Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Ocean grid in ‘Grid Expansion Optimisation’

About the job

Applicants are invited for a two-year Postdoc position at the Department of Electric Power Engineering , Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. The candidate will be a part of the Power System Operation and Analysis (PSOA) research group . 

The Ocean Grid project, which is a part of the Norwegian Government’s Green Platform Initiative, aims to develop cost-competitive energy technologies for the international market through research-based innovation. The prominent driver for this research is the ambition to re-align the Norwegian offshore industry from Oil & Gas-based activities towards offshore wind energy and hydrogen. The candidate will work in a joint research project with leading energy companies and developers, suppliers and manufacturers, and research and innovation organisations.

More details about the Ocean Grid project are available here: https://oceangridproject.no/

The position reports to the Head of the Department.

The main workplace will be Trondheim. 

Duties of the position

The Postdoc position will be associated with Work Package (WP) 1, whose main objective is to develop open optimisation models and tools to help identify economically robust and beneficial step-by-step offshore energy infrastructure buildout. 

More specifically, the Postdoc will contribute to the tasks related to grid investment optimisation, and model extensions, as follows:

• Using PowerGIM approach as a starting point, an assessment of the alternative grid optimisation strategies and solution methods would be made, with the following considerations: problem complexity, possible reduction methods, modelling strategy, computational efficiency and suitability for offshore grid stepwise buildout decision support. In this context, the PowerGIM optimization tool will have to be adapted to be as realistic and as efficient as possible. 
  •  Note: PowerGIM is a Python package for stochastic power system expansion planning that can consider both transmission and generator investments in a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer linear program formulation. 
• As regards model extensions, efficient ways to include hydrogen infrastructure investment options will be investigated. Co-optimisation of offshore electrical and hydrogen infrastructure buildout will also be investigated. 
• Methods and tools will be developed to include security of supply to offshore loads/hubs. Monte Carlo-simulation based power system reliability analysis will be put to use. 
• The methods and models for optimisation of offshore grid development will be based on recent PhD studies at NTNU (M. Kristiansen, PhD thesis (2019) ) and Fraunhofer IEE (P. Härtel, PhD thesis (2021) ).
• Emphasis is on the overall North Sea grid perspective.  

Required selection criteria

The successful candidate is expected to work independently, have a solid mathematical and modelling background, and have a Ph.D. within electrical engineering (or engineering physics) with specialization in power systems, or another relevant discipline, with a Ph.D. thesis relevant for the project. A very good command of the English language (spoken and written) is a prerequisite. The candidate should have excellent programming skills. The eligible candidate should have submitted the Ph.D. thesis for assessment by the application deadline. The selected candidate should be able to start in the position by 01. June 2023 or earlier. 

In summary:

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian Ph.D.
• You must have a professionally relevant background in Electrical Engineering or another relevant discipline.
• You must have substantial research experience documented with peer-reviewed scientific papers.
• You must possess excellent verbal and written communication in English.

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

• A candidate with solid background in power systems and/or electricity markets, and/or energy system analysis – together with extensive knowledge of operations research or optimisation is preferred. 
• Proficiency in power system modelling, analysis and optimisation is preferred.
• Excellent programming skills in Python are preferred.
• Mastery of oral and written English is preferred. 

Personal characteristics

The successful candidate should be

• structured, targeted and solution-oriented
• creative and innovative
• independent and self-motivated
• a team player able to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, research partners, and colleagues alike
• in possession of good dissemination skills

We offer 

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment 
• an open and inclusive work environment  with dedicated colleagues 

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are paid NOK 563 500 per annum before tax. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 2 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.

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

About the application 

Publications and other scientific work must be included in 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. 

The application must include:

• A cover letter where the applicant describes the personal motivation, summarizing scientific work, and how the applicant sees her/his background as suitable for the described position.
• A research proposal (3-5 pages) for the postdoctoral career, where the candidate presents her/his ideas for the postdoctoral work and how it can be applied, based on the project description given in this advertisement. This proposal will be neither final nor binding for the project.
• CV (summarising education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity).
• Copies of educational certificates academic transcript of records (Bachelor-, Masters- and Doctoral degrees), and letters of recommendation. Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement (https://ec.europa.eu/education/diploma-supplement_en) or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
• A publication list, including citation rates according to Google Scholar or Web of Science. Highlight up to five of the most significant and relevant publications. The most relevant publications (maximum five) must be attached. 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.
• The required documentation of English language proficiency.
• Names and contact information of at least two references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number).

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

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.

Questions about the position can be directed to Associate Professor Vijay Venu Vadlamudi ([email protected] ).

Application deadline: 15.02.2023 

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 Power Engineering

The Department of Electric Power Engineering 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 15th February 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service NTNU Campus Trondheim