Post Doctoral Fellow

The Postdoctoral Researcher will contribute to the funded project “Assessment of Rising Seawater Temperatures on Barakah NPP’s Ultimate Heat Sink and Management Strategies (B-RISE)” under the Emirates Nuclear Technology Center. The position focuses on assessing the impact of rising Arabian Gulf seawater temperatures on the thermal-hydraulic performance and safety margins of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (APR1400). The researcher will evaluate the ability of the Ultimate Heat Sink (UHS) system, including seawater intake structures, Essential Service Water System (ESWS), and Component Cooling Water Heat Exchanger (CCWHX) - to meet design-basis heat removal requirements under projected temperature rise and extreme thermal scenarios. The role involves advanced modeling, system-level analysis, and performance assessment to quantify impacts on cooling efficiency, operational limits, and regulatory safety margins, and to support the development of engineering and operational mitigation strategies.

• Strong expertise in thermal-hydraulics and heat transfer analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and system-level thermal-hydraulic modeling.
• Experience modeling cooling water systems, heat exchangers, or large-scale heat rejection systems.
• Familiarity with nuclear power plant systems, particularly service water systems or ultimate heat sink concepts, is an advantage.
• Experience using high-performance computing (HPC) platforms for large-scale simulations.

• Ph.D. from a reputable university in Nuclear Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Energy Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and lead technical work packages.
• Strong publication record in high-quality peer-reviewed international journals.
• Proven ability to develop research methodologies and critically interpret complex technical results.
• Excellent English language communication skills (verbal and written), including scientific writing.
• Ability to manage multiple research tasks, meet deadlines, and work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.