"Research Assistant/Associate in Electric Road Freight System (Fixed Term)"

A position exists for a Research Assistant/Associate in the Department of Engineering to work on research in electric road freight. The role is based in Central Cambridge within the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (www.csrf.ac.uk), focusing on reducing energy use and emissions from the road freight sector.

Key responsibilities and duties:

• Conducting independent and team-based research into various aspects of the electrification of long-haul road freight systems.
• Developing mathematical models to understand the operational performance of electric heavy goods vehicles, particularly electric road systems.
• Developing mathematical models to understand and analyse the implications of different electrification pathways for road freight.
• Modelling and analysis of total cost of ownership of electric logistics operations with various charging solutions, including static and dynamic charging, battery swapping, and pony-express.
• Designing in-service data-collection, tests, and experiments to validate models and analysis.
• Compiling quantitative and qualitative data, preparing reports to summarize main findings and conclusions.
• Leading and coordinating in-service data collection from electric heavy goods vehicles.
• Writing project milestone reports and the final project report.
• Attending project meetings, workshops, and conferences.
• Engaging with and presenting research outcomes to stakeholders.
• Publishing peer-reviewed research articles in internationally renowned journals.
• Co-supervising undergraduate projects.
• Providing research support to PhD students.
• Supporting project management.

Skills, qualifications, and experience required:

• Must hold or be close to completing a PhD in mechanical engineering with direct relevance to road freight electrification.
• Strong theoretical and practical understanding of road freight electrification and electric road systems.
• Expertise in technological and economic modelling and analysis of road freight electrification.
• Real-world experience in measuring operational performance of electric heavy goods vehicles.
• Ability to collect and process in-service electric heavy goods vehicle operational data.
• Strong communication skills, including working in a team and liaising with colleagues, administrative staff, technical staff, equipment suppliers, and industrial partners.
• Excellent presentation and academic writing skills.

Appointment at Research Associate level requires a PhD (or equivalent); those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant level initially.

Salary ranges: Research Assistant: £33,002 - £35,608; Research Associate: £37,694 - £46,049. Fixed-term for 24 months.

To apply, click the 'Apply' button to register and apply online via the recruitment system. Upload your CV and a covering letter. For questions about the vacancy, contact Dr Na at xnhn2@cam.ac.uk; for the application process, contact Elizabeth Howard at eh301@cam.ac.uk. Quote reference NM47368.