Research Associate (Power Electronics)

Location: Manchester, United Kingdom

Company

hirify.global is an academic research institution conducting collaborative engineering research with industry partners.

What you will do

• Develop and refine a first-principles power-frequency capability envelope framework for the more electric aircraft DC bus.
• Create reduced-order and behavioural DC bus models from time-domain simulations of converter and energy-storage dynamics.
• Formalise benchmarking procedures for comparing real or simulated DC bus behaviour with capability envelopes and mission demand spectra.
• Quantify and report power-quality margin, coverage, and disturbance-containment metrics.
• Set up and test a bidirectional converter capable of injecting harmonic content as a hardware demonstrator.
• Validate generated models and benchmarking methods against measured hardware behaviour while working with an industry sponsor.

Requirements

• PhD or submitted thesis in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Power Electronics, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong experience in power electronic converter analysis, modelling, and design, including DC–DC converter topologies and control.
• Proficiency in time-domain circuit or system simulation using tools such as LTspice, PLECS, MATLAB/Simulink, or PSIM.
• Ability to derive models or reduced-order representations from simulation data, with familiarity with frequency-domain analysis, FFT, and spectral decomposition.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Nice to have

• Hands-on converter or PCB design, build, and laboratory testing experience, especially with bidirectional converters or battery- and supercapacitor-interfaced converters.
• Experience with energy-storage systems, hardware-in-the-loop or real-time simulation, data acquisition, instrumentation, and test automation.
• Familiarity with more electric aircraft power architectures and relevant aerospace standards.
• Peer-reviewed journal or conference publications.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative research environment involving an industry partner.
• Employer contribution pension.
• 29 days of annual leave plus bank holidays and Christmas closure.
• Ride-to-work and electric vehicle car schemes.
• Inclusive environment that values diverse perspectives, transferable skills, and real-world experience.

Hiring process

• Applications close at midnight on the stated closing date.
• Vacancy enquiries cover shortlisting and interviews.