This research project focuses on characteristics of the natural environment that are important to buildings, including access to shortwave radiation for daylighting and photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems and urban canyon airflows that strongly influence heat transfer. Influence of buildings on the urban environment, notably diurnal temperature changes (urban heat island effect) and outdoor thermal comfort, will also be studied. The project has three immediate openings:
1. Postdoctoral scientist or engineer. Measurement, analysis, modeling and computational simulation of daylight in tropical hot and humid climates. Measurements and analysis of luminance/irradiance over the visible and IR/UV range will utilize High-Dynamic Range (HDR) digital photography and research-class sun tracker, pyrheliometer, sky radiometer, net/UV radiometer, albedometer and other solar meter instruments. The objective is to develop high-quality models of daylight for urban studies and integration of PV into the built environment and to correlate luminance/irradiance distribution to water vapor and emissions from the built environment. Further objectives are to develop mechanisms and software for mobile measurement with wireless and real-time analysis and computational modeling.
2. Postdoctoral scientist. Outdoor temperature (surface and air), radiation and wind measurements to establish high-resolution spatial and temporal (diurnal, seasonal) variations in a tropical city. The objective is to quantify the influence of typical urban residential forms in Singapore on the local thermal environment (urban heat island) and human comfort. The data will be used to adapt and evaluate urban climate models to predict local temperatures and thermal comfort as a function of the built environment. Strong background in and experience with instrumentation and experimental protocols used in urban climate research plus urban climate modeling expertise is needed to apply for this position.
3. Postdoctoral scientist or engineer. Modeling of urban heat island effects, accounting for conduction, convective and radiative heat fluxes from buildings, urban airflows, and evapotranspiration from plants. Modeling of outdoor thermal comfort. This position requires a PhD in mechanical or civil engineering, atmospheric, oceanic or hydrologic sciences, mathematics, physics or related fields. Applicants should have strong skills in mathematics and computation, preferably with demonstrable expertise in analytic and computational airflow and heat transfer models.
Applicants must have excellent technical, organizational, and communication skills.
Position will be based in Singapore and is available under the new MIT SMART Center for Environmental Sensing and ModelingFurther information may be obtained from Professor Stephen K. Wittkopf at NUS (stephen.wittkopf@nus.edu.sg) for position 1, Professor Matthias Roth at NUS (geomr@nus.edu.sg) for position 2 or Professor Leslie K. Norford at MIT (lnorford@mit.edu) for position 3.
Applications should include a cover letter and a full CV/resume, together with names and contact information for three references. Please submit applications via email to censam@mit.edu, stephen.wittkopf@nus.edu.sg and geomr@nus.edu.sg.
(This advertisement was first posted on the "IAUC Met-urbclim" e-mail list)