VILLUM FONDEN has granted a total of DKK 14 million to six researchers under the new Villum International Postdoc programme. Jiawei Wang, DTU Electrical Engineering is one of the two DTU-researchers who have been enrolled in the programme, which is targeted at outstanding female researchers in the technical and natural sciences.
The Villum International Postdoc programme supports talented female researchers in technical and natural sciences research at the transition from PhD to postdoc, the time when large numbers of women are leaving science and technology at Danish universities. The programme has been developed in cooperation with the Danish universities:
“We want to help prevent Denmark from missing out on female research talents in the technical and natural sciences. Villum International Postdocs are outstanding researchers selected on the basis of recommendations from universities and academic assessment by an international research committee. The six new grantees all share similar qualities – research talent, the desire for an international perspective and the ambition to pursue a university career. Our hope is that they can act as pioneers for others and inspire more talented women to follow a research career,” says Jens Kann-Rasmussen, chair of VILLUM FONDEN.
The new Villum International Postdocs research projects cover a wide range of areas: from the development of interactive learning support for the acquisition of programming skills and predicting fish species adaptation to rising water temperatures. Several of the projects focus on issues related to climate and sustainability; for example, in relation to shoreline erosion, groundwater, energy systems and the construction sector.
The grantees have been selected as special talents by the universities and subsequently academically assessed by VILLUM FONDEN’s Technical and Natural Sciences Committee, which has nominated them for grants to the foundation’s board.
Frontline research and family foundation
Jiawei Wang, from Center for Electric Power and Energy at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Technical University of Denmark, is one of the six new grantees:
“The grant is a huge support for my career dream in academia. I can focus on the project I have tailored for myself and at the same time gain international research experience. We females in academia have to always make a balance between career and family. The grant supports our research ambitions as an independent researcher, but also supports also family gathering during our external stay.”
"My project aims to develop a novel data-driven approach for assessment and improvement of the multi-energy system (MES) resilience. Resilience is the ability of the MES to withstand and recover from extreme contingencies, such as extreme weather. However, the physical modelling and control of the MES during the contingencies can be very complex with a high computational burden. With a huge volume of data collected from physical systems, In my project I propose new approaches, that are expected to be more efficient and appropriate in the context of data-driven resilience of MESs," explains Jiawei Wang.
As part of the programme, all Villum International Postdocs must plan a one or two-year stay abroad to ensure an international perspective and establish a network. Jiawei Wang will be travelling to Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
"The external host is conducting pioneering research on Artificial Intelligence applied to the power system. Based on the platform at Imperial, I look forward to international collaboration and diverse research experience, that can bring new dimensions to my research and networks.” she says.
Meet the six Villum International Postdocs:
Villum International Postdocs 2020. Photo: Thomas Frandsen. Please credit VILLUM FONDEN.
From left:
Freja Nygaard Rasmussen, BUILD - Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University (DKK 2.21 million):
"Building - LCA of SCALES"
Preparation of a new approach and use of environmental life cycle assessments, LCA, which are being prepared within construction to determine the climate impact.
Jiawei Wang, DTU Electrical Engineering, DTU - Technical University of Denmark (DKK 2.22 million):
"Data-driven Approaches for enhancing resilience of Multi-Energy systems (DAME)"
Study of sustainable energy systems; how to create reliable systems that can operate flexibly and robustly.
Drude Fritzbøger Christensen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen (DKK 2.42 million):
"Coastal erosion hotspots - where and why?"
Study of the development of coastlines and causes of erosion hotspots.
Kim Birnie-Gauvin, DTU AQUA, DTU - Technical University of Denmark (DKK 2.49 million):
"Salmonids in hot water: are physiological constraints causing salmonids to die?"
Study of the adaptability of fish species to the rising water temperatures caused by climate change.
Nanna Inie, Department of Computer Science, IT University of Copenhagen (DKK 2.16 million):
"ATTiKA - Adaptive Tools for Technical Knowledge Acquisition"
Developing methods and digital tools for learning support for the acquisition of programming skills.
Line Meldgaard Madsen, Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University (DKK 2.34 million):
"Fusion of hydrology and geophysics for a description of surface and groundwater dynamics in a changing climate"
Developing a better understanding of the effects of climate change on water systems with a focus on surface and groundwater dynamics.