Postdoctoral Research Associate

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in energy management to work on an interdisciplinary project entitled Satellite-Aided Technologies for advancing resilience - Guarding energy services under climate hazards, risks, and disasters (SAT-Guard). The role is funded through the UKRI Cross-council Responsive Mode Round 1 (www.ukri.org/news/first-projects-from-ukris-new-interdisciplinary-scheme-announced). It asks ‘how to improve or optimise power grid resilience in response to escalating extreme events, aiming to align with long-term net-zero goals while simultaneously considering the diverse needs of communities, to ensure a harmonious integration of environmental sustainability, infrastructure resilience, advanced technology, and societal well-being.’

The project is led from the department of Engineering, with the Durham Energy Institute and the Institute for Hazard and Risk Research as partners.

This role is to work with Professor Simone Abram in the department of Anthropology to assess the impacts of energy supply issues on different communities. The role includes selecting, designing and implementing three case studies to explore the various impacts of energy management programmes, considering the perspectives of relevant professionals and lay persons, such as health and care professionals, business employees, residents, both prosumers and consumers, with particular attention to energy vulnerabilities. The successful applicant will have experience of using interviews and participatory workshops to help identify the range of concerns among these participants, identifying potentially competing priorities, and generating a checklist of issues that should be considered in the creation of demand response program for enhancing grid resilience.

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

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