Senior Research Associate / Research Fellow in Wind Tunnel Commercialisation

The role

The University of Bristol is seeking a highly skilled Wind Tunnel Technical Specialist to operate and maintain our cutting-edge national wind tunnel facilities. This pivotal role involves close collaboration with industry partners, supporting research and commercial proposals, and advancing key capabilities within the wind tunnel laboratories. The successful candidate will manage both commercial and research projects and devise innovative strategies to enhance facility revenue. The role holder will collaborate with internationally leading academics in the areas of aerospace, wind energy, wind engineering, and more. Additionally, the role holder will contribute to multiple national wind tunnel facility initiatives, including the national propeller testbed. If you are passionate about aerodynamics, have a strong technical background, and thrive in a dynamic research environment, we invite you to join our team and contribute to pioneering advancements in wind tunnel testing capabilities. This is a new post, initially open-ended with fixed funding for 2.5 years, but may be extended following review

What will you be doing?

• Seek and apply for funding via both research and commercial contracts relating to wind tunnel testing; independently identifying research objectives and potential funding sources.
• Conduct experimental work for these contracts and assist with other funded research work containing wind tunnel testing.
• Develop, from first principles, instrumentation arrangements for novel testing techniques. 
• Working with key stakeholders (e.g. Principle Investigators, research colleagues, external customers, or other service users) to provide specialist solutions in the plan and design of research experiments. 
• Assist in the development of new facilities and enhancement of existing facilities and equipment. 
• Produce publications of at least national quality and with some evidence of potential international quality, in the quantity appropriate to the discipline. 
• Operate, calibrate and contribute to the service and maintenance of highly specialist equipment.
• Diagnose and rectify a range of complex problems to find short and long-term solutions. 
• Contributing to the creation and formulation of commercial and research contracts, and devising strategies to enhance facility revenue. 
• Provide expert input into specialist purchases, liaising with relevant contacts and suppliers to ensure fit for purpose solutions and cost effectiveness.

You should apply if

• Detailed, current specialist knowledge and refined skills; significant experience in experimental aerodynamics.
• Significant previous experience of independent research or transferable skills gained from professional or clinical experience combined with some experience or an awareness of the research environment. 
• Evidence of presentations at conferences or equivalent, and some publications in respected journals or equivalent in the field of specialism. 
• Proven ability to provide effective leadership to small research teams and to mentor less experienced research staff successfully. 
• Ability to organise time and workloads to meet deadlines, and manage a range of competing priorities.
• Ability to work independently to use initiative and apply creativity and innovation to solve problems encountered in the teaching, research or commercial context.

Additional information

“For informal queries” contact/s details: Mahdi Azarpeyvand (m.azarpeyvand@bristol.ac.uk)

To find out more about what it's like to work in the Faculty of Engineering, and how the Faculty supports people to achieve their potential, please see our staff blog:

https://engineeringincludesme.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/

Contract type: Open ended (Fixed term funding for 2 years)

School/Unit: School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on 6/11/2024

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