postdoctoral researcher in the Flanders Make IRVA project IMVEP

→ Apply before 26/10/2026 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time) → Faculty of Engineering and Architecture → Department: EA08
- Elektromechanica, Systeem
- en Metaalengineering → Occupancy rate:100% → Number of positions: 1 → Type of employment: Contract of unlimited duration → Term of assignment: → Wage scale: PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree) → Required diploma:PhD ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students. YOUR TASKS You will join EnSy lab,UGent, core lab MIRO, as a postdoctoral researcher in the Flanders Make IRVA project IMVEP (Integrated Multi-Voltage Electric Powertrain). The project is carried out together with Flanders Make MotionS and Flanders Make @ VUB-MOBI and is followed by a user group of industrial companies. IMVEP develops and validates multilevel inverters, design tools and energy management strategies for multi-voltage electric powertrains, targeting higher efficiency, lower cost, improved reliability and safe operation. Within the project, MIRO is responsible for a multilevel inverter for high-speed applications and for modelling the impact of multilevel inverters on electric machines. Your tasks include:
• Design, build and experimentally validate a multilevel inverter prototype (hardware and software) for high-speed electric drive applications, covering topology and semiconductor selection, power stage, gate drive, PCB layout and magnetic component design.
• Develop and implement modulation and control strategies for multilevel inverters on rapid prototyping control platforms, including voltage balancing and operation under defined fault conditions.
• Develop scalable loss, thermal and cost models of the inverter-motor subsystem, including electric machine losses under non-sinusoidal multilevel supply, as input for the inverter co-design tool developed with the project partners.
• Assess the insulation stress and partial discharge behaviour of electric machines fed by multilevel inverters.
• Plan and carry out experimental campaigns on motor test benches and hardware-in-the-loop setups to quantify inverter and e-drive performance (efficiency, power density, filter requirements) and to validate the developed models and tools.
• Support the system-level validation of multi-voltage powertrain architectures together with the project partners.
• Interact with the industrial partners of the user group on requirement definition, progress reporting and company validation cases.
• Disseminate the results through peer-reviewed publications, conference contributions, project reports and demonstrators.
• Contribute to the supervision of master's and PhD students working on related topics WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
• You hold a doctoral degree in electrical or electromechanical engineering, with a specialisation in power electronics, electrical drives or a closely related field.
• You have substantial postdoctoral and/or industrial experience in the design, construction and experimental validation of power electronic converter prototypes, including schematic design, PCB layout and magnetic component design.
• You have knowledge of multilevel inverter topologies (e.g. T-type, NPC, cascaded H-bridge) and their modulation and control.
• You have experience with Si IGBT and wide-bandgap (SiC, GaN) semiconductor devices, including loss and thermal analysis and design for fast switching transients.
• You have experience implementing digital control of power converters on embedded and rapid prototyping platforms (e.g. DSP, FPGA, dSPACE), and with hardware-in-the-loop or real-time simulation.
• You have knowledge of electrical drive systems and of the interaction between inverter and electric machine.
• You are proficient in modelling and simulation of power electronic systems (e.g. MATLAB/Simulink).
• You have hands-on experience with high-voltage laboratory work and instrumentation, and knowledge of insulation coordination, creepage and clearance, and safety requirements for high-voltage hardware.
• You have experience in collaborative research projects with industrial partners, and good communication and reporting skills in English.
• You can work independently and coordinate technical work with partners in a multidisciplinary team. Preferred qualifications
• Experience with partial discharge or insulation stress in inverter-fed machines, or with high dv/dt test inverters.
• Experience with loss modelling of electric machines under non-sinusoidal supply.
• Knowledge of reliability analysis (e.g. FMEA, semiconductor stress and lifetime) and fault-tolerant converter operation.
• Experience with EMI-aware design and mitigation in power converters.
• Experience in supervising master's or PhD students. WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
•

We offer
you a contract of indefinite duration.
• Your contract will start on 1/12/2026 at the earliest.
• Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale PD1 to PD4 (if you hold a doctorate). Click here for more information about our salary scales.
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits. INTERESTED? Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system. Your application must include the following documents:
• In the field ‘CV’: your CV and a transcript of your academic record (merged into one pdf file)
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages. Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB. As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position. MORE INFORMATION For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Hendrik Vansompel (Hendrik.
Vansompel@UGent.be, +32(0)9/264 57 03). Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online. Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read the FAQ or contact us via selecties@ugent.be.