A postdoctoral research position is available with a focus area of data centers analysis with emphasis on systems energy consumption and technology analysis at the national scale. The position will support development of national level estimation to quantify the amount and types of data centers anticipated to be installed in Israel by 2030 including direct energy use, water use, and emissions and indirect (i.e., upstream and downstream) sustainability impacts associated with data center information technology (IT) equipment and building infrastructure. This research will further explore operational, technology, and policy interventions for reducing sustainability and operational impacts over different temporal and spatial scales and forward-looking scenarios under different sets of conditions. These analyses will also support and improve physics-based models for quantifying the energy-water nexus of data centers under different climate, cooling technology, and operating conditions.
The work will be jointly supervised by Professor Vered Blass (Tel Aviv univ) and Professor Eric Masanet (UCSB). The position will be funded by Tel Aviv University. The successful candidate will work closely with stakeholders from Noga, the electricity management company in Israel as well as technology companies and other relevant stakeholders. Funding is available for 12 months. Extension might be possible based on performance and project development. A monthly competitive stipend (tax-free) will be paid according to the Tel Aviv University post-doc stipend levels. travel to the US might be required from time to time. Interested candidates should send a (1) cover letter; (2) statement of research interests that includes recent accomplishments and how this position will help achieve your career objectives; (3) current curriculum vitae; and (4) the names of three possible references (please include email addresses and phone numbers). Review of applications is ongoing and will continue until the position is filled. Start date is ASAP. Questions about the position or application materials should be sent to vblass@tauex.tau.ac.il
Qualifications (required at time of application)
Ph.D. in electrical engineering, computer science, energy systems engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related engineering or natural sciences field (or equivalent international degree).
Other highly relevant skills include:
-Strong expertise and experience with energy systems analysis and modeling, ideally from bottom-up and technology rich perspectives
-Familiarity with data center IT equipment, cooling systems, and industry trends
-Familiarity with data center computing equipment types and functions, including AI accelerated servers and their applications
-Familiarity and experience with major sources of national and international statistics on electricity grid compositions and emissions, local climate data, and local water data for Israel.
-Experience with spatial data analysis and related software platforms (e.g., ArcGIS)
-Experience conducting uncertainty and sensitivity analyses using process systems models via statistical plug-in packages or via coding -Strong experience in model programming, e.g., via Python or R
-Experience working with APIs for online data acquisition and maintenance
-Familiarity with life-cycle assessment (LCA) datasets
-Proven record of independently leading research projects, communicating with different stakeholders, teamwork, publishing journal articles and presenting at conferences.
-Proficiency in English; Hebrew is a plus.