Delft University of Technology is hiring a doctoral candidate on the subject of designing the integrated energy systems. In order to reduce the carbon footprint of our society, the energy system must be redesigned to accommodate sustainable heating solutions and sustainable electrical energy technologies. In this project, you will work on decision support models and tools to guide the decision makers through the redesign process, in particular with the focus on the heating and electricity systems. In this position, you will work as part of a team of three doctoral candidates in a project called 'DEMOSES: Designing and Modeling Systems of Energy Systems. In this project, TU Delft partners with TU Eindhoven, eScienceCenter, TNO and a range of industrial partners. The project is funded by NWO.

Your work will be to develop models and tools for designing heat, electricity and gas grids, focusing on the interdependencies between them and flexibilities that they provide. You will do this by using and improving existing energy models that are provided by the partners and by developing model coupling software to link these models together.

Specifically, your tasks will be:

1. To rethink the architecture of grid design tools, particularly from the point of view of interdependencies between electricity, heat and gas sectors, and propose new tool architecture fitted for grid development in the energy transition.
2. To develop a model of the regional energy system by combining partner models of heat grids and distribution grids for electricity and gas.
3. To perform grid planning studies on the developed model and provide assessment of viable grid development options.

This four-year doctoral position, with the start in the second half of 2022, will be supervised by dr. Milos Cvetkovic, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science and dr. Laurens de Vries, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management. The PhD will be hosted in the Intelligent Electrical Power Grids section within the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. 

About the department

The research in the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on three areas:

• DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)

The Electrical Sustainable Energy Department provides expertise in each of these areas throughout the entire energy system chain. The department owns a large ESP laboratory assembling High Voltage testing, DC Grids testing environment, and a large RTDS that is actively used for real-time simulation of future electrical power systems.

The Intelligent Electrical Power Grid (IEPG) group, headed by Professor Peter Palensky, works on the future of our power system. The goal is to generate, transmit and use electrical energy in a highly reliable, efficient, stable, clean, affordable, and safe way. IEPG integrates new power technologies and smart controls, which interact with other systems and allow for more distributed and variable generation. 

You like to work in an international, multi-disciplinary environment on energy-transition relevant problems, have an open personality and good English language skills. You are able to communicate and collaborate well with international consortium partners, colleagues and students.

You have a recent Master's Degree in a quantitative discipline and demonstrable affinity with energy system analysis and design. You have prior experience with computer modeling and simulation, power systems and energy systems. You are at the top of your class and enjoy performing research. You are independent, self-motivated and eager to learn.     

The minimum requirement of a TOEFL score of 100 IELTS of 7.0 per sub-skill (writing, reading, listening, speaking) applies to all candidates wanting to pursue a PhD at TU Delft.     

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2443 per month in the first year to € 3122 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context. At TU Delft we embrace diversity and aim to be as inclusive as possible (see our Code of Conduct). Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale.

Challenge. Change. Impact! 

Faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three disciplines - electrical engineering, mathematics and computer science. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make future-proof. We are also working on a world in which humans and computers reinforce each other. We are mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. There is plenty of room here for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1,100 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.