Post Doctoral Research Associate in Wind Energy Control

The successful candidate will work with Dr Stock and his team at Heriot-Watt University (HWU) in the CONFORMABLE (Control for Main Bearing Lifetime Extension) project. This project will characterise and quantify control impacts on main bearing lives in order to develop novel wind turbine and wind farm controllers that extend main bearing lifetimes and reduce Levelised Cost of Energy. 

Our specific aims are: 

- To provide a detailed quantification of impacts of partial wakes (and similar asymmetric inflow phenomena) on MB loads, fatigue life, wear and maintenance for offshore wind turbines in large wind farms and, hence, quantify impacts on LCOE. 

- To develop wind turbine controllers that improve MB loads, fatigue life, wear-rate and maintenance requirements in partial wakes and other asymmetric inflow conditions. 

- To develop wind farm controllers that optimise LCOE impacts of wake impingement by extending the current paradigm to include the cost implications of MB failures. 

Whilst the HWU role will focus on the second and third aims, this project will be highly collaborative and inter-disciplinary, and the ability to work across both themes of main bearing science and control will be necessary. 

The project has diverse project partners, including SKF, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly NREL). It is expected that the chosen candidate will be a key contact with these partners.   

Communication of project outputs is critical, and the successful candidate will be expected to write journal papers on technical topics, present work at both academic and industrial conferences, and run webinars, workshops and a hackathon across the lifetime of the project 

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Monday 12^th of October 2026.  

Please submit your CV via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system.  

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all. 

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/. 

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University. 

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. 

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.