Research Fellow - Battery Safety Modelling

Fixed Term Contract until 31.03.2025, 1.0 FTE

WMG is a vibrant, cutting-edge research institution at the University of Warwick. We currently have a wide variety of opportunities spanning diverse battery-related roles, to deliver a multi-year collaboration with a leading UK automotive manufacturer and their supply chain. As a member of this closely integrated team, you will have a unique opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary setting comprising academics, researchers, and industry experts.

WMG is home to the Energy Innovation Centre, a national centre for battery research, which provides access to world leading experimental facilities. Our energy storage expertise spans fundamental research in electrochemistry through to system-scale solutions for a wide range of applications. Much of our research is underpinned by core capabilities in mathematical modelling, advanced characterisation, instrumentation, systems engineering and control methods.

The roles in the current collaborative project fall under several themes:

• Electrochemistry and cell electro-thermo-mechanical design
• Battery pack integration and manufacturing
• Characterisation of cells, modules and other battery-pack components
• Safety and abuse
• Modelling and analysis of all the above attributes

This role is within the ‘Safety’ theme. WMG is looking for a Research Fellow to work on electrochemical and fluid-dynamic modelling using software such as Star CCM+, Comsol, MATLAB.

The successful candidate will show their capability in a subset of these areas:

• Multi-physics battery modelling including thermal runaway and abuse
• Battery pack and thermal management systems
• Delivering time critical industrial projects
• Writing high-quality technical reports and academic journal articles

You will need a good honours degree and a doctoral qualification in a relevant subject, and willingness to learn and innovate. You will have excellent communication skills, be flexible, and be able to work independently and as part of a team with diverse skills and backgrounds. You will have undertaken complimentary research or product development in one or more of the above areas and be able to demonstrate your capability through appropriate industrial or academic experience.

In return we will provide a great range of benefits which include an attractive pension scheme, 30 days holiday plus bank holidays and Christmas closure, some fantastic savings on a wide range of products and services, and excellent learning and development opportunities.

At WMG we are committed to supporting staff to achieve their potential. We currently hold the Athena SWAN Silver Award and the University of Warwick holds an Institutional Silver Award: a national initiative that recognizes the advancement of gender equality, representation, progression and success for all in academia. We are supportive of staff with caring responsibilities including a generous maternity/paternity/adoption/parental leave policy, and onsite childcare facilities. We will consider applications for employment on a part-time or other flexible working basis, even where a position is advertised as full-time, unless there are operational or other objective reasons why it is not possible to do so.

If you have not yet been awarded your PhD but are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant on level 5 of the University grade structure (£32,411). Upon successful award of your PhD and evidence of this fact, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of the level 6 of the University grade structure (£33,348).

Interview Date: TBC

JOB PURPOSE:

You will undertake research in order to support the work of the department and develop and enhance its reputation, both internally and externally. You will be employed to work on HVM Catapult projects in collaboration with industry and academic partners.



Project Specific Responsibilities:

• Develop and validate battery thermal run-away and thermal propagation simulation models, with a focus on fluid dynamic modelling.

• Benchmark relevant simulation methods and toolchains and translate the detailed requirements into a model development and validation plan.

• Work with experimentalists to design necessary experiments for model calibration and validation.

• Work with the corresponding industry engineers to develop research project objectives.

• Process simulation and test data and regularly present to the industrial partner
• Support technical review of project progress.

• Write reports for industrial partners, and academic journal articles for peer review publications.

Principal Accountabilities:

Research and scholarship:

1. Help establish a sound research base within the department to assist the development of research objectives and proposals for own or joint research.

2. Conduct individual and collaborative research projects.

3. Write up research work for publication.

4. Translate knowledge of advances in the subject area into research activity.

5. May contribute to preparing proposals and applications to external bodies, e.g. for funding and contractual purposes, to support a developing research agenda.

6. May present information on research progress and outcomes to bodies supervising research, e.g. steering groups.

7. May contribute to the preparation of papers for steering groups and other bodies.

8. Communicate complex information (orally and in writing) and material of a specialist or highly technical nature.

9. Continually update own knowledge and understanding in field or specialism.


Teaching and Learning Support:

1. Could be expected to contribute to the teaching and learning programmes in the department.

2. Assist in the supervision of student projects and the development of student research skills.

3. May be involved in the assessment of student knowledge and supervision of projects.


Administration and Other Activities:

1. May be required to attend departmental meetings and to participate (where necessary) in other committees and working groups within the department, the faculty and the University.

2. Ensure compliance with health and safety in all aspects of work.

3. Work within budget constraints.