Research Assistant (Adjunct Appointment) - Dubai Campus

Position Title: Research Assistant (Adjunct Appointment)

Project title: EcoGen Envelopes: IoT-Enabled Energy Harvesting Roof Tiles for Smart Responsive Infrastructure.

Position Type: Adjunct Appointment- Contract duration of 10 months (can be extended with a break between the two contracts)

Start Date: Ideally by 1st April 2026

Heriot-Watt University (HWU) has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business, and languages.

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and practical, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry. We connect with industry at every level and develop programmes to match their needs : so employers get work-ready industry-fit graduates.

Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.

We have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.

The School of Engineering & Physical Sciences (EPS) is a community of over 340 staff and around 3,000 students across three campuses in Scotland, Dubai and Malaysia. The School is recognised as an international leader in education, research and the application of knowledge to benefit society globally. We are striving to establish ourselves as partners of choice for world leading institutions, consistently delivering an environmentally and financially sustainable growth by aligning to the opportunities and requirements of our modern times to address local and global needs.

Heriot Watt holds an Institutional Athena Swan Bronze Award, as does the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, recognising excellence in championing employment of women in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, campus facilities and services to support staff from different backgrounds.

Heriot-Watt University established a campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) in 2005 and moved in 2020 to a state of the art, digitally enabled campus within Dubai Knowledge Park. The Dubai campus now has nearly 4500 students. The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) in Heriot-Watt University Dubai offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in Architectural, Automotive, Chemical, Mechanical, Energy, Renewable Energy, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Robotics, Autonomous and Interactive Systems, and Global Sustainability Engineering.

Project Overview

EcoGen Envelopes is a Dubai Future Foundation:funded research project developing the next generation of IoT‑enabled, thermoelectric energy-harvesting roof tiles that integrate Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs), Phase Change Materials (PCMs), and AI-powered digital modelling. The project aims to deliver battery-free micro‑power solutions for smart, climate-responsive urban infrastructure.

The Research Assistant will play a central role in laboratory experiments, prototype development, digital modelling, field deployment, and performance monitoring of full‑scale demonstrators across pilot sites in Dubai, UAE.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will support the principal investigator (PI) and the project team in:

1. Laboratory & Experimental Work

• Conduct experimental testing of thermoelectric modules, PCMs, and integrated energy-harvesting assemblies.
• Operate solar simulators, thermal and electronic sensors, and electrical measurement equipment.
Assemble prototype TEG
• :PCM roof tiles and perform durability, thermal cycling, and performance validation tests.

2. Digital Modelling & Data Analysis

• Support development of the AI-enabled simulation and digital model platform.
Run thermal
• :electrical models (COMSOL, ANSYS, or equivalent).
• Analyse field data (temperature, heat flux, electrical output) and contribute to model calibration and optimisation.

3. IoT Systems & Edge Integration

• Assist in integrating low-power wireless sensor nodes with the energy-harvesting system.
• Support testing of power management ICs and energy storage‑free electronic circuits.

4. Field Deployment & Monitoring

• Support installation of prototypes at two Dubai pilot sites.
• Perform on-site measurements, troubleshoot hardware issues, and maintain data logging systems.
• Coordinate with project partners, manufacturers, and facility managers.

5. Documentation & Dissemination

• Prepare technical reports, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and lab documentation.
Contribute to research publications, conference submissions, and knowledge‑sharing workshops.

Required Skills & Expertise

The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background in one or more of the following areas:

Essential Skills

• Strong knowledge of embedded systems, embedded electronics, and software/algorithmic modelling.
• Experience with multidisciplinary IoT systems, including low‑power sensor networks and power‑constrained device architectures.
• Hands‑on experience with experimental testing in thermoelectric, heat transfer, energy systems, or advanced materials.
• Proficiency in using thermal and electrical measurement instruments for laboratory and field testing.
• Competence in numerical and multi‑physics modelling using COMSOL Multiphysics, MATLAB, ANSYS, or similar simulation environments.
• Knowledge of signal processing, data acquisition techniques, and power‑management circuitry (highly essential).

Research & Analytical Skills

• Ability to design and execute experiments with attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving ability.
Good scientific writing skills for reports and publications.

Desirable Skills

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team of academics.
• Strong communication skills.
Willingness to work on pilot deployment sites when required.

Qualifications

Minimum: Master's degree in engineering or a related discipline (e.g., Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Energy, Materials, Mechatronics).

Preferred: PhD's degree in a relevant field.

Prior experience in research projects, laboratory work, or IoT/energy systems is an advantage.

About the University

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and professionally relevant, leading-edge research and enterprise, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.

We are a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees, with employers actively seeking out our graduates. Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries worldwide, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the most significant international student cohort in Scotland.

At Heriot-Watt we've created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, teachers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.

We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students. Our focus on careers delivers results and we've an excellent reputation for graduate employability.

In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai, and Malaysia. For all our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities. Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.

Our values are:

• Belong
• Collaborate
• Inspire
• Celebrate

As a learning, living, and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a university community and help us to become the best at what we do. For full details on our university, please view our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/about.htm

‘How to Apply'

Interested applicants must submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system a Cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post and an updated CV.

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-Watt University Dubai is CAA Licensed; therefore, successful candidates will need to provide terminal degrees attested from a UAE institution accredited by CAA. Degrees which are not from a UAE Institution will need to have MoE equivalency. The successful candidate is responsible for getting their degree attestations done.