Post-Doctoral Fellow / Department Lead

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOW – MARINE ENGINE & VALIDATION RESEARCH

Location

IIT Madras Discovery Campus, Thaiyur, Chennai

Organisation

Phorcys VX Marines Pvt. Ltd.

Function

Research & Development

Position

Post-Doctoral Fellow / Department Lead

Reporting To

Head – Research & Development and CMD Office

About Phorcys

Phorcys VX Marines is building an indigenous marine propulsion, research and technology-validation ecosystem for India. Phorcys is developing the world's first integrated three-stage marine validation platform for marine engines, allied technologies and marine products, including lubricants, fuels, additives, materials, components, coatings, retrofit technologies and other engine-related solutions. The platform is designed to connect simulation, laboratory research and progressively advanced validation stages, enabling technologies and products to be evaluated through a structured, evidence-based validation process under representative marine operating conditions.

Role Purpose

Phorcys is seeking a technically strong and research-oriented Post-Doctoral Fellow to lead an assigned R&D department and drive research activities associated with marine propulsion, combustion and technology-validation programmes. The candidate will coordinate internal research teams and work with reputed national and international research institutions, universities, technology organisations, specialist laboratories, domain experts and industry partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the assigned research department and its day-to-day technical activities.
• Plan, coordinate and execute research programmes in line with Phorcys broader R&D priorities.
• Develop research methodologies, validation protocols, test matrices and experimental plans.
• Lead research related to combustion, engine performance, emissions, alternative fuels and allied marine technologies.
• Support validation of lubricants, fuels, additives, coatings, materials, components and emerging marine technologies.
• Coordinate simulation, laboratory and experimental research activities and analyse resulting technical data.
• Work closely with reputed research organisations, academic institutions, laboratories, technical experts and industrial collaborators.
• Guide Research Associates, Junior Associates, interns and project researchers within the department.
• Identify research gaps, technical opportunities and potential new R&D programmes.
• Maintain structured technical documentation, research reports, validation records and experimental databases.
• Contribute towards patents, publications, intellectual property and technology-development initiatives.
• Present departmental progress, technical recommendations and key findings to the Head – R&D and CMD Office.

Working & Reporting Structure

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will take ownership of the assigned research department and is expected to demonstrate initiative, scientific thinking, collaborative problem-solving and strong responsibility for research outcomes. The role will operate within the overall technical and strategic direction of Phorcys and remain accountable to the Head – Research & Development and CMD Office for departmental priorities, technical quality, timelines, team coordination, resource requirements and programme progress.

Qualification & Candidate Profile

• PhD in Mechanical, Marine, Automotive, Energy, Thermal Engineering or a closely related field.
• Research experience in one or more areas such as IC engines, combustion, thermodynamics, alternative fuels, emissions, CFD, materials or experimental engineering.
• Strong analytical, experimental and research capability; multidisciplinary programme exposure preferred.
• Exposure to GT-POWER, CONVERGE or equivalent simulation platforms will be advantageous.
• Strong engineering fundamentals, technical leadership capability, hands-on experimental orientation and the ability to build and guide a multidisciplinary research team.