PhD position in electromobility: Electric motor design

Electrification and digitalisation are among the largest areas for the future in the conversion to sustainable societies. The Department of Electrical Engineering conducts successful research and education in the areas – renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, industrial IoT, 6G communication and wireless sensor networks as well as research and education within Life Science, smart electronic sensors and medical systems. The Department of Electrical Engineering is an international workplace with around 150 employees, out of which more than half are PhD students. The Department contribute to important technical energy and health challenges at the Ångström Laboratory.

Come and work with us!
The position will be at the Division of Electricity, at the Department of Electrical Engineering. Here you will find a friendly work environment with a lively doctoral network and a variety of experimental projects. The Division of Electricity works in collaboration with Swedish companies – public and private – and stakeholders in the different fields of research. We look forward to receiving your application. Join us and build the future with us!

Project description
The rapid technological development in electric motor design means that the insulation is exposed to greater stress through higher voltage levels, new fast-switching power electronics as well as new cooling methods. The goal of this PhD project is to develop a method to estimate the lifetime of the insulation in electric motors for applications in electromobility. The aim is to avoid over-dimensioning the insulation and at the same time minimize the risk of failure. The project will consist of analytical calculations, FEM simulations and design and analysis of experiments. The project will be multidisciplinary as consideration needs to be given to many different aspects such as electrical, mechanical and thermal.

The research group at Uppsala University has extensive experience in research on various types of electrical machines as well as a large laboratory. We offer varied and exciting work that is designed by the PhD student and the research group together. The PhD student will be supervised by at least two supervisors and the research group consists of several seniors and PhD students working with electrical machines and modelling. Apart from the industrial cooperation there are good possibilities to collaborate with other PhD students in the research group. The Department of Electrical Engineering also gives a salary supplement to the doctoral students at the department.

The project is run in close collaboration with three major players in electromobility: Polestar Performance AB, Volvo AB GTT and Scania CV AB. The PhD student will participate in experiments conducted at the industries for the project. This project will be conducted within the Swedish Electromobility Centre, a national center for electromobility with partners from Swedish Universities and Swedish industry. This means, among other things, that the PhD student, together with several other PhD students at the division, will be part of a PhD student network that holds regular seminars, summer schools, social activities etc.

Duties
The PhD student will perform research about insulation in electric motors. The duties will include analytical calculations, simulations with FEM and experiments. Another part of the work as a PhD student is to write research papers and to orally present the research results in different forums such as project group meetings as well as international research conferences. The main duties for PhD students are to devote themselves to their research studies which include participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The courses should comprise 60 credits and the majority of the courses are optional and can be spread out throughout the doctoral period. The work duties also include educational tasks, for example giving tutorials or supervising labs / project work. Teaching and other department duties can take up a maximum of 20% of the working time.

Requirements

• A master degree or equivalent in electrical engineering, engineering physics, material science and engineering, energy systems or similar.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• We value your personal qualities such as strong motivation, good cooperation and communication skills. You must be goal oriented, structured and able to work effectively both individually and in a group.

Additional qualifications
Experience in electrical machines and experimental work are considered as merits. Experience from working in industry is also advantageous. Good knowledge of spoken and written Swedish is considered a merit.

Application
Please use the link below. You should include a brief description of your research interests and relevant experience, a CV, copies of diplomas and certificates, thesis (or a draft thereof) and other relevant documents. You are encouraged to provide contact information to reference.

About the employment
The employment is atemporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %.Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Sandra Eriksson, 018-4715823, sandra.eriksson@angstrom.uu.se

Please submit your application by 16th of October, 2023, UFV-PA 2023/3423.

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