Postdoc in signal processing and instrumentation development for transient electromagnetics

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark invites applications for a 3-year postdoc position in the field of signal processing and instrumentation. The position is anchored in a new research project, SuperTEM, where novel monitoring and semi-airborne transient electromagnetics (TEM) instruments will be developed.

Starting Date and Period
The position is for 3 years and is available from 1 June 2021 or as soon as possible hereafter.

Project description
Groundwater is an integral part of satisfying global water needs, often representing a water source at lower contamination risk than surface water. Yet, proactive management practices must be implemented to ensure long-term sustainable use of groundwater resources, as overexploitation can deplete groundwater reserves – effectively supplying a short-term fix to problems requiring long-term solutions.

A key component of informed data-driven management practices is high-resolution characterization of hydrogeological systems, which can be obtained with the use of non-invasive geophysical techniques. Transient electromagnetics (TEM) is particularly adept at rapid cost-efficient mapping of geological systems. TEM systems can be man-deployed or towed by an ATV or aircraft, each system with their respective advantages and disadvantages. However, standard TEM mapping practices are generally focused on spatial characterization – producing snap-shots of hydrological systems at an instant in time. This information is extremely valuable when populating groundwater models or characterizing groundwater systems but can often leave uncertainties as to the behavior of groundwater systems over time.

One part of this postdoctoral project will be the development of monitoring TEM instruments capable of tracking changes in groundwater levels. The monitoring instruments are designed for long-term deployment with autonomous operation and data-streaming to remote servers.  The candidate will be responsible for development, validation and implementation of signal processing and machine learning algorithms related to the operation of these monitoring instruments. The candidate will participate in programming of instrument control and communication software, and will participate in instrument development, testing and field validation.

The second part of this project concerns the development of a semi-airborne TEM system coupling groundbased transmitters with a roving drone-carried receiver. The candidate will investigate the electromagnetic and vibrational noise induced in TEM data by the drone, and will develop, validate and implement signal-processing workflows to mitigate such noise. The candidate will be involved in programming of instrument control software as well as testing and field validation.

The postdoc will work closely with the other members of the research group and the external partners in the project.  He/she is therefore expected to have strong communication and collaboration skills. The research is expected to lead to several journal papers and the qualified candidate will be able to document dissemination skills through a strong publication track record. The qualified candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to other on-going research projects in the group as well as opportunities to contribute to supervision of Masters and PhD students.
The postdoctoral fellowship is funded by Innovation Fund Denmark. There is funding for 3 years of employment.

Required qualifications for the position

• PhD degree in electrical engineering, physics, geophysics or similar
• Experience with signal processing and machine learning
• Experience with instrumentation development
• Programming experience
• Strong analytical skills
• Experience with transient electromagnetics or other geophysical methods is an advantage, but not required
• Excellent English skills both oral and in writing

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
About the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Electrical and computer engineering are closely related engineering disciplines that focus on the development of hardware and software for intelligent units and networks. This includes hardware at system and component levels as well as many different types of software for controlling electronic devices and networks.
The research areas within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Section support the development within this area. The outcome greatly influences our daily lives as advanced technologies are incorporated into an increasing number of products, for example in industrial processes, at hospitals and in information infrastructures.

Place of Work
The place of work is Finlandsgade 22, 8200 Aarhus N, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. 

Contact Information
Further information about the position may be obtained from / For further information please contact: Associate Professor Jakob Juul Larsen, phone +45 41 89 32 73, jjl@ece.au.dk

Deadline
26 April 2021

Application procedure
Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference
If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

Formalities and salary range
Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.

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Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/