As an engineering school under the supervision of the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, and a member of the Institut Mines-Télécom, IMT Nord Europe pursues three main missions: training responsible engineers capable of addressing the major challenges of the 21^st century; conducting research leading to high value-added innovations; supporting regional development, notably by facilitating innovation and entrepreneurship. Its objective is to train the engineers of tomorrow, equipped with both advanced digital technologies and industrial expertise. Ideally located at the crossroads of Europe at 1 hour from Paris, 30 minutes from Brussels, and 1h30 from London, IMT Nord Europe aims to become a major player in the industrial, digital, and environmental transformations of the 21^st century, combining engineering sciences and digital technologies in both its teaching and research activities.

With two main teaching and research sites in Lille and Douai, IMT Nord Europe benefits from over 20,000 m² of laboratory facilities supporting high-level education and world-class research in the following fields[1]:

• Digital Systems
• Energy & Environment
• Materials & Processes

For more details, please consult the school’s website: imt-nord-europe.fr.

The position is hosted by the Energy and Environment Education, Research and Innovation Center (CERI EE). The successful candidate will join the Energy, Fluids and Heat Transfer research axis, whose activities focus on the enhancement of transport phenomena in thermo-fluid systems, thermal energy storage, and complex fluids for applications in process engineering and energy systems, with a strong emphasis on supporting the decarbonization of society.

The REVEST project is funded by the Hauts-de-France Region and has been endorsed by several French competitiveness clusters. It provides an outstanding research environment combining experimental development, scientific excellence, and technology transfer in close collaboration with regional innovation stakeholders.

2. Scientific Project

2.1 Context

The REVEST project builds upon previous research conducted during a doctoral dissertation completed within the laboratory and the INNO-REV [1]project.

Its objective is to develop and validate innovative passive techniques for improving the performance of latent thermal energy storage systems based on Phase Change Materials (PCMs).

The project relies on a unique high-temperature experimental facility developed during the PhD project INNO-REV and currently in its final development stage. This platform will serve as a reference facility for evaluating the performance of novel passive heat transfer enhancement geometries; generating high-quality experimental datasets and validating numerical models developed within the laboratory.

2.2 Responsibilities

The successful postdoctoral researcher will join a research team developing a unique experimental platform at the regional level and will be responsible for its final development.

The main tasks include: completing the instrumentation and data acquisition system of the experimental facility; designing and conducting experimental campaigns to characterize the performance of various passive heat transfer enhancement techniques; analyzing the experimental data and comparing the results with numerical models developed within the research team; contributing to the optimization of the investigated enhancement geometries; disseminating research outcomes through publications in leading international journals and presentations at international conferences; participating in technology transfer and valorization activities in collaboration with the laboratory's innovation and technology transfer offices.

2.3 Candidate Profile

Applicants should hold a PhD in Thermal Sciences, Energy, Fluid Mechanics, or a closely related discipline. The ideal candidate should possess:

• Strong background in heat transfer and fluid mechanics;
• Significant experience in the design and implementation of experimental research;
• Proficiency in scientific instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and experimental data processing;
• Ability to conduct independent research while working effectively within a multidisciplinary research team;
• Excellent scientific writing skills and strong proficiency in spoken and written English.

Experience with numerical simulation tools (CFD and/or thermal modelling) will be considered an asset but is not mandatory.

Previous experience in the following areas will be highly appreciated: Heat exchangers; thermal energy storage; phase Change Materials (PCMs); thermal instrumentation and measurements.