**Full time fixed term for 2 years**
- **Two positions available to join one of the world's largest robotics research institutes**
- **Base Salary $105,314 - $116,679 + 17% superannuation**
**About the opportunity**
We are seeking two Postdoctoral Research Associates to join the Australian Centre for Robotics and the Net Zero Institute at the University of Sydney, Australia. The successful applicants will work at Sydney with Prof. Ian Manchester and Prof Gregor Verbic, in collaboration with Pro.f Ben Thornber (Queens University Belfast, UK) and Prof. Dr Harald Köstler (Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen, Germany) on a project funded in part by the Australian Research Council.
The successful applicants will work with this team to develop new approaches to optimisation and control of large-scale windfarms in low-carbon electric power systems, taking into account wake interactions between individual wind turbines. The project focus is on how to generate and utilize reduced-complexity predictive models for windfarm control, from combinations of computational fluid dynamics and experimental data.
You will join the Australian Centre for Robotics (ACFR), at the University of Sydney. The ACFR is one of the largest robotics research institutes in the world, with over 140 members including faculty, research fellows, technical staff, and postgraduate students. The ACFR performs fundamental research on perception, control, modelling, learning, and systems engineering and has strong industry and scientific collaborations in sectors including mining, aviation, agriculture, manufacturing defence, and environmental resilience. You will also be associated with the University of Sydney's newly-established Net Zero Institute, a university-wide multi-disciplinary initiative researching technologies and systems that address climate change risk, carbon removal, and emissions avoidance both through zero emissions energy and demand reduction.
**About you**
**The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for Postdoctoral Research Associates.**
**Position 1 -**Physics-informed learning and control of windfarms**
For this position the research activity is expected to develop current methods in robust and physics-informed machine learning, reduced-order modelling, data-driven nonlinear model predictive control, and/or reinforcement learning.
- PhD (or soon to be completed) in engineering, applied mathematics, or computer science, with an ability to start in mid-late 2025
- a research track record, potential or demonstrated, of international standing
- strong mathematical and computational skills, and experience with machine learning tools and software libraries, as well as dynamical system simulation and control
- demonstrated expertise and research experience in machine learning (especially robust, control-oriented, or physics-informed machine learning), model predictive control, reduced-order modelling, wind power system dynamics, control of fluid systems, or a related field
- excellent written and verbal English communication skills
- demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team and independently.
Desirable criteria:
- experience with learning-based reduced-order modelling of complex systems such as fluid dynamics
- experience with power system dynamics and optimisation.
**Position 2 -**Postdoctoral Research Associate: Physics
- Informed Data Driven Windfarm Modelling**
- PhD (or soon to be completed) in unsteady large eddy simulation or detached eddy simulation coupled with reduced order rotor blade modelling for systems with rotating wings, with an ability to start in mid-late 2025
- a research track record, potential or demonstrated, of international standing
- strong mathematical and computational skills, and experience with open source CFD software packages such as OpenFOAM or WaLBerla.
- demonstrated expertise and research experience in large-eddy simulation combined with actuator models for rotating wings, wind turbines and/or complete wind farm modelling
- excellent written and verbal English communication skills
- demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team and independently.
Desirable criteria:
- experience developing and coupling multiple physics models together in an open-source software package.
**Pre-employment checks**
Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all role required pre-employment or background checks in terms satisfactory to the University. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.
**EEO statement**
We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality In
📌 2X Postdoctoral Research Associates - Data-Driven Windfarm Modelling & Control
🏢 University Of Sydney
📍 Western Australia