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The Computational Gas Dynamics and Plasma Physics Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (https://engineering.und.edu/academics/mechanical/) at the University of North Dakota (https://und.edu/) is looking for applications for funded Ph.D. positions with a start date of Fall 2024. The successful candidates will carry out computational research on the modeling and simulation of hypersonic flow and plasma physics, using both continuum and kinetic theory methods coupled with high performance computing. They will have the opportunity to participate in existing and be encouraged to pursue new collaborative research.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate should have earned a B.S. or M.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics, or a closely related field.

Preferred qualifications:


• Strong background in fluid dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, mathematics, and numerical methods and analysis.
• Strong programming ability in C++, Python, or other object-oriented programming languages.
• Experience developing numerical methods and computation code.
• Experience with high performance computing.

About the professor:

Chonglin Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Dakota. He earned his PhD in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Minnesota in 2013. His research focuses on the kinetic theory based particle simulation methods, including the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method and the particle-in-cell (PIC) method, with applications in hypersonic flow, rarefied gas dynamics, and plasma physics. He uses high performance computing (HPC) in his research. Prior to joining UND, he was a Research Scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where he worked on developing simulation code to model plasma physics in tokamak device, a promising device for controlled fusion. Previously, he also spent several years as a Project Engineer in the automotive industry, where he worked with engineers and researchers from Ford, Toyota, and GM to help them design new products using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

To Apply:

Please email Dr. Chonglin Zhang at chonglin.zhang@und.edu with the subject line "Ph.D. Application", including a brief cover letter, your CV, and unofficial transcripts "in a single PDF file".  Please only use the above subject line in your email. Otherwise I will not be able to locate your email and review your application as I receive large number of applications. The review process will commence immediately and will continue until the positions are filled.