Funded 4-year PhD Studentship - Control of Wave Energy Systems

The Centre for Ocean Energy Research (COER) at Maynooth University, Ireland has further opportunities for a well-qualified applicant interested in PhD level research on the control of wave energy systems as part of a prestigious new project:

Economic wave energy through technical innovation (SeaChange)

Some project detail:                                                                                                                                      

Despite the vast global wave energy potential, and the need to diversify the range of renewable energy sources to provide dispatchable carbon-free energy, the current cost of wave energy makes it relatively uneconomic in relation to other renewable, and non-renewable, energy forms. This project proposes a combination of strategic technological improvements, with both broad applicability as well as specific device improvements, to effect a significant impact on the economic performance of wave energy systems and produce the step change needed to accelerate the technical and commercial development of wave power.  Collaborators include University of Illinois (USA), CorPower Ocean AB (Sweden), Ocean Harvesting, Mocean, National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL, USA) and TU Denmark.

This project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the successful candidate will join a dynamic group of 30 people working on developing innovative solutions to the provision of clean energy from an untapped source - wave energy, with projects funded from various national and international sources. COER also has a wide range of eminent industrial and academic collaborators.

The PhD position:

The successful candidate will be part of a project team consisting of 4 PhD students, a postdoctoral researcher and a supervising academic, Prof. John Ringwood FIEEE. A tax-free stipend of €22,000 per year is available, and PhD fees are covered. The project provides funding for equipment, materials and travel (conferences, courses, etc), as well as secondment to project partners. The positions are tenable for a 4-year structured PhD.

Requirements:

Applicants should be well qualified academically to bachelor’s or master’s degree level in one of the following areas: mechanical/mechatronic engineering, electronic engineering, control engineering, or exceptional students in applied maths or hydrodynamics. The project will require a mix of skills including excellent written and oral communication skills and programming ability, mathematical modelling, control design and estimation.

For further information contact CarrieAnne.Barry@mu.ie. For more information about COER, see website and this video.

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