07 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Aalborg University, Denmark

The PostDoc is part of a large research project on Circular Manufacturing, funded by the Danish Industry Foundation. The project aims to establish a national lab-based testbed on circular manufacturing, creating multiple demonstrators on how technologies aid in operationalizing circular manufacturing. This includes e.g. developing effective methods for managing End-of-Life (EOL) products, decision-making models for recovering, refurbishing, and reusing components from returned products, creating product and component traceability, effective disassembly processes, material grading, and automatization of remanufacturing processes. The project will work closely with several industrial partners to develop operational solutions and real-world impact.  

The work will commence in collaboration with a dedicated team of experienced researchers, lab engineers, and PhD students associated with the project, and in collaboration with researchers at partner university and a private company facilitating innovation activities.

Aalborg University contributes to the knowledge building of the global society as well as the development of prosperity, welfare and culture of Danish society. This is accomplished through research, research-based education, public sector services and knowledge collaboration. AAU educates students for the future and activities are based on a dynamic and transformative collaboration with the surrounding community.

AAU Energy is a dynamic engineering research department in continuous growth and inspiring surroundings. AAU Energy has a very international environment and covers all areas of clean and sustainable energy systems of the future within electrical, thermal and mechatronic energy technology. AAU Energy has campuses in both Aalborg and Esbjerg, this position is located in Aalborg.

The mission is to be world leading in both research and research-based education of the energy engineers of the future. AAU Energy has approx. 300 employees of many nationalities, of which 25 are administrative staff. In addition, AAU Energy constantly has approx. 50-70 guest researchers from around the world.

Research and teaching are in the absolute world elite in the field of energy, and we have extensive and leading workshop and laboratory facilities, where research and innovation are carried out in direct collaboration with industry to a great extent.
The position is offered in relation to the research group “Power Electronic Control, Reliability, and System Optimization ” and the Postdoc will be positioned to the section for “Applied Power Electronic Systems”.

The main research area will be within the field of problem-based learning (PBL) in engineering education. The position will be affiliated to the Aalborg Centre for Problem Based Learning in Engineering Science and Sustainability under the auspices of UNESCO (UCPBL). The researcher will be primarily working in a cross-disciplinary team of researchers, who are committed to the vision and mission of the Centre (https://www.ucpbl.net/about/). The postdoctoral project is also part of a development project within Institute for Advance Study in PBL (https://www.iaspbl.aau.dk ) within Aalborg University, requesting this researcher to work on this project in collaboration with research from other disciplines and faculties. In concrete, the postdoctoral project have the following aims and expectations:

1.    Development and implementation of strategies and practices that increase students’      awareness of and active participation in the university’s mission-driven innovation activities.
2.    Planning, facilitating, and evaluating interdisciplinary workshops, seminars, and collaborative projects involving students, academic staff, and external partners.
3.    Collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data (e.g., surveys) to uncover motivational factors and barriers to students’ involvement in mission-driven innovation processes.
4.    Developing, testing, and evaluating materials and interventions that support the integration of mission-oriented innovation into existing PBL contexts.
5.    Disseminating project results through scientific publications, conferences, information campaigns, and other relevant communication channels, both internally at AAU and externally.
6.    Active participation in establishing networks and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.