Research Assistant / Research Associate in Energy System Resilience

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

The Role

This post will deliver research and impact related to two EPSRC funded projects: ResTOrES (Resilience Toolkit for Offshore Energy Systems) and RENEW (Climate Resilient Heat Electrification for Net-Zero Emission Whole Energy). The ResTOrES project will develop, test, and demonstrate a prototype resilience assessment toolkit for offshore energy systems. The toolkit will enable the quantification of resilience in terms of appropriate metrics during both standard operation (primarily governed by system reliability) and extreme events (primarily governed by robustness and restoration). This will be achieved by building on previous research which combined efficient optimization and sequential reliability assessment. The project is funded through an EPSRC call to accelerate research outcomes to achieve a prosperous net-zero and is supported by industrial and government partners including Equinor, Ofgem, and Kinewell Energy. RENEW brings together experts from Newcastle University, Brunel University London, and Imperial College London to enhance the UK’s energy system resilience through a whole-system analysis approach. Building on the proven WeSIM model, RENEW will upgrade its capabilities to incorporate electrified district heating and simulate the impacts of extreme weather using future-looking climate-based projections. It aims to identify cost-effective, climate-resilient investment pathways for the GB’s whole energy system. The project is supported by national and regional stakeholders, including the Association for Decentralised Energy, Birmingham Energy Institute, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Energy Demand Research Centre, Met Office, Newcastle City Council and Northern Powergrid.

Your core responsibilities will also involve contributing to the broader research activities on power and energy systems within the Electrical Power group. You will have the opportunity to contribute to other, strategic EPSRC projects such as the Supergen Energy Networks Hub and Energy Demand Research Centre. Other collaboration and research opportunities will be available, such as through the Centre for Energy. The post is full time, fixed term for 24 months. We aim to hold interviews in early June. A start date as close to 1st July 2025 is preferred although a later start can be discussed.

You will be based in the newly renovated Stephenson building, located on Newcastle University’s campus in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.

To apply, please upload a CV (academic style, 2 pages plus a publication list) and a cover letter (1 page A4). These should detail how your experience meets the requirements outlined in the job description and your interest in the role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support development and documentation of open-source data-driven climate-aware resilience assessment tools for whole energy systems.
• Formulate and solve optimisation problems, developing solutions which have appropriate accuracy, precision, and speed.
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the project’s dissemination (technical reports, conference and journal papers).
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through high-quality publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline.
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, deal with problems which may affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s).
• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes.
• Mentor/co-supervise less experienced researchers/students in the group.

The Person:

• Experience developing research software using appropriate languages and environments (Python, Julia, Matlab).
• Knowledge of optimisation problem formulations and solution methods.
• Experience of risk, resilience, and/or reliability assessment and their application to power and energy systems.
• The ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences with clarity.
• Experience of working as part of a team.
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems.
• A track record of publishing research outputs in internationally recognised journals.
• Experience of presentations at conferences, workshops, or equivalent events.
• Knowledge of offshore energy systems and their components (ResTOrES).
• Knowledge of whole energy systems, including electricity, heat, gas, and transport sectors (RENEW).
• Strong skills in implementing convex, linear, and mixed-integer programming and modelling frameworks (JuMP, Pyomo, Yalmip, GAMS, etc).
• Experience of working with future-looking weather and climate data.
• Experience with Git version control, particularly with Github.
• Experience of collaborating with other academic institutions and industrial partners and stakeholders.

Attributes and Behaviour:

• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines.
• Be open to new ideas, and welcome different perspectives and new ways of thinking.
• Commitment to continued professional development.
• Understanding of and commitment to good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity.
• Ability to communicate work to a range of audiences, including researchers, engineers, and the general public.

Qualifications:

• Research Assistant: Degree in engineering or numerate subject (e.g., mathematics, physical sciences, computer science).
• PhD close to completion in field of Power Systems, Energy systems modelling, or a related discipline (upon PhD completion, will transition to Research Associate).
• In addition for Research Associate: PhD awarded in field of Power Systems, Energy systems modelling, or a closely related discipline.

We follow the Researcher Development Concordat. We enable all staff to fulfil their research potential regardless of career stage. This commitment secures our thriving research culture and vibrant research environment. Our offer to each individual and their researcher development involves mentoring, annual research planning discussions, pooled research funding to support career development and research activities, peer review support for the development of research and innovation funding applications.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.