Position Description

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for Marine Drift Prediction at Cerema (Centre d'Études et d'Expertise sur les Risques, l'Environnement, la Mobilité et l'Aménagement) in Margny-lès-Compiègne, France. This role supports the development of the OSCAR project, an initiative to improve maritime safety by accurately predicting the drift trajectories of floating objects at sea, conducted in collaboration with the French Directorate General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries, and Aquaculture (DGAMPA). The position is for a duration of one year.

Qualification and Key Responsibilities:

The position is open for candidates with a Ph.D. (or near completion) in Mechanical Engineering, Maritime Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, or a related field, with strong expertise in CFD. Key responsibilities include:

• Developing CFD-based methodologies for predicting drift trajectories of floating objects.
• Designing and validating numerical simulations to compute aerodynamic and hydrodynamic coefficients.
• Collaborating on creating a database of polars for various objects.
• Analyzing uncertainties in meteorological and hydrodynamic data.
• Incorporating wave effects into the drift prediction methodology.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and hydrodynamic modeling.
• Experience with CFD tools (e.g., OpenFOAM, Star CCM+) and programming languages (e.g., C++, Python).
• Knowledge of wave-structure interactions and navigation dynamics.
• Strong analytical skills and scientific communication proficiency.

About Us:

Cerema's Technical Directorate for Risks, Water, and Sea focuses on managing risks related to water, the sea, and navigation in France. We work closely with local stakeholders, public institutions, businesses, and research partners to develop high-quality scientific knowledge, implement reliable analysis tools, and provide recommendations tailored to specific maritime challenges.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit:

• A cover letter detailing relevant experience and motivation.
• A CV, including a list of publications.

Contact Information:

• Email applications to:
• Florian Linde: florian.linde@cerema.fr
• Sami Kaidi: sami.kaidi@cerema.fr