Open position at the Delft University

The Delft Center for Systems and Control of the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, announces an open position for an Assistant or Associate Professor in Nonlinear Modeling and Control of Automotive Systems.

Organization

The faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Delft University of Technology consists of 6 different departments. To integrate the research activities in the area of vehicle mechatronics in the departments of biomedical-, precision mechatronics- and control engineering a new Intelligent Automotive Systems chair has been defined. This chair is positioned in the control engineering department, indicated by the Delft Center for Systems and Control (DCSC) and will foster a close cooperation with the other vehicle mechatronics oriented departments. To strengthen the research and teaching developments within this new automotive chair an new academic staff position is defined also within DCSC.

The Delft Center for Systems and Control (DCSC, http://www.dcsc.tudelft.nl ) is a merger of three former systems and control groups within Delft University of Technology, i.e., the groups of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Applied Physics. The Center is located within the Mechanical Engineering faculty of the Delft University of Technology, and is currently composed of 15 academic staff who supervise about 50 PhD students and postdocs.

The teaching and research field of DCSC encompasses the wide area of modeling, estimation and identification, control and optimization of linear, non-linear, and hybrid dynamical systems. Applications include, but are not limited to, mechatronics and microsystems, sustainable industrial processes, transportation and traffic control, adaptive optics and physical imaging systems.

DCSC is responsible for an international MSc program in Systems and Control, and participates in the BSc and MSc programs in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, applied physics, and chemical engineering. Moreover, the group also actively participates in the Dutch graduate school DISC (Dutch Institute of Systems and Control). DCSC is expanding its laboratory facilities and it cooperates with many industrial partners.

Domain of research

The focus of the research of the new position will be oriented towards the development of the future new 'green car'. The candidate should excel both in fundamental research developments motivated by futuristic demands in intelligent vehicles as well as prototyping new fundamental concepts in demonstrators. The intelligent automotive systems will aim at reducing weight, increasing fuel efficiency, improving handling qualities, reducing maintenance costs,etc.

The fundamental research of the new position will involve developing nonlinear observer designs, parameter estimation and robust control methodologies for improving and exploiting ongoing and future vehicle developments through the use of smart sensors, active materials and drive-by-wire technology and new actuators. Key research topics include object oriented modeling for nonlinear multi-domain analysis, prototyping and validation of vehicle mechatronic systems, nonlinear state reconstruction, real-time optimization, hierarchical and nonlinear control with constraints, fault tolerant control and global chassis control.

Application fields are situated in the development and design of future vehicle handling systems and driver assistance systems. These developments will include virtual prototyping, hardware-in-the-loop testing, testing in the Delft X-Car moving base car simulator all towards the final testing of the new concepts in the new Delft research test-vehicle on a test track.

The position offered is a tenured position, being preceded by a tenure track, dependent on the candidate's experience and background. The salary, in accordance with the Dutch University Collective Labor Agreement (CAO, see http://www.vsnu.nl ), is depending on the qualifications and experience of the candidate selected. The maximum salary for an assistant professor is approx. € 4760 gross per month, and for an associate professor approx. € 5670 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week.

Profile of the candidate

We are looking for a candidate with a PhD degree in systems and control and with an extensive expertise in vehicle mechatronic systems. The candidate is expected to be interested in building up the necessary experimental infrastructure for validating and prototyping the intelligent automotive handling and driver assistance systems. The successful candidate should have a strong track record in the domain of research and is expected to effectively lead Msc and PhD projects, interface with industrial partners, perform and publish innovative research results both on a fundamental contributions as well as on prototype developments in leading international peer reviewed journals. The candidate should also have the necessary didactic skills for teaching systems and control courses at the BSc, MSc, and postgraduate level and Msc courses for the specialization in automotive systems. He or she should also have interest and/or experience in initiating, defining, and managing innovative research projects.

Information and application

For more detailed information on the position, please contact professor Michel Verhaegen, email: m.verhaegen@dcsc.tudelft.nl, the new Intelligent Automotive Systems chair holder professor Edward Holweg, email: Edward.Holweg@skf.com, or the director of DCSC, prof. Paul Van den Hof, email: p.m.j.vandenhof@tudelft.nl

Applicants should submit their letter of application along with a curriculum vitae, a personal research and teaching statement, as well as a list of publications, copies of three key publications, and the names and (email) addresses of three professional referees, to TU Delft - Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Personnel Department att. Drs. J.P. Kerkum Mekelweg 2 2628 CD Delft - The Netherlands E-mail address: Application-3mE@tudelft.nl

The position will stay open until a suitable candidate has been appointed.