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EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,500 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 17,000 people, including over 12,500 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.

PhD position - Experimental study of fluid-structure interactions in hydraulic machines

Mission

A PhD position is available in the Technology Platform for Hydraulic Machines at EPFL in Lausanne in he research group led by Dr. Elena Vagnoni. Since 1969, PTMH (ptmh.epfl.ch) is a centre of scientific excellence in research and development of hydraulic machines, specializing in performance validation, hydrodynamics, cavitation, hydro-acoustics, numerical simulations and advanced measurement techniques. This PhD position is framed within a collaborative project VORTEX-FLEX with the Unsteady Flow Diagnostics Laboratory (UNFoLD) led by Prof. Karen Mulleners at EPFL in Lausanne and granted by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).

Switzerland has a strategic goal to increase hydropower electricity production to 37,400 GWh by 2035 and to 38,600 GWh by 2050, which highlights the critical role of hydropower in securing the national energy supply. To meet this goal, there is an urgent need for a thorough review of technical setups and operational strategies, including more flexible operations and more frequent start-up cycles to guarantee grid stability. The transient flow behaviour during start-up cycles leads to the formation of vortical structures that have a different topology than the vortices that develop during steady-state operation and lead to adverse fluid-structure interactions increase e.g. fatigue damage. The collaborative VORTEX-FLEX project aims to gain insight into the parameters that govern the formation, interaction, and evolution of the vortices during the start-up process to develop guidelines for optimal start-up procedures and accurately predict the expected lifetime and maintenance intervals of hydraulic machines. Your role in this project will be to study the vorticity and the related fluid-structure interactions during start-up sequences in Francis-type reversible pump turbines causing fatigue. You will perform experiments in a fully homologous reduced-scale model of the hydraulic machine and carry out an analytical modelling to complement the experiments in a new experimental facility which will be conducted by our partners at UNFoLD.

Main duties and responsibilities

As a PhD student, you will be expected to:

  • Perform original research in the field of hydraulic machinery and experimental fluid dynamics.
  • Lead and contribute to publications in scientific journals.
  • Contribute to general lab activities (including teaching assistance and co-supervision of student projects)

Profile

We seek candidates who are deeply motivated to engage in cutting-edge research, demonstrating both collaborative teamwork and independent initiative, and hold:

  • A MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Energy or closely related disciplines with excellent records.
  • Strong interest in hydraulic turbomachines and experimental fluid mechnanics.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
  • Enthusiasm, scientific curiosity, eager to learn, good organizational skills, rigor in experimental work.

We offer

  • Opportunity to perform state-of-the-art research in one of the most dynamic scientific institutions in Europe.
  • Experimental and modelling experience that will give you a comprehensive research portfolio.
  • Competitive salary and excellent educational conditions (https://www.epfl.ch/education/phd/doctoral-studies-structure/doctoral-students-salary/).
  • Term of employment: 1-year fixed-term contract (CDD), renewable for 4 years.

Informations

Interested applicants should upload the following documents:

  • CV
  • Motivation statement
  • Grades from bachelor and master studies

Screening will start immediately and will continue until a suitable candidate has been found.

To be eligible for a PhD at EPFL, note that candidates also need to be enrolled in one of the EPFL doctoral school programs. This is a separate application process that you can start in parallel. We suggest that you apply to the Doctoral Program in Mechanics (EDME) or the Doctoral Program in Energy (EDEY).

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Elena Vagnoni (eena.vagnoni@epfl.ch).










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