Postdoctoral Researcher, Optimization for Complex Energy and Sustainability Processes

Postdoctoral Researcher, Optimization for Complex Energy and Sustainability Processes

Aalto University - School of Chemical Engineering

Otaniemi, Finland

Are you looking for a future industrial research position or a long-term academic career? Do you want to be part of building up research – preferably together with industrial partners? Do you like supervising students and participating in teaching? If you are a creative and analytical person and have a PhD in a field related to mathematical modeling and experience in optimizing industrial processes, this might be something for you!

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher (“PostDoc”) to support the group and complement our research portfolio in the field of optimization. The work comprises combining theory and practice by investigating efficient ways to model and solve demanding industrial problems related to energy and sustainability. The decision levels mainly focus on planning and scheduling of production and associated supply chains, but an understanding of dynamic process models and life-cycle aspects is a big asset. In this work, you also need programming skills (e.g. Python, Julia) to merge concepts of chemical engineering, operations research and computer science, as you may also need to deploy machine learning to support data analytics and complex decision-making processes. Knowledge of modern SW-tools in the area of energy and sustainability is highly beneficial.

Your role and goals

You will be responsible for conducting research in the area of integrating different decision layers (supply chain, planning and rescheduling of production processes), with a specific focus on developing collaborative models on how to optimally link the different decision levels. The candidate is expected to:

• Build models embedding dynamics and flexibility of process operations and related supply chains;
• Combine analytical and data-driven surrogate models in optimization;
• Include sustainability aspects into decision-making;
• Implement and solve your models using state-of-the-art optimization engines;
• Collaborate with experts across school borders to support the topical development.

The postdoctoral researcher is also expected to perform independent research that supports the group strategy, present at scientific conferences, publish in academic journals, plan and apply for research funding, participate in the activities of the research group, and assist in supervision and teaching activities.

Your experience and ambitions

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with:

• Excellent PhD research results;
• Experience in industrial collaboration and working in teams;
• Strong skills in mathematical modeling and optimization;
• Experience or interest in artificial intelligence/machine learning;
• Good programming skills, e.g. Python or equivalent;
• Experience in optimizing chemical processes, including sustainability and/or energy aspects.

The experience should be demonstrated by evidence of success in related studies and projects, and a publication record. Other merits demonstrating suitability for a postdoctoral researcher position can also be considered.

Experience in writing research proposals in English for funding acquisition is an asset. Candidates should have an initiative-taking approach, should pay attention to details, and have a high aptitude for continuous learning, and experience in co-operating with industry. Candidates should hold a recent PhD degree (max. 5 years) in a relevant field (Chemical engineering, Process Systems Engineering, Energy or Electrical engineering, Industrial engineering).