Position Opening: Offshore Wind Turbine Energy
Graduate Research Assistantship for a PhD Student in
Safe and Efficient Installation Methods for Offshore Wind Turbine Components and Systems
Dr. Amrit Verma, Assistant Professor of Mechanical engineering at the University of Maine, is seeking a motivated PhD student to work in the rapidly growing field of offshore wind turbine technology.
Installation of offshore wind turbines is a highly demanding task and is a significant cost driver for offshore wind energy. Currently, jack-up crane vessels are used in shallow waters to install fixed offshore wind turbines, where the sensitive turbine components are lifted and assembled piece by piece. This installation method is complex, time-consuming, and allows a limited weather window for installation. However, the rapidly growing size of offshore wind turbines, their deployment in deeper waters, and rapid growth in floating offshore wind turbine technology question the current industrial practices.
| Offshore wind turbine blade installation task (Courtsey: www.siemens.co.uk) |
This PhD position aims to develop novel, safe, and cost-effective solutions for installing bottom fixed and floating offshore wind turbines. The PhD student will work with experiments and develop and validate numerical models and tools for dynamic response analysis of offshore wind turbine components and systems during installation. In addition, efficient methodologies for operability and safety assessment of installation methods will be developed. The project may include case studies to install individual blades and integrated rotor-nacelle assembly onto bottom-fixed foundations and floating foundations using jack-up and floating installation vessels. The PhD position will be financially supported. For details about the position, please contact Dr. Amrit Verma (amrit.verma@maine.edu).
Required Qualifications
- Background in the field of offshore wind engineering, ocean engineering, marine structures, hydrodynamics, naval architecture or thesis in a closely related field
- Demonstrated research and academic excellence
- Good experience with computing languages such as Python or MATLAB
- Basic experience with ocean engineering software such as OrcaFlex, Wamit, or SIMA
- Hard-working, self-motivated and independent
To apply, please send to Dr. Amrit Verma (amrit.verma@maine.edu) (as one PDF file):
1) One-page cover letter addressing the motivation for the position
2) Curriculum vitae and sample publications
3) Unofficial transcripts (undergraduate and MS)
4) GRE scores (if available)