Postdoc in System Concepts and Architecture Development - DTU Construct

Postdoc in Engineering Design and Manufacturing Systems, Systems integration and validation. Ensuring system elements meet operational standards through real-world experiments, validating interfaces, and collaborating with industry. Responsibilities include research, testing, publishing, and mentoring.
We are seeking a creative and technically skilled postdoctoral researcher to join our team at the Section of Engineering Design and Manufacturing Systems, with a focus on systems concepts, architecture design, and integration within the framework of systems engineering. This role is dedicated to defining and validating high-level system concepts and designing architectures that set the foundation for scalable, robust, and adaptable systems that meet stringent operational standards in real-world industrial settings.

You will conduct pioneering research in conceptual modeling and system architecture, emphasizing practical implementation through experimental validation. This position is critical to ensuring that complex, multi-component systems—often organized as systems of systems—are conceptualized and architected to support seamless integration and robust functionality from the outset. You will address key challenges in architectural design, exploring modularity, flexibility, and interoperability across subsystems and components, and creating frameworks that align with long-term performance objectives and operational constraints.

A core responsibility of this role will be to develop and validate architectural models and system concepts through practical testing and simulation. You will collaborate with academic and industry partners to refine these concepts, ensuring they meet specific operational goals and industry standards. This hands-on work includes designing prototypes and simulations to test architectural assumptions, validate the integrity of interfaces, and ensure system scalability and flexibility. Practical experimentation will be central to this role, focusing on verifying that conceptual designs perform as intended and can be seamlessly integrated into larger systems.

In this role, you will apply Systems Engineering principles to real-world manufacturing and industrial infrastructures, designing and testing system architectures that emphasize scalability, fault tolerance, and robustness. This practical work includes prototyping architectures, conducting stress tests, and verifying that designs support modularity and flexibility across high-demand applications. You will focus on early-stage decisions that impact the entire system lifecycle, ensuring that each concept and architectural model is grounded in practical feasibility and aligns with end-user requirements and industry standards.

Working closely with industrial partners, you will iteratively test and refine architectural concepts, applying feedback from real-world applications to evolve system models and enhance design processes. This process will involve cycles of concept refinement, architectural testing, and practical adjustments, ensuring that complex industrial systems benefit from innovative, resilient designs. You will also contribute to developing new tools and methodologies that support architecture validation, furthering the field of systems engineering and improving early-stage system planning and decision-making.

Responsibilities:

• Lead research in systems architecture and concept development, focusing on creating, refining, and validating scalable and robust system models.
• Develop and apply advanced methodologies for architectural design, emphasizing modularity, interoperability, and flexibility in complex systems.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to create and validate architectural frameworks, addressing practical challenges such as subsystem integration and system scalability.
• Design and conduct experiments, simulations, or prototype testing to validate architectural concepts, verify interface integrity, and ensure that designs meet operational requirements.
• Publish high-quality research papers in leading systems engineering journals and present findings at international conferences.
• Work closely with industry partners to ensure research outcomes align with real-world system architectures and gather feedback on concept viability.
• Mentor graduate students and support teaching activities as needed.

Qualifications:

• PhD in systems engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• Strong expertise in system architecture design, conceptual modeling, and validation through experimentation.
• Experience working with large, complex systems, including knowledge of modular design principles, system modeling languages, and model-based systems engineering (MBSE).
• Proficiency in designing and executing experiments or simulations to validate system architecture and interface integrity.
• Familiarity with industry standards and best practices for systems architecture, modular design, and concept validation.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a demonstrated ability to work both independently and within collaborative research teams.
• A strong track record of research publications in relevant fields.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.

As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent).

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and terms of employment
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is two years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from David Bue Pedersen ([email protected]).

You can read more about Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at www.construct.dtu.dk.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 22 November 2024 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Civil and Mechanical Engineering develops and utilizes science and technical knowledge for the benefit of society and sustainable development. We undertake research, education, innovation, and scientific advice of the highest quality within building design and processes, building construction and safety, building energy and installation, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, materials technology, manufacturing engineering, engineering design and thermal energy systems.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.

Adresse:

Nils Koppels Allè
2800 Kgs. Lyngby