Research Associate in the Fluid Mechanics of Small Flyers

Open ended contract - Permanent; full time - 35 hours per week.

Number of posts: 2

The opportunity:

Two Research Associate positions are available to contribute to the research on the fluid mechanics of small flyers within the Vortex Interaction Laboratory (VOILAb) at the University of Edinburgh. The project is funded by the European Research Council via the Consolidator Grant 2020 (H2020 ERC-2020-COG 101001499). The post holders of the two positions will have specialist expertise in (position 1) computational fluid dynamics and (position 2) experimental fluid dynamics, respectively. Both positions are at UE07 and available on a fixed term basis for up to 36 months.

This bio-inspired project aims to investigate the unsteady aerodynamics of centimetre-scale wings to underpin the development of flying sensors that remain airborne transported by the wind. In the next decade, distributed sensor network systems made of small flying sensors, from dust-scale to insect- scale, will enable a step change in monitoring natural disasters and remote areas. They will contribute to protecting the environment by providing data on the contamination of physical and biological systems and on the impact of human activities. To date, a key limitation of this technology is that small sensors can remain airborne only for a few tens of minutes. By contrast, some natural flyers such as the dandelion fruit, travel unpowered for days and hundreds of kilometres. Recent work led by Dr Nakayama and Prof. Viola, and published in Nature (doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0604-2), reveals that the dandelion adopts a highly porous wing to form a new fluid vortex that has never been observed before, the separated vortex ring. This five-year project aims to unveil the underlying fluid mechanics mechanisms that allow the dandelion to remain airborne exploiting the energy in the wind.

The main task of the two post holders will be to undertake (position 1) fluid-structure interaction computational fluid dynamics simulations with OpenFOAM of free-falling bodies, and (position 2) particle image/tracking velocimetry of free-falling bodies in a bespoke vertical wind tunnel.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• Knowledgeable in, and passionate about, fluid mechanics.
• Experienced in (position 1) computational fluid dynamics, OR in (position 2) particle image/tracking velocimetry.
• Being strongly driven and self-motivated.

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.

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