Research Associate in Failure Detection in Rotating Mechanical Systems

Company description:

University of Sheffield

Job description:

Are you a mechanical engineer with a passion for aerospace innovation? We have an exciting opportunity for you to join our world-leading research team and play a pivotal role in developing the next generation of aviation electrical generators.

In this critical role, you will develop failure detection solutions to ensure that "more-electric" gas turbine engines meet the rigorous safety and reliability standards required for sustainable flight. Your work will directly inform the design of the Rolls-Royce UltraFan engine, taking your research from the laboratory to a full-scale demonstrator engine.

You will develop new models of mechanical failure and devise detection systems robust to the extreme environments of a gas turbine engine. We are looking for a systems thinker who can:

• Develop physical experimental designs and mathematical models to validate failure hypotheses in complex bearing systems.
• Join a diverse team of electrical and control engineers, providing the mechanical expertise essential for creating integrated detection algorithms.
• Design and test sub-scale rigs to validate your algorithms in a practical setting.
• While you will lead on mechanical modelling, we will support you in mastering signal processing and machine learning, expanding your technical toolkit while delivering a robust failure detection solution.

You will join a well-connected, international research team with a reputation for excellence in aerospace and electrical systems. We pride ourselves on building teams from diverse heritages and backgrounds, believing that diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching, and the student experience.

We are seeking a collaborative researcher who thrives on developing cutting-edge knowledge and transforming that insight into real-world solutions. Ideally, you will have:

• A PhD (or equivalent experience) in a relevant engineering discipline.
• A strong background in mechanical engineering, specifically regarding failure mechanisms of bearing systems.
• The ability to work across disciplines to fuse complex signals into actionable data.
• A desire to lead the authorship of high-impact journal papers and present results to our industrial partners at Rolls-Royce.

The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) belongs to the prestigious Faculty of Engineering. We are one of the largest academic communities of engineers in the UK, ranked joint 1st for Research Environment in the last Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021)! Our specific field (EEE) is also ranked very highly, which is a marker of our excellence and ambition (QS 2024: 11th in UK, The Guardian 2024: 3rd, The Times Higher 2024: 7th in the UK).

We strive to conduct fundamental research and innovation to address global challenges, as well as support the education of the next generation of engineers.

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable and inclusive place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a generous annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pension scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

Find out more at www.sheffield.ac.uk/benefits and join us to become part of something special.

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