Research Assistant

About Khalifa University

Khalifa University is ranked 181^st in the QS World University Rankings 2023, and the top University in the UAE, with a range of research and academic programs designed to address the entire range of strategic, scientific and industrial challenges facing our rapidly evolving world.

Its world-class faculty and state-of-the-art research facilities provide an unparalleled learning experience to students from the UAE and around the world. Our research and academic activities cover a broad range of disciplines in engineering, science and medicine through our three colleges.

Khalifa University’s research relates to key focus sectors of relevance to the UAE’s strategic economic growth and the technology platforms that serve as foundations for these sectors. The University’s research priorities are addressed in two categories  “verticals” and “horizontals”  which jointly cover specific industry and sector needs, technical platforms and expertise.

KU’s focus sectors are Clean and Renewable Energy, Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production, Water and Environment, Healthcare, Aerospace, and Supply Chain and Logistics. Research in these sectors is enhanced by our research platforms of Robotics, AI and Data Science, Information and Communication Technologies, and Advanced Materials and Manufacturing as well as Fundamental Sciences.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Associate  to work on computational cold plasma catalysis of CO2 and its applications to In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), such as in CO2-rich atmospheres beyond Earth’s orbit. The successful candidate will be tasked with investigating the efficiency of cold plasma conversion of CO2 into fuels and breathable oxygen for different plasma sources at different physical conditions and environments. We are interested in identifying and characterizing main physical mechanisms that could boost the cold plasma conversion efficiencies beyond that of traditional thermal processes. This will be a computational project and no laboratory work will be performed. As part of the project, the researcher will have access to state-of-the-art research equipment and facilities at the Center for Catalysis and Separation (https://www.ku.ac.ae/cecas), and will get an opportunity to work alongside researchers and graduate students from various backgrounds as part of a wider team. This position can be extended contingent on performance and funding availability.

Qualifications  

Position Requirements

• Background in Applied Physics, Material Science, renewable energy engineering or similar
• Familiarity with computational physics modeling and willingness to learn new methods
• Adhere to the University's information security and confidentiality policies and procedures, and report breaches or other security risks accordingly
• Perform any other tasks assigned by the Line Manager

Candidate Profile

Essential Criteria

• Bachelors from a reputable university in Applied Physics, Material Science Engineering, Plasma Physics, or related discipline
• Experience in undertaking research or engineering tasks
• Excellent English language communication skills (verbal and written)
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Well-developed reasoning and problem-solving skills

Desired Criteria

• Bachelors gained from and/or experience working in a top 200 QS or THE ranked University
• Interest in space science and exploration or related topics
• At least 1 year of relevant experience as a researcher in academia or in industry
• Experience contributing to high impact publications in top 10% journals in the relevant field

Should you require further assistance or if you face any issue with the online application, please feel to contact the Recruitment Team (recruitmentteam@ku.ac.ae).

Primary Location: Abu Dhabi UAE
Job: Research Assistant
Schedule: Regular
Shift: Standard
Job Type: Full-time