, mathematical modelling or computer programming (more details below). The project will be supervised by Prof. John Ringwood.

The project is described in more detail below:

This collaborative research project aims to establish methodologies for an integrated design paradigm for wave energy devices, by testing and validating a radically new control co-design approach to create a mutually-efficient power take off and wave capture structure, with active mechanical motion rectification, co-optimization, and advanced control, to significantly improve the efficiency, increase the power output, and decrease the peak-to-average power ratio. The project team is composed of experts in three countries on wave capture structure, power take-off, and control systems design who work closely together throughout the co-design process from early state of concept design, and component modelling, to system integration. The project partners include Queens University Belfast and Virginia Tech. The Maynooth University team will focus on control strategy.

This project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the National Science Foundation (US) and Northern Ireland’s DfE (Department of the Economy) and the successful candidate will join a dynamic group of around 20 postdoctoral, PhD and other researchers in COER, who work on the development of wave energy technology, with projects funded from various national and international sources. COER has a wide range of eminent industrial and academic collaborators.

Requirements:

PhD candidates should be well-qualified academically to bachelors (preferably H1) or master’s level. The project will require a mix of skills, detailed below. Candidates must have excellent written and oral communication skills and programming ability.

The PhD candidate will ideally be a graduate in mechanical/electrical/electronic/control engineering, naval architecture, or hydrodynamics. Ideally, he/she will possess a master’s degree, ideally with some specialisation in wave/renewable energy. Strong mathematical and programming skills will be needed, as well as an ability to co-supervise intern students.

The PhD student’s work will focus mainly on control-orientated mathematical model development. The PhD student will be employed on a 4-year structured PhD programme, with secondment to a project collaborator included as part of their structured training.

For further information contact Carrie Anne; CarrieAnne.Barry@mu.ie

For more information about COER, see our website and this video.

Successful candidates will be expected to start in March 2023 or as soon as possible.