Post-Doc position (R2) - High-fidelity Multiphysics modelling for battery cells and systems

Barcelona Supercomputing Center; Barcelona; Presencial; EUR 50.000 - 70.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

A leading research institution in Barcelona seeks a Postdoctoral Researcher to develop high-fidelity simulations for battery technology advancements. This role requires strong knowledge in fluid mechanics and numerical methods, with responsibilities including simulation of thermal runaway processes and design data generation. The position offers a competitive salary, flexible working hours, and numerous benefits to enhance a supportive working environment.

Servicios

Flexible working hours

Extensive training plan

Private health insurance

Restaurant tickets

Support for relocation procedures

22 paid vacation days

6 leave days for personal matters

Formación

• Strong knowledge of fluid mechanics, chemistry, thermodynamics, and numerical methods.
• Good level of English.

Responsabilidades

• Develop a tabulated heat-source model for Conjugate Heat Transfer and integrate it into Alya's CHT solver.
• Collaborate on developing high-fidelity interface-capturing techniques for thermal-runaway modeling on HPC systems.
• Run high-fidelity CHT and interface-capturing simulations to generate data for design and safety assessments.
• Participate in project meetings.
• Collaborate with BSC researchers and all project partners.

Conocimientos

Analytical skills

Fluid mechanics knowledge

Chemistry knowledge

Thermodynamics knowledge

Numerical methods knowledge

Ability to work independently

Good communication skills

Teamwork skills

Educación

Degree in computational mechanics, civil engineering, applied mathematics

Descripción del empleo

Context And Mission

The European Commission (EC) is fully committed to addressing climate change, the greatest challenge of our time. Accordingly, many initiatives and reforms have been launched to achieve a climate‑neutral Europe by 2050. Transportation in its various forms (road, waterborne, air, and rail) accounts for approximately 25% of the EU’s total CO₂ emissions. In recent years, batteries have played an essential role in decarbonizing diverse applications, such as transport and industrial activities, thanks to their long lifespan, high energy density, and strong power density. Nonetheless, internal or external faults and repeated charge–discharge cycles degrade battery performance and can give rise to serious safety concerns, such as thermal runaway. Therefore, developing efficient, high‑fidelity numerical models is essential to examining and understanding the complex processes involved.

This postdoc position offers the chance to participate in a research project coordinated by VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, to further advance the battery field and contribute to the development of sustainable energy technologies. VTT is a leading Finnish research institution focused on technological solutions for a sustainable society, including energy systems. In this project, BSC will perform high‑fidelity simulations to better understand the complex, coupled multiphysics phenomena in battery cells and systems. These simulation data will provide insights for prototyping, design, and abuse testing to increase performance and safety.

The successful candidate will join the Propulsion Technologies Group in the CASE Department at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC). This multidisciplinary team has deep expertise in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and advanced software development for high‑performance computing (HPC). The researcher will develop an HPC‑based computational framework to study conjugate heat transfer and interface capturing in battery modules and packs, with a focus on immersion cooling and thermal runaway. Using BSC’s Alya code, the work will (i) run CHT simulations of immersion cooling to provide design data to project partners, such as heat‑transfer coefficients and volumetric flow rates, and (ii) simulate immiscible gas–oil flow inside the module with interface‑capturing techniques to quantify pressure rise for design purposes. Alya already includes the required physical models, including the Navier–Stokes equations, heat‑transfer models, and interface‑capturing methods such as level set, conservative level set (CLS), and Cahn–Hilliard. The candidate’s models will be verified and validated against experimental data from partner prototypes using state‑of‑the‑art equipment.

Key Duties

• Develop a tabulated heat‑source model for Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) and integrate it into Alya’s CHT solver.
• Collaborate on developing high‑fidelity interface‑capturing techniques (level set, conservative level set, Cahn‑Hilliard) for thermal‑runaway modeling on HPC systems.
• Run high‑fidelity CHT and interface‑capturing simulations to generate data for design and safety assessments.
• Participate in project meetings.
• Collaborate with BSC researchers and all project partners.

Education

Related to computational mechanics, civil engineering, applied mathematics.

Essential Knowledge and Professional Experience

• General knowledge of fluid mechanics, chemistry, thermodynamics, and numerical methods are expected.

Additional Knowledge and Professional Experience

• Parallel programming for HPC is not necessary, but will be considered an asset.
• Good level in English

Competences

Strong analytical skills, ability to work independently and within a team and good communication and teamwork skills to work in a multidisciplinary team.

Conditions

• The position will be located at BSC within the CASE Department
• We offer a full‑time contract a good working environment, a highly stimulating environment with state‑of‑the‑art infrastructure, flexible working hours, extensive training plan, restaurant tickets, private health insurance, support to the relocation procedures
• Duration : Open‑ended contract due to technical and scientific activities linked to the project and budget duration
• Holidays : 22 paid vacation days, 6 leave days for personal matters, plus 24th and 31st of December per our collective agreement
• Salary : we offer a competitive salary commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate and according to the cost of living in Barcelona
• Starting date : 01 / 12 / 2025