PhD Student

Job description

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.
With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

PhD Position: Winding damage by thermal cycling and partial discharge in electrical machines (Windam)

YOUR JOB;

UGent received an industry research and valorisation acceleration fund from Flanders Make to investigate the winding damage of the electric machines due to thermal and electric stresses. The trend towards higher DC bus voltages and faster switching power electronics by SiC/GaN results not only in high efficiency and compactness, but also in an increased probability of damage in electric motor windings due to partial discharges in the insulation layers. It is also shown that another cause for degradation, thermal cycling, accelerates the damage caused by electrical partial discharges. Currently, these two coupled degradation phenomena can only be studied empirically. The goal of this project is to develop a generic guideline and an assessment tool for damage and indicative lifetime by combined thermal cycling and partial discharge in electrical machine windings.
As a PhD researcher, you are responsible for discovering winding degradation due to partial discharge and thermal cycling and developing an assessment tool for coupled thermo-electric winding degradation. During the PhD research, you will have a strong collaboration with industry partners involved in the project, and together theoretically and practically, you will be very active.
*Flanders Make is the strategic research centre for the manufacturing industry.
https://www.flandersmake.be

Job profile

We are looking for highly innovative and motivated Ph.D. students to push the boundaries for assessing the winding damage in the new generation of electric machines with the following qualifications and skills.

• You have (or will obtain in the next months) a master’s degree in Electrical or Electromechanical Engineering or equivalent grades.
• You have a strong background in electrical machines.
• Experience with prototyping and testing of electric machines.
• You are familiar with finite element modeling.
• You have analytical skills to interpret the obtained research results.
• You are a team player and have strong communication skills.
• Your English is fluent, both speaking and writing.
  
  

What we can offer you;

• We offer the opportunity to do full-time research in an international and friendly working environment.
• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation - will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance, and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

How to apply

Applications have to be sent by email to Mehmet Güleç (Mehmet.Gulec@ugent.be), indicating “Vacancy: PhD Windam” in the subject. The applications should include (1) an academic/professional resume, (2) a short motivation letter, and (3) transcripts of study results. Please merge all documents into one PDF attachment. After a first screening, selected candidates will be invited for an interview (mostly online via TEAMS).

Application deadline: continuous evaluation until the vacancy is filled.