School of Chemical Engineering Join a university ranked in the world’s top 50 Research for an industrial project for iron and steelmaking industry Full-time, fixed term appointment for up to 2 years Work at our vibrant and conveniently located St Lucia Campus

About UQ

We are seeking a talented Postdoctoral Research Fellow with strong background in the fields of chemical, metallurgical or thermal engineering, particularly related with ironmaking and steelmaking, and associated numerical modelling with the computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method (CFD/DEM) simulation to work on the technology and engineering development of heat management and equipment and process designs for the zero-emission iron and steelmaking industry with hydrogen. The candidate will work with the research team and industrial partners to plan and execute the industrial project, which include heat exchanger design, hot blast and off gas reuse, hydrogen heating, mass and energy flow, techno-economic analysis, process optimisation, and scale-up the heating technology for iron and steelmaking industry.

The successful candidate is expected to have the background or equivalent field in thermal engineering or chemical and/or metallurgical engineering. The work will deal with the research of heating hydrogen and associated equipment and process designs using the computational fluid flow and discrete element method (CFD/DEM) simulation, including the techno-economic analysis to evaluate the energy cost and efficiency of our proposed iron and steelmaking route. The selected candidate should show creativity, teamwork, independence, self-motivation, leadership, and project management skills to ensure the deliveries of project objectives. Experience in R&D projects and research in thermal engineering and techno-economic model development is desirable.

Please visit the UQ Careers webpage to view the full job advertisement.

About This Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to focus their efforts on developing their expertise and emerging research profile in nanomedicine and extracellular vesicles. At this level it is expected that the incumbent will contribute to service and engagement roles and activities.

Key responsibilities will include:

Research

Design, set up and develop heating route for lump iron ore reduction with hydrogen. Conduct research on heat exchanger design, hot blast and off gas reuse, hydrogen heating, energy and heat flow, evaluate heat transfer technologies and processes, and techno-economic analysis. Optimise the heating route in terms of energy cost and utilization efficiency. Apply the computational fluid flow and discrete element method (CFD/DEM) simulation with machine learning in the application above. Collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team to plan and carry out innovative R&D projects to develop the heating technologies for iron ore pre-reduction with hydrogen. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of research results from experiments or models. Integrate the work from PhD students into the scale-up of the iron ore pre-reduction heating system and demonstrate the work to the key stakeholders. Write and edit scientific reports and publish high quality reports to stakeholders and publish high quality papers in internationally influential journals. Build connections with industrial partners and sponsors and academic people with expertise in the same area. Identify IP arising from research and facilitate its protection through established university procedures. Conduct techno-economic studies as part of strategies to integrate hydrogen heating unit into a steel-making plant.

Please visit the UQ Careers webpage to view the full job advertisement.

This is a research focused academic position. Further information can be found by viewing UQ’s Criteria for Academic Performance.

This is a full-time (100%), fixed-term position for up to 2 years at Academic level A. The full-time equivalent base salary will be in the range $74,308.68 – $99,426.59, plus a generous super allowance of up to 17%. The total FTE package will be up to $86,941.16 – $116,329.11 annually.

The greater benefits of joining the UQ community are broad: from being part of a Group of Eight university, to recognition of prior service with other Australian universities, up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, 17.5% annual leave loading, and genuine career progression opportunities via the academic promotions process.

About You

A PhD degree in the area of thermal engineering or other disciplines with research and publications in the area of heat management development for iron and steelmaking or chemical engineering or other related industries. The solid knowledge and experience in thermal engineering, metallurgical engineering or chemical engineering, process design and optimization. Knowledge and experience in the computational fluid flow and discrete element method (CFD/DEM) simulation. Knowledge and skills in thermal equipment design, techno-economic model development. Demonstrated experience in getting involved in R&D projects for industries in a university or corporate environment. Ability to actively participate in discussion, presentation and debate in English and to write detailed reports and journal papers efficiently and succinctly. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team, while taking the lead role for specific projects. Keep a good record of scientific publications in high-impact journals. Be resourceful and creative in solving challenging problems in research. High level of interpersonal skills and good presentation skills.

In addition, the following mandatory requirements apply:

Mandatory Immunisations: It is a condition of employment for this role that you will be required to provide evidence of immunisation against certain vaccine preventable diseases. Background Checks: All final applicants for this position may be asked to consent to a criminal record check. Please note that people with criminal records are not automatically barred from applying for this position. Each application will be considered on its merits. Relocating from overseas? We may support you with the visa sponsorship process. You can find out more about life in Australia’s Sunshine State here.

Questions?

For more information about this opportunity, please contact Professor Geoff Wang via gxwang@uq.edu.auarrow_outwardOpens in new window or tab. For application queries, please contact recruitment@uq.edu.auarrow_outwardOpens in new window or tab stating the job reference number (below) in the subject line.

Want to Apply?

All applicants must upload the following documents for your application to be considered:

Resume

Cover letter

Responses to the ‘About You’ section

Please note that you will be asked to add all documents into the one upload box labelled ‘resume’, which is step one of the application form.

Other Information

If you are a current employee (including casual staff and HDR scholars) or hold an unpaid/affiliate appointment, please login to your staff Workday account and visit the internal careers board to apply for this opportunity. Please do NOT apply via the external job board.

Applications close on 2 July 2023 at 11.00pm AEST (R-25258)