About this role
Company description:
We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.
Job description:
Salary:
Research Assistant: £33,951 to £35,608 per annum
Research Associate: £36,636 to £38,784 per annum
The Role
Newcastle University is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to join the innovative HOTGROUND project: Identifying Future Risk Hotspots for Underground Cables Affected by Hot Weather. The project is funded through a collaboration with Northern Powergrid (NPg) and the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) and aims to address one of the emerging challenges facing the UK's electricity infrastructure under climate change.
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, understanding the impacts of prolonged hot and dry conditions on underground electricity cables has become critical. HOTGROUND will develop new methods for identifying future thermal-risk hotspots across electricity distribution networks, helping protect infrastructure, improve reliability, and support climate adaptation planning.
The successful candidate will work within a multidisciplinary team led by Dr Sadegh Nadimi and Professor Sean Wilkinson, combining expertise in soil modelling, infrastructure resilience, and climate risk assessment.
The project will:
Analyse historical underground cable fault records alongside climate, rainfall, soil moisture and land-use datasets Develop thermo-mechanical soil models to assess how heatwaves influence underground cable temperatures Apply UK climate projections to evaluate future risks under climate change scenarios
Find out more about the Faculty of Science, Agriculture & Engineering: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/sage/
Find out more about our School of Engineering: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/
Contact for the post is Dr Sadegh Nadimi: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/staff/profile/sadeghnadimi-shahraki.html
Duration of post is 12 months.