ForWind - Center for Wind Energy Research has a vacant PostDoc position (f/m/d) 
"Large-eddy simulations of wind turbines' response and challenging atmospheric 
conditions" in the research group "Wind Energy Systems" at the Institute of 
Physics of the University of Oldenburg starting as soon as possible for a 
limited period of 3 years.

The interactions between closely spaced wind turbines and between turbines and 
particular atmospheric flow phenomena are complex. Atmospheric large-eddy 
simulations (LES) are dedicated to enhancing their understanding. Driving LES 
with information obtained from mesoscale atmospheric simulations is regarded as 
a possibility to reproduce observed atmospheric situations in a simulation 
environment. Aeroelastic simulations coupled to the LES allow for the simulation 
of wind turbines' response under such conditions. The results of high-fidelity 
simulations support the development of cheaper tools that the industry can 
apply.

Job description

Your main objective is to improve the numerical modelling of the dynamic 
response of a utility-scale wind turbine in the near wake of another turbine and 
on particular atmospheric conditions. You will employ a coupling between the 
large-eddy simulation model PALM and the aeroelastic code OpenFAST to analyse 
the flow conditions and system dynamics. You will compare your results with the 
project partners' open-field measurements and computational fluid dynamics data.
Among others, your tasks will comprise:
- implementation of a new turbulence generator to tailor the LES inflow to 
measured flow conditions,
- analysing a unique set of meteorological and wind turbine data to derive LES 
validation cases, 
- applying LES driven by mesoscale simulations to other challenging atmospheric 
conditions (e.g. low-level jets, wind gusts),
- enhancing the aeroelastic modelling in the coupled LES simulations.

Job offer

We offer you the opportunity to develop your scientific career in a young and 
lively academic environment. You will be working in the WindLab - one of the 
university's most modern office and lab spaces - and have the opportunity to do 
flexible and mobile work. Your pathway as a researcher is actively supported by, 
e.g.
- multidisciplinary cooperation with other researchers at ForWind and Fraunhofer  
IWES in Oldenburg,
- direct collaboration with industry while maintaining the links with our 
national and international partners in academia,
- optional secondment at an international research institute,
- development of personal, scientific, and teaching skills through an individual 
training programme and selected teaching tasks,
- opportunities to present scientific results at international conferences and 
through peer-reviewed publications to extend your specific network,
- active participation in the planning and implementation of teaching and 
supervision of PhD students,
- contributing to the conceptualisation, application and organisation of third-
party funded projects.

The payment is based on the collective agreement for the public service in the 
German federal states, TV-L E 13, for a 100% position. The number of working 
hours per week amounts currently to 39.8 h. The number of holidays per year is 
currently 30.

For your work, you will have access to our high-performance computing systems 
installed in 2023 and a regional HPC cluster that allows for performing cutting-
edge simulations. You will work in a team with over two decades of experience in 
numerical fluid dynamics and simulations of atmospheric flows using the 
mesoscale model WRF and the LES model PALM. You can access measurement data from 
a worldwide unique research wind farm for validation purposes. 

Candidate profile

Requirements for employment include:
- PhD degree in physical or engineering sciences,
- university degree (diploma or master) in Physical Sciences, Meteorology, 
Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, Renewable Energy (with major in wind 
energy) or in a similar field,
- profound knowledge in computational fluid dynamics and either aerodynamics 
(especially aeroelasticity) or atmospheric sciences,
- experience in analysing large data sets,
- fluency in communicating and reporting in English.

Desired (but not mandatory) qualifications are:
- experience in atmospheric large-eddy simulations,
- experience in structural dynamics of mechanical systems,
- experience abroad of several months during the school, graduation period or 
employment after graduation,
- good German skills.

University of Oldenburg strives to increase the proportion of women in science. 
Therefore, women are strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance with §21, para. 
3 NHG, female applicants will be given preferential consideration in the case of 
equivalent qualifications. Applicants with disabilities will be given preference 
in case of equal qualification. Further, the university cares for a family-
friendly working environment and offers a family service centre and children's 
daycare on campus. Full-time positions can also be turned into part-time ones.

Research environment at ForWind - University of Oldenburg

Wind energy research at the University of Oldenburg has gained international 
recognition by its integration into ForWind - Center for Wind Energy Research of 
the Universities of Oldenburg, Hannover and Bremen and the national Wind Energy 
Research Alliance of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Fraunhofer Institute for 
Wind Energy Systems (IWES) and ForWind.
At ForWind, we maintain and value collaboration between our research groups and 
partner institutions auch as the European Academy of Wind Energy members. In 
Oldenburg, our 50 researchers from physics, meteorology and engineering are 
collaborating at the "Research Laboratory for Turbulence and Wind Energy 
Systems" centred on wind physics. Our mission is to develop an improved 
understanding of atmospheric and wind power plant flow physics, which is 
required to serve the global demand for clean and affordable electricity. 
Therefore, we conduct laboratory experiments, free-field measurements and HPC-
based numerical simulations. The main topics include the description and 
modelling of wind turbulence, the analysis of interactions of turbulent 
atmospheric wind flow and wind energy systems, as well as control of wind 
turbines and wind farms. The covered scales range from small-scale turbulence up 
to meteorological phenomena. Our research facilities comprise three turbulent 
wind tunnels, various equipment for free-field measurements at on- and offshore 
wind farms and a high-performance computing cluster. Almost all our projects 
combine analysis at more than one of these infrastructures.

Contact

For questions regarding this job opportunity, please contact Dr. Gerald 
Steinfeld at +49(0)441/798-5073 or preferably by email at gerald.steinfeld@uni-
oldenburg.de. Further information is available at www.forwind.de/en/ and 
https://uol.de/en/energiemeteorology/research/wind-energy.

Please submit your application electronically as one PDF file by 20.05.2024 to 
wesys.bewerbungen@uni-oldenburg.de and include reference #CFD100.

The PDF file must include either in English or German:
- a letter motivating your application (cover letter),
- a one-page research statement with your notion of the advertised topic,
- your curriculum vitae,
- grade transcripts and BSc/MSc/PhD diploma,
- employment references.

An optional attachment is a second PDF file containing your PhD thesis and 
research papers. We are looking forward to receiving your application.