Turbo-Compressors Mechanical and Electrical System Design Innovations

Brunel University London; Greater London; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

London Allowance

Job summary

Brunel University London is offering a PhD-style research assistant position within the Mechanical Engineering field. The project focuses on developing models to select compressor arrangements for high‑pressure heat pumps, along with reduced-order rotordynamics and thermal management analyses.

Collaboration with aerodynamic design will be essential, with validation via FEA/CFD tools. Successful candidates will be appointed as research assistants and must pursue the PhD by project end, with a

Qualifications

• First/Upper Second-Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• Masters in Mechanical Eng or closely related discipline.
• Preference for research experience.
• Specific requirements include turbomachinery fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Develop models for compressor arrangement selection for high‑pressure heat pumps.
• Develop reduced-order models for rotordynamics, electrical drive and thermal management.
• Validate designs with Finite Element and CFD models.
• Coordinate with aerodynamic design in a parallel project.

Skills

Turbomachinery

Mechanical vibration

Electro-mechanical design

Numerical modelling

AI tools integration

Education

First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering

Masters in Mechanical Engineering

Equivalent international qualification

Tools

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Organisation/Company Brunel University London Department Engineering Research Field Engineering » Mechanical engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 30 Oct 2026 - 17:00 (Europe/London) Country United Kingdom Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Apr 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Reference Number 16996 Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 10131240 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Research Objectives: (1) Develop models for the selection of compressor arrangement for the high-pressure ratios encountered in industrial high temperature heat pumps (number of stages, orientation, electrical drive, sealing). (2) Develop a reduced order model for the analysis of alternative mechanical arrangements, rotodynamic analysis and electrical drive including thermal management considerations. Multi-objective optimisation will be included in the model. (3) Use the models to develop design options, in coordination with aerodynamic design conducted in a parallel project, for high pressure ratio heat pumps compressors and validate the designs using Finite Element and rotodynamic models as well as computational fluid dynamics models that incorporate conjugate heat transfer.

Offer holders will be appointed as research assistants and will be required to undertake research leading to the award of a PhD by the end of the project.

A First or Upper Second-Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1), an equivalent international

qualification, or a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline.

Preference will be given to candidates with research experience.

Specific Requirements

• Turbomachinery fundamentals


• Mechanical design and vibration analysis


• Electro-mechanical design and analysis


• Fundamentals of programming and numerical modelling


• Effective integration of AI tools into design and analysis processe


• Additional background that will be valued in the selection process:
  
  
  
  • Optimisation techniques
  
  
  • MATLAB and/or Python programming
  
  
  • Fundamentals of Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
  
  
  • Rotordynamics and vibration analysis
  
  
  • Tribology, bearings and sealing systems
  
  
  • Materials science
  
  
  
  


• Annual gross salary: £50,508 per annum inclusive of London Allowance - without any pension contributions


• An additional (family) allowance is available for candidates who have family obligations (applied from and until this condition applies)

Eligibility criteria

Mobility rules (eligibility of applicants): more information here

• Researchers funded by Doctoral Networks should comply with the mobility rules: in general, they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.


• In addition, they:
  
  
  
  • must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment.
  
  
  • can be of any nationality
  
  
  
  

Locations (place of work)

• M1-M36: the applicant will be employed by Brunel University of London and located at the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Science:


• M18-M23: the applicant will be seconded to SoftInWay UK Ltd:

Brunel University of London is Equal Opportunity Employers. We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion or sexual orientation. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by UK equality legislation