Opening

PhD student and Postdoc Position for Energy Harvesting Sensor Node

University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and ACTIVEcharge LLC are seeking a PhD student and postdoctoral researcher in the area of energy harvesting and power electronics. This position provides exciting opportunities to develop battery-free sensor nodes by utilizing wasted vibration and kinematic energy. Possible application includes wind turbine monitoring sensors, tire pressure monitoring sensors, and human/animal implantable sensors.

PhD student: This is a Graduate Research Assistant position with a general stipend, tuition plus health insurance. Position may be renewable after the first year. Application should be sent to sblee@umbc.edu with a cover letter and resume/CV.

Postdoc: This is a joint appointment by UMBC and ACTIVEcharge LLC, with the compensation of $50,000/year plus health insurance. The ideal candidate will have a PhD, a strong background in power electronics, and most likely a degree in electrical engineering with understanding of electro-mechanical systems. The candidate must have experience in power management circuit design (impedance matching, charging, and integration with end application/sensor) and prototype fabrication for small scale (mW~W, mm~cm) energy harvesters as well as data acquisition (voltage, power). In addition, the candidate should have excellent communication (written and verbal English skill) and interpersonal skills and be a good team player. Position may be renewable after the first year. Application should be sent to contact@ACTIVEcharge.us with a cover letter and resume/CV. Questions can be sent to sblee@umbc.edu.

Job Descriptions includes:

  1. Design/optimization power management circuit for small power electronics (energy harvesting)
  2. Harvester prototyping and integration with power storage and end application (sensor)
  3. Proposal development

Required Skills:

  1. Circuit design tools: LTspice, PSIM, or EAGLE (applies to Postdoc)
  2. Computer programming language (e.g. MATLAB, C++)

Desired Skills:

  1. NI DAQ with LabView (function generation, data acquisition)
  2. Experience with wireless transmission module (e.g. ZigBee) and vibration sensor (accelerometer)
  3. Optimization: theoretical background or experience with software is a plus