PhD Student Opportunities
Western Kentucky University is home to the Hilltoppers. Our hilltop campus is a place of beauty and friendliness. WKU is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a city with a population of more than 60,000 approximately 110 miles south of Louisville and 65 miles north of Nashville.
The successful candidate will develop various parameter estimation algorithms for various processes and propose innovative solutions for real-time optimization. There are several research projects supported by world-class technology companies. Some projects are on heat and mass transfer processes and some are on optimization of advanced motor control techniques. This opportunity will provide a highly active and well-equipped research lab and experience in developing advanced theoretical models and supervising undergraduate students' experimentation and model validation. This is a one-year renewable position, dependent on funding and performance.
The following responsibilities are customary for this position but are not to construed as all-inclusive. Duties may be added, deleted, and assigned based on administrative discretion and institutional needs.
- Develop and validate dynamic models for various mechanical systems under different loading conditions
- Develop and validate real-time estimation algorithms or observers for process parameters and variables
- Develop and validate a real-time optimization technique to reach predefined objectives
- Evaluate performance of overall system with proposed estimators and optimizers
- Write grant proposals, with the help of PI, for various public and private funding agencies
- Write technical papers for publications in peer-reviewed journals
- Supervise and mentor undergraduate students involved in projects
- Prepare documentation, interim reports, and final reports for industrial sponsor and present them
Master's degree in electrical, mechanical, or chemical engineering with expertise in one or more of the following areas: advanced control, adaptive control, optimization using machine learning, and motor drives.
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