The Centre for Ocean Energy Research (COER) at Maynooth University, Ireland has a further
opportunity for one senior or entry level postdoctoral researcher on a prestigious new Science
Foundation Ireland ocean energy 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 have been drawn from the University of Illinois (USA), CorPower Ocean
AB (Sweden), 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 around 25 postdoctoral, PhD and other researchers in COER, who work on the development
of wave energy technology, with projects funded from various national and international sources. COER
also has a wide range of eminent industrial and academic collaborators.
This post presents significant opportunities for career development in relation to sourcing of
independent research funding, research management and supervision; mentoring in these aspects will
be provided.
Principal Duties will include:
• Control co-design of wave energy systems
• Development of actuated geometry mechanisms and associated control
• Wave energy converter (WEC) lifetime enhancement through control action modulations
• Fault-tolerant control of WECs
• Economical analysis of results
• Communication and dissemination activities
• Collaboration and interfacing with project academic and industrial partners.
• Some PhD student mentoring and project management.
The ideal candidate will have:
• A PhD in mechanical/electrical/electronic/control engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Some postdoctoral experience and a record of scholarly publication and academic excellence.
• Robust analytic and programming skills.
• Experience with wave energy (control/modelling).
• Good organisational skills and a sense of the broader (e.g. economic) aspects of wave energy.
COER is an active international research centre involved in fundamental and applied research. It is
funded by a range of external sources including industry, national agencies (Such as Science
Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland etc.) and international agencies including the European Union
H2020 research programmes. COER has a wide range of national and international collaborators and
a staff complement consisting of academic staff, postdoctoral researchers, research students and
interns, all of which have a strong international dimension. There are also frequent international visitors
to the centre.
COER staff publish in top ranked journals and conferences and also hold a range of international
patents in the area of ocean energy. Much of the group’s work is industrially relevant and various
aspects of the technology developed by COER has been licensed to industry in Ireland, the UK and the
US.
Maynooth University is a very distinctive university, a collegial institution focused on science and
engineering, humanities, and social sciences, and equally committed to research, teaching and
community engagement. Located in Ireland’s only university town, its distinctive features and character
owe much to its unique history and heritage. It provides a high-quality educational experience to over
15,000 students on a campus with 18th century roots and 21st century dynamism.
The strategic trajectory and accomplishments of Maynooth University, in the 25 years since its
establishment as an autonomous public university, are exceptional, and a source of great pride to the
university community, staff, students and alumni. Maynooth University is now acknowledged to be one
of the leading young universities in the world, and in 2022 ranked # 1 in Ireland in the latest Times
Higher Education (THE) Best Young University Rankings. Maynooth University’s growing global
reputation is based on the originality, quality, importance and impact of its research and scholarship,
commitment to teaching and learning, the quality of academic programmes, and its leadership in
widening participation in higher education. The sources of success are the dedication of its staff and
the energy and engagement of its students.
Maynooth University is a place of lively contrasts – a modern institution, dynamic, rapidly-growing,
research-led and engaged, yet grounded in historic academic strengths and scholarly traditions. With
over 15,000 students Maynooth offers a range of programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and
doctoral level in the humanities, science and engineering and social sciences, including business, law
and education.
Contact CarrieAnne.Barry@mu.ie for more details or visit: [https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/human-resources/vacancies]
