PhD candidate in airflow distribution, heat/mass transfer and ventilation in hospital environments - Trondheim, Norge - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

    Norwegian University of Science and Technology
    Norwegian University of Science and Technology background
    Temporary
    Beskrivelse

    About the job

    The Department of Energy and Process Engineering has a vacancy for a 3-year PhD position in indoor environment quality, airflow distribution, heat/mass transfer and ventilation in hospital environments.

    The position as a PhD candidate is a fixed-term position with the primary goal of qualifying for work in professional academic positions or in positions industry, which require a high level of research-based competence. The position will be part of the Sustainable Energy Systems research group at EPT.

    NTNU invites applicants for a PhD position in Environment Engineering to research "Airflow distribution and heat/mass transfer in the surgical site microenvironment in operating rooms". The research topic will be contextualized in WP1 "Structure of new scientific knowledge on the physical mechanisms for pathogen exposure and engineering strategies for controlling risk", being supervised by Professor Guangyu Cao and Professor Emeritus Hans Martin Mathisen at EPT, NTNU and Dr. Kim Hagström from Halton, with two secondments. One secondment will be at the Technical University of Berlin (3 months) and supervised by Professor Martin Kriegel, to carry out laboratory experiment of microenvironment parameters generated by surgeons and medical staff, and gain new knowledge of advanced measurement instruments, including Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The second secondment (3 months) will be in Halton, Finland, to carry out in-suit experimental measurements to validate the models of operating room microenvironment and gain experience of industry research environment.

    The candidate will acquire expertise in interdisciplinary fields, gaining through this training program a set of skills that are highly appreciated by health care facilities, providing the candidate with valuable expertise for a future career in the topics related to technical solutions for healthcare facilities. Your immediate leader is the Head of Department.

    The position as a PhD candidate is in the frame of a Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Doctoral Networks (DN) action for Doctoral Candidates within the project HumanIC (Human - Centric Indoor Climate for Healthcare Facilities), to be recruited in September 2024.

    The HumanIC network is composed by 8 universities, 2 hospitals and 9 companies/institutions to train early stage engineers and scientists to enable a new approach to the human-centric indoor climate in Healthcare Environments. In total, the HumanIC network consists of 11 Doctoral Candidates (DCs). Rather than the traditional approach of focusing solely on the building and its ventilation/heating systems, the network will develop new approaches to integrate the multi-dynamic interaction between contamination sources and airflow distribution systems with the clinical, patient and energy requirements of the hospital environment. More information can be found on the project .

    Through an ambitious research programme and a tailored training programme, HumanIC will provide a new generation of scientists and engineers who understand the implications of these complex interfaces in future hospital design. In building the HumanIC consortium we will actively promote healthcare environment engineering as an inclusive and diverse career option at all stages in the programme.

    Background

    The human-centric indoor climate (HCC) is defined as the microenvironment which surrounds and is close to a human body. The HCC concept focuses on human beings and surrounding environment, which should be understood as a specific microenvironment more than just the 'physical neighborhood' of a human body. The HCC in hospitals plays a vital role in enabling safe and effective provision of healthcare. Operating rooms (ORs), isolation rooms, treatment rooms and laboratory facilities all enable increasingly sophisticated treatment to be safely delivered to patients, while wards, consulting rooms and waiting rooms provide essential facilities for the interaction of patients and their comfort and wellbeing during recovery. However, there are significant challenges of HCC within hospital environments. Over 4 million patients are estimated to acquire a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) in the EU each year, and on any given day, about patients have at least one HAI, i.e. one in every 18 patients in European hospitals.

    Duties of the position

    An Initial Research Project (IRP) in HumanIC will be assigned to the PhD candidate (DC04) at the beginning of the fellowship. The PhD candidate (DC04) will have the responsibility of executing all the tasks described in the IRP of DC04, which will involve research and organization tasks, mobility requirements, milestone accomplishments and deliverable submission. The PhD candidate (DC04) will primarily work on research activities carried out as part of the research project HumanIC. The position will focus on the experimental data collection and modelling of the generation and short-range distribution of airborne microbial pollutant from human activities in hospital environments. For example, a non-exhaustive list of tasks to be carried out in this PhD research covers:

  • to develop a comprehensive experimental protocol for characterizing airflow distribution and heat/mass transfer in the surgical microenvironment of operating rooms during real-time operation and in a realistic, full-scale operating room laboratory setting;
  • to perform measurements airflow distribution and heat/mass transfer in the surgical microenvironment of operating rooms in hospital environments;
  • to develop a series of models that will be derived from experimental measurement to characterize the airflow distribution and heat/mass transfer in the surgical microenvironment of operating rooms;
  • to validate numerical model that simulates the airflow distribution and heat/mass transfer in the surgical microenvironment of operating rooms in operating room healthcare environments;
  • to cooperate with other research groups at partner universities/research institutes for the evaluation and optimisation of the experimental methods;
  • enroll in the PhD programme at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway, and carry out all the activities required to make a high quality PhD dissertation within the expected timeframe. Publications in high impact-factor international journals are expected.
  • During this fixed-term period, the candidate will spend 3 months in TUB to carry out laboratory experiment of microenvironment parameters generated by surgeons and medical staff, and gain new knowledge of advanced measurement instruments, including Particle Image Velocimetry. In addition, the candidate needs to spend another 3 months in Halton, Finland, to carry out in-suit experimental measurements to validate the models of operating room microenvironment and gain experience of industry research environment.

    Required selection criteria

    A PhD candidate is a qualification position in which the main objective is qualification for work in academic positions.

  • The position is subject to external funding, EU MARIE Skłodowska-CURIE ACTIONS Doctoral Networks (DN) Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN Please check your eligibility according to the official eligibility requirements and application procedure, i.e. you must have obtained you master degree in the past 4 years. You need to fulfill the mobility rule of EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, 'Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Norway for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment' and other rules on the following EU website:
  • Completion of a master`s degree in mechanical engineering (HVAC), civil/mechanical/building engineering, measurement technology, physics, medicine or other relevant fields, or corresponding foreign master`s degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian master degree is required.
  • Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
  • You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
  • Proven skills/track record in the relevant areas of research: experimental measurement and modelling of the generation and short-range distribution of airborne microbial pollutant from human activities.
  • Interest in communication and dissemination of research results, including participation in project related activities and fulfilling the obligations.
  • Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
  • Applicants who are in the final phase of their master's degree are also encouraged to apply, but have to complete the master before starting the fellowship.

  • Qualifications in at least three of the following:
  • 1) Strong theoretical background in most of these topics: fluid dynamics of airflow, ventilation, indoor air quality, airborne pollutants and heat and mass transport

    2) Previous experience with data acquisition and measurement of airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer parameters

    3) Competence of modelling airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer

    4) Previous experience in computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation of airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer parameters in rooms

  • Expertise with the following topics: fluid dynamics of airflow, microbiological pollutants, ventilation, indoor air quality, airborne pollutants and heat and mass transport
  • Fluent English skills, both in speech and in writing
  • The appointment is to be made in accordance with and

    Desirable qualifications

    Documented qualifications in the following list will be considered advantageous for this position:

    1) Knowledge and first-hand experience with data acquisition and measurement of airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer parameters

    2) Competence of modelling airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer parameters due to human activities in rooms with different ventilation solutions

    3) Experience of using PIV/PTV for turbulent airflow distribution and heat and mass transfer

    4) Knowledge and competence in computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation of airflow distribution and heat/mass transfer in rooms

    5) Familiarity with latest concepts, systems and solutions of hospital ventilation

    6) Fluency in one or more software language for either general programming (CFD, Python, Matlab etc) or data acquisition (Labview etc)

    7) Knowledge of the relevant international standards concerning the performance assessment/measurement of different phenomena in buildings in the field of infection control in hospital environment

    Excellent English language skills (both oral and written). English level certification B2 will be required if English is not the native language

    Publications in international journals/conferences will be valued

    Personal characteristics

    Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities such as being an academic team player, creative, analytical, self-driven, flexible and an engaged scholar. We will also highlight ability to work independently and in a team. Candidates who are innovative and creative, and have an open mind, will be valued.

    In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement. Motivation, ambitions and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

    We offer

  • exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
  • an open and with dedicated colleagues
  • favourable terms in the
  • HumanIC project is aimed to train 11 creative and innovative researchers in the field of civil engineering, mechanical engineering and environmental engineering. The researchers trained in this network will be able to convert state-of-the art knowledge and ideas into new products for airflow distribution, air quality control, bacteria distribution, human comfort, including patients and medical staff.

    As a trained researcher you will have many opportunities to develop an industrial career in any part of the world, but especially in the EU. You will be trained in air chemistry and biology, air pollution, air thermodynamics, human thermophysiology and psychology, air flow patterns, energy performance, smart buildings, civil engineering. You will learn numerical modelling and advanced visualization methods. You also will be in a very good position to join R+D departments of Air-conditioning Companies and to apply for a postdoc position in any of the top EU academic institutions.

    Salary and conditions