Academisch personeel

Join the ERC-ADG project REALTOWIND as a PhD researcher to advance high-fidelity wind-farm emulation and control strategies for wind-farm atmosphere interaction.

About the role

This full-time PhD position is embedded within the Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion (TME) section at the Arenberg campus in Leuven. The project aims to develop meso–micro scale models that accurately simulate wind-farm behavior under realistic atmospheric conditions, ultimately enabling smarter control systems for renewable energy integration.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and validate high-fidelity numerical models of wind-farm flow at meso and micro scales.
• Couple atmospheric boundary-layer simulations with turbine-resolving large-eddy simulations.
• Develop reduced-order models and control-oriented emulators for real-time wind-farm optimization.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of fluid-dynamicists, control engineers, and atmospheric scientists.
• Publish findings in leading journals and present at international conferences.
• Contribute to teaching and supervision of master theses within the department.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), turbulence modeling, or atmospheric science.
• Proficiency in programming (Python, Fortran, C++, or similar) and experience with CFD solvers (e.g., OpenFOAM, PALM, WRF).
• Familiarity with high-performance computing (HPC) environments.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of Dutch is a plus but not required.

Benefits

• Four-year PhD fellowship with a competitive salary and social security coverage (health insurance, pension, etc.).
• Access to state-of-the-art computational facilities and experimental wind-tunnel infrastructure.
• Opportunities for international research stays and collaborations within the ERC-ADG network.
• Support for conference travel and professional development.
• Inclusion in a vibrant, interdisciplinary research group with a strong track record in renewable energy and fluid dynamics.

Application deadline: 1 October 2026.