Postdoc on Modeling of High Temperature Heat Pumps

Applications are invited for a 2-year position in the field of CFD and modeling of heat pumps at the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Expected start date and duration of employment

This is a 2–year position from 1 December 2025 or as soon possible.

Job description

You will be contributing to a collaborative project with industrial partners. The overall goal of the project is to design a novel high temperature heat pump. You will be conducting Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations and cycle analysis, which will be instrumental to the overarching goal of the project.

The tasks include selecting or developing suitable solvers, conducting the simulations, analyzing the results, and disseminating them in form of publications, presentations and a final report. Active collaboration with project partners is also expected.

Your profile

Applicants should hold a PhD in mechanical engineering at the time of starting the position.

The selected applicant must have a high level of hand-on experience in CFD, specifically in modeling of turbulent and multiphase flows, and be able to model and analyse thermodynamic cycles.

In addition, the selected candidate is expected to have high motivation and independence and good English communication skills as well as being a team player.

Familiarity with openFoam and some experience in experimental methods is considered beneficial.

Who we are

You will be a member of the Heat and Fluid Flow research group, where research in the general area of fluid mechanics and heat transfer is performed. A focus area in the group is modeling of multiphase flows with application in green technologies; what will give you a chance to be a part of a collaborative research environment and boost your research productivity.

What we offer

Moreover, the department offers:

• a well-developed research infrastructure and access to shared equipment,
• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international and industrial collaborators
• a research climate encouraging lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities
• a workplace characterized by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance.

Place of work and area of employment

The place of work is the department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Katrinebjergvej 89 G-F, 8200 Aarhus, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.

Contact information

For further information, please contact: Associate Prof. Pourya Forooghi, forooghi@mpe.au.dk.

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 2 September 2025.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: HR.Nattech@au.dk

Formalities and salary range

Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.