Postdoctoral Research Associate in Modelling of Subcontinuum Heat Transfer in Kilmarnock

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in heat transfer modelling at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. The position is available from 1 May 2026 for a two-year, full-time contract. Advanced chip designs are lowering the energy consumption of microelectronic components, devices, and systems, while increasing performance. Addressing energy consumption and heat dissipation is a key challenge underpinning development of mobile devices, large data centres and smart edge devices. This role focuses on sub-continuum and mesoscopic modelling of heat transfer in nanoelectronic devices, bridging atomistic insights and continuum-scale thermal management strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply phonon Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE)–based models to capture non-diffusive heat transport at the nanoscale.
• Couple BTE-based models with information from atomistic simulations (DFT) of advanced materials and thermal interfaces.
• Investigate phonon scattering, thermal conductivity, heat generation and dissipation in electronic nanodevices, including thermal switches, energy harvesters, and phase-change materials (PCMs).
• Coarse-grain subcontinuum information in BTE-based models and support the development of surrogate continuum models to study heat dissipation and PCM integration in 2D/3D nanodevice arrays and micro-packaging.
• Interface sub-continuum modelling outputs with chip-level and package-level multiphysics simulations, supporting system-level thermal optimisation.

The role involves close collaboration with international partners across Europe, including experts in DFT, materials synthesis, thermal characterisation and nanoelectronics, and contributes to the delivery of open-source modelling tools developed within SPARK-e. This position offers an opportunity to work at the interface of statistical mechanics, heat transfer engineering, nanoelectronics and advanced materials within a high-profile European research programme.

Key Duties And Responsibilities

• Take a leading role in the xFlow research group, contributing to the development of new research directions aligned with SPARK-e and related projects.
• Lead research activities including model development, numerical implementation, and analysis of multi-scale heat transfer phenomena.
• Co-supervise PhD students and contribute to mentoring early-career researchers involved in related modelling activities.
• Attend and actively contribute to the bi-weekly xFlow research group meetings and SPARK-e research meetings.
• Interact closely with other partners, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working on SPARK-e and complementary projects.
• Contribute to the organisation of local seminars, workshops, and project meetings as required.
• Disseminate research outcomes through high-quality journal publications, conference presentations, and project deliverables.

Education, Qualifications And Experience

Essential Criteria

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Solid-State Physics, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong background in heat transfer and thermal transport modelling.
• Experience with numerical methods for transport equations (e.g. BTE, kinetic methods, finite-volume / finite-difference approaches).
• Programming experience in C / C++ / Python, or similar, and familiarity with scientific computing environments.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary, international research team.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience with phonon transport, nano-scale heat transfer, or non-Fourier heat conduction.
• Familiarity with quadrature methods of moments.
• Familiarity with OpenFOAM, kinetic/UGKS-type solvers.
• Experience in multi-scale or surrogate modelling, or coupling between atomistic and continuum descriptions.
• Track record of publications in high-quality journals.

How to Apply

Please submit your application via the Heriot-Watt online recruitment system with: (1) Full CV including a list of publications; (2) Brief (no more than 2 pages) research statement detailing your previous research experience and future research interests; (3) Contact information for two senior researchers familiar with your research experience. Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm UK time on Thursday 19 February 2026. Interviews are expected to take place the w/c 23 February 2026.

Equality and Diversity

Heriot-Watt University is committed to equality of opportunity and to an environment where individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and treated on the basis of merit. We value diversity and welcome applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups.