CFD Specialist - Microclimate and Wind

Job Description

As a CFD Specialist (Microclimate and Wind), you will help assess and improve the performance of outdoor environments at pedestrian level. Your work will inform design decisions by analysing wind behaviour, and outdoor thermal comfort, then translating results into practical, buildable recommendations for the design team and clients.

This is a hands-on technical role for someone who enjoys robust simulation work and can communicate findings clearly to non-specialists.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

1. Outdoor thermal comfort
2. CFD (pedestrian-level wind and microclimate)
3. Reporting & collaboration

• Carry out outdoor thermal comfort assessments (e.g., UTCI or equivalent indices), producing comfort maps, hotspot identification, and improvement strategies.
• Evaluate performance against project-defined targets and summarise outcomes in a clear and consistent format.
• Recommend design interventions to improve comfort (e.g., shading structures, landscape strategies, surface material selection, massing refinements, wind mitigation elements).
• Perform CFD simulations to evaluate pedestrian-level wind conditions and outdoor microclimate performance.
• Develop models end-to-end: geometry preparation, domain setup, meshing strategy, solver configuration, scenario definition, convergence checks, and sensitivity testing.
• Apply appropriate turbulence modelling approaches for outdoor studies and ensure modelling assumptions are defensible and well documented.
• Prepare high-quality post-processing outputs that clearly explain design risks and opportunities.
• Produce clear, well-structured technical reports covering methodology, assumptions, limitations, results, and recommendations.
• Present findings to architects, landscape teams, urban designers, sustainability teams, and clients in a practical and easily understood way.
• Support internal capability building through templates, QA checklists, standard workflows, and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Architecture, or a related field.
• Demonstrable experience in CFD for outdoor environments, pedestrian wind studies, and/or outdoor thermal comfort analysis.
• Strong understanding of core CFD principles (meshing, boundary conditions, turbulence modelling, convergence, and verification).
• Proficiency in CFD platform viz., OpenFOAM in grasshopper and post-processing tools (e.g., ParaView or similar).
• Ability to interpret complex outputs and communicate them clearly through visuals and concise narratives.

Additional Information

• Experience with Rhino/Grasshopper.
• Familiarity with hot-arid climate design challenges and outdoor comfort optimisation strategies.
• Python or scripting experience for automation and efficient post-processing.
• Exposure to sustainability frameworks or certification evidence preparation.