Research Fellow in HV Cable Connectors

Location
Manchester, Greater Manchester, UK
Salary
£46,485 - £56,921 per annum, depending on relevant experience
Posted
Jan 22, 2025
Posting live until
Feb 21, 2025
Ref
SAE-027810

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER 

Faculty/Organisational Unit: Science and Engineering

Location: Oxford Road

Employment type: Fixed Term

Division/Team: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Hours Per Week: Full Time (1 FTE)

Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 04/03/2025

Contract Duration: 24 months

School/Directorate: School of Engineering

Enquiries about the vacancy, shortlisting and interviews:

Name: Lujia (Tony) Chen

Email: lujia.chen@manchester.ac.uk 

Background

The inter-compatible CAble REpair – Part 2 (iCARE2) Project will be an academic-industry collaboration between the University of Manchester, Pfisterer and National Grid Electricity Transmission. Further project details of iCARE2 can be found in the link below: https://smarter.energynetworks.org/projects/nia2_nget0077/

The University of Manchester enjoys a global reputation for its research and its innovative approach to learning, with an on-going £1 billion investment in facilities, staff and buildings. This builds on our tradition of success that stretches back over 180 years. The birth of the modern computer, the splitting of the atom, the founding principles of modern economics, the discovery of graphene, and the birthplace of chemical engineering – these and many more world changing innovations have their roots at our University. We are at the forefront of the search for solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems, boasting strong collaborative links with industry and public services.

The School of Engineering is one of two large, multi-disciplinary Schools within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The School delivers teaching and research activities across seven departments; Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Civil and Engineering Management. The School’s purpose is to foster an environment and culture where people use curiosity and imagination to create engineering solutions and develop skills that have a positive impact on society and we believe we can’t do this without our people.

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering hosts the largest academic high voltage laboratory in the UK. At the High Voltage Research Group, a wide variety of research work is carried out in areas including insulating materials, cables, transformers, overhead lines and gas insulated equipment.

The School has initiatives to enhance the working environment of all staff including; staff engagement lunches, focused support groups, away days, wellbeing activities, training and development opportunities, mentoring, flexible working, social spaces, seminars, and volunteering opportunities. The School welcomes applications from all sections of the community and are committed to having a representative workforce. We hold a Bronze Athena SWAN Award recognising our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Overall Purpose of the Job

There are significant costs and time associated with any cable repair, with the situation likely to worsen with an increasing number of cable installations and an ageing fleet of cable assets. The iCARE2 Project looks to address this problem with the development of a ‘Universal Joint’. A ‘Universal Joint’ would enable a speedy cable repair solution that can promptly re-establish service in the event of a cable fault, thus improving the resilience of a fast-changing electricity infrastructure.

One of the challenges encountered could be acquiring similar conductor dimensions with comparable system characteristics to pre-existing cabling. With traditional jointing techniques, there is risk of contamination due to ambient conditions during the jointing process that must be factored in. This contamination can lead to further failure during re-energisation after the cable repair. The idea explored in the iCARE2 Project is to develop a universal repair solution for the 400 kV cables in GB transmission networks. A successful outcome of the iCARE2 project would provide the end-users with a plug-and-play solution to repair faults that can significantly reduce repair time and provide the flexibility to disconnect, reconnect and test from the ‘Universal Joint’ should the repair installation encounter unexpected technical issues, which is currently not possible with conventional jointing approach.

The appointed post will be at postdoctoral fellow level and will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of research activities of the iCARE2 Project, which is a multi-disciplinary project with partners from both industry and academia. The post holder will ensure tasks are carried out in a timely manner with a high level of professionalism, confidentiality and in accordance with all UoM policies and procedures.

Key Responsibilities, Accountabilities or Duties

The range of duties will include:

  • Design, develop and maintain a high-voltage test system for carrying out experimental research on cable connector research in the iCARE2 project including the necessary safety features;
  • Work safely in a high-voltage laboratory environment;
  • Use computer-aided design and simulation modelling software packages throughout the project (e.g. COMSOL, SolidWorks);
  • Update and maintain documentation and records to high standards;
  • Communicate complex information of a specialist or highly technical nature, including to interdisciplinary audiences;
  • Prepare and present reports on research progress and write up research work for publication for industry partner updates;
  • Attend and contribute to relevant meetings and events, both in the UK and worldwide;
  • Continually update knowledge and understanding in the field of high voltage applications;
  • Build strong relationships with colleagues, students, industrial partners and policy stakeholders;
  • Work with colleagues on adjacent projects, as required;
  • Use creativity to analyse and interpret research data and connections, drawing conclusions on the outcomes;
  • Build both internal and external contacts and participate in research networks for the exchange of information and knowledge and to form relationships for future collaborations;
  • Provide suitable support to postgraduate and undergraduate students as appropriate;
  • Balance the competing pressures of research and administrative demands and deadlines.

Post holders are required to familiarise themselves with the University’s Equality and Diversity policies and to actively support these wherever possible.

Faculty of Science and Engineering:

  • Develop ideas for generating income and promoting research area;
  • Develop ideas for application of research outcomes;
  • In collaboration, decide on research programmes and methodologies;
  • Plan, co-ordinate and implement research programmes;
  • Manage the use of research resources and ensure that effective use is made of them;
  • Manage or monitor research budgets;
  • Balance the pressures of research and administrative demands and competing deadlines;
  • Conduct risk assessment and take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

Person Specification

Essential:

  • A PhD or equivalent in relevant scientific discipline and substantial post-doctoral experience in the relevant field;
  • A sustained publication record in relevant journals;
  • Specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies in the field of cable insulation systems and high voltage engineering;
  • Experience of working in a high-voltage laboratory environment and be able to design and operate high-voltage experiments, safely;
  • Experience in materials selection and characterisation methods specifically related to high voltage applications;
  • Experience in the fabrication and testing of dielectric materials;
  • Experience of developing research methodologies and devising models, approaches, techniques, critiques and methods;
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
  • Excellent time management and organisational skills;
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team to liaise confidently and effectively with a range of individuals, including industrial partners;
  • Ability to meet project deadlines.

Desirable:

  • Experience and knowledge of energy storage or materials manufacturing;
  • Demonstrable experience of leading and developing own research activity;
  • Experience of developing/designing equipment;
  • Experience of large data analysis tools;
  • Experience of programming for the analysis of image.