Postdoc in Extremely fast charging of Li-ion cells

This postdoc position gives an unique possibility to reach absolute specialist competence in battery research and combine this with automatic control, both fields with very strong job markets also in the foreseeable future. The project involves both theoretical in-depth work as well as application oriented, and collaboration with specialists from the involved companies. You will be working in an internationally well-reputed group of about 10 researchers in the Automatic Control group developing battery management algorithms.

Perhaps most importantantly, the project may lead to significantly prolonged battery life as well as a noticeably faster charging-time. This will further improve resource efficiency, sustainability and vehicle economy.

Information about the project
The position is with the Automatic Control group in the Division of Systems and Control. Aiming for sustainable solutions, this group is involved in many research projects in energy savings using automatic control methods. In general the projects are carried out in collaboration with other research groups, institutes, and industry.

Li-ion batteries have been recognised as today's leading energy storage source among various cell chemistries. Compared to fossil fuels burned in an internal combustion engine, however, a limiting factor is the 'refuelling' time. The time to fill a depleted battery can be as long as several hours. This forms an obstacle in the promotion of electric vehicles. To mitigate the lengthy charging process, electric vehicles have to be equipped with large battery packs to reduce the number of recharges and charging stations/piles need to be placed densely, to avoid queuing. While the former unnecessarily increases vehicle weight, costs and space occupied by the battery, the latter occupies urban land, complicates the transportation system and reduces the cost-benefit of EVs. Moreover, both scenarios substantially lower the life-cycle resource efficiency and sustainability of the batteries.

This project aims to address the problem by:
1) development of models for the emitted signals of advanced sensors implanted into battery cells.
2) online estimation of physical limits of fast charging, and
3) development of an optimal control strategy to minimise the charging time and conciliate it with other battery properties.

In this project, we will collaborate with Insplorion AB (a Swedish company) and researchers in physics at Chalmers and Uppsala University.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibility is to pursue research in line with the project, publish and present scientific articles and take part in discussions. The position may also include supervision of MSc thesis projects in the field. Another important aspect involves collaboration within academia and with society at large.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of two years (1+1) with a possible extension.

Qualifications
To qualify for the position of postdoc, you must have a doctoral degree in a relevant field; Automatic Control/Signal Processing/Engineering Mathematics/Electrochemistry/Physics. It is meritable to have experience in battery research, battery systems, automatic control, and machine learning. 

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. Swedish is not a requirement but Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20210458 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as pdf-files, as below:

CV: (Please name the document as: CV, Surname, Ref. number) including:
• CV, include complete list of publications
• Previous teaching and pedagogical experiences
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous research fields and main research results
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Attested copies of completed education, grades and other certificates.

Learn more and apply here: https://www.chalmers.se/sv/om-chalmers/Arbeta-pa-Chalmers/lediga-tjanster/Sidor/default.aspx

Application deadline: 4 November, 2021

For questions, please contact:
Professor Torsten Wik, Systems and Control
Email: tw@chalmers.se
Phone: +46 31 772 5146

Ass. Prof. Changfu Zou, Systems and Control
Email: changfu@chalmers.se
Phone: +46 31 772 3392

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***