Postdoctoral Fellow in Equipment and Methods for Harmonic Mitigation in Offshore Wind Power Plants

About the job

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

The Department of Electric Energy  (IEL) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has a vacancy for a full-time 100% position (3 years) as a Postdoctoral Fellow position in “Equipment and methods for harmonic mitigation in offshore wind power plants”. The prospective candidate will be part of the research group Power Electronic Systems and Components (PESC). 

With the European Union setting the ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, and many other countries embracing similar policies to decarbonize electricity, supporting a more sustainable society, there is a significant need for technological advances and increased competitiveness to drive the growth of offshore renewable energies, and energy storage in the coming years.

Within this context, this post-doctoral project will investigate what kind of design guidelines and/or mitigation methods can be adopted to minimize the risk on harmonic resonance/harmonic instabilities that may arise in large wind or PV power plants with ac collection systems.

The postdoctoral fellow will be employed at the IEL, NTNU, and the workplace will be in Trondheim, Norway, but the project is of both academic and industrial relevance, and it will therefore be developed in close cooperation between NTNU in Trondheim and the company Petronas , which is a global Malaysian energy group.

Your immediate leader is the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

In this scientific research project, the postdoctoral fellow will specifically aim at investigating potential remedies to harmonic resonances and/or harmonic interactions potentially arising in large offshore wind (or PV) power plants using alternating current (AC) for the connection to the main grid.

The specific objectives of the post-doctoral project involve the following:

• To elaborate an updated literature review oriented to identifying analytical tools for harmonic resonance/harmonic instability and active/passive mitigation measures.
• To propose new techniques providing reasonable improvement over the existing state of the art control solutions that could damp (or prevent) these harmonic instabilities.
• To validate the most promising solutions in real time using Opal RT or Real Time Digital Systems and Hardware in the Loop testing in the National Smart Grid Laboratory at NTNU.

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in electrical engineering with a specialization or solid competence in power converters’ control.
• If you can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position.
• Solid competence on power systems is also needed.
• You must have good English language skills, written and spoken. Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland must provide preliminary documentation of English language proficiency in terms of an approved test. The following tests can be used: TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test)
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted) 
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A 

Further assessment of both written and oral English language skills, and the ability to communicate fluently, will be conducted in the continued selection process and during any interviews for the shortlisted applicants.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D Candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate.

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience with experimental validation (in particular Hardware-in-the-loop testing) will be an advantage.
• Good understanding of the structure and operation of ac-connected renewable energy farms will be positively evaluated.

Personal characteristics

• Inquisitive, self-motivated, and self-driven with a strong ability to work both independently, and in cooperation with others when required.
• Communicates information with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing.
• Structured, targeted, and solution-oriented.
• Creativity and innovation in research.
• Scientific mindset.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer 

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 594 500 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

The period of employment is 3 years.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants , and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.  

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution at campus Trondheim on a daily basis.

About the application 

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.  

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include: 

• A cover letter where the applicant describes personal motivation, summarizes scientific work and explains how the applicant sees her/his background as suitable for the advertised position.  
• CV and certificates
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or that your PhD thesis has been submitted
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, or have recently submitted your thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 10 items)
• Research plan (3-5 pages including references) for the post-doctoral project, where the candidate presents her/his own ideas for the scientific work and how they can be applied, based on the project description given in this advertisement. This proposal will be neither final nor binding for the project.
• Name and contact information of three referees.

Incomplete application will not be taken into consideration. 

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation. 

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA. 

General information 

Working at NTNU 

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality . 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.  

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted. 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation . You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Elisabetta Tedeschi, email: [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Sven Robert Storø, e-mail: [email protected] .

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation. 

Application deadline: 12.02.24

NTNU

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Electric Energy

The Department of Electric Energy is one of the seven departments at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Our department is Norway’s leading in the field, and our vision is to be at the centre of the digital, green shift. We have excellent collaboration with business and industry as well as other universities and research organizations internationally. This gives us outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary research with high relevance for the society, addressing industrial needs and global challenges.

Deadline 12th February 2024
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Elektrobygget O. S. Bragstads plass 2E, E-blokk 3. etasje, 7034 Trondheim