PhD position Managing congestion in the electricity grid using mathematics and machine learning

Keep the renewable power flowing: develop data-driven algorithms to anticipate congestion in the grid and to rank mitigation options.

While the energy system is undergoing tremendous changes (e.g. rollout of solar panels and electric vehicles), the grid operator is responsible for providing grid capacity for energy consumers and producers. When insufficient capacity is available, this has significant societal, financial and reputational impacts. Traditional network reinforcement is costly and slow, so shorter-term flexibility markets that are currently being developed are a tempting but unproven alternative. How can we quantify the risks involved and rank the options at our disposal?

As part of your 4-year PhD project, you will develop a novel decision support methodology that (1) integrates network models and measurements to learn spatiotemporal models of network usage and available flexibility options, including network switching, which influences forecasts; (2) generates probabilistic forecasts of remaining capacity that are calibrated on the tails (low remaining capacity) and quantifies uncertainties due to lack of input data; and (3) provides a risk-based ranking of mitigation options, including time-to-decide, and scales to online use for large networks with thousands of potentially congested assets.

We are looking for a mathematically-minded researcher who takes a principled approach to understanding data-driven methods. You will collaborate within a multidisciplinary team to develop algorithms that work in the real world. You will be hired as a PhD researcher at Delft University of Technology, but you will also spend two days a week at the Distribution System Operator Alliander. At both locations you will work closely with other researchers who work on machine learning, risk assessment and modelling for power grids. Your academic supervisors are Dr. Simon Tindemans (TU Delft, daily supervisor), Prof. Eric Cator (Radboud University) and Prof. Han La Poutré (TU Delft, CWI). At Alliander, you will be supported by around 10 Scientific staff, data scientists and power system experts.

TU Delft is the Netherlands’ oldest technical university, TU Delft has a long history of research and education in electrical power engineering. Recognising the transformational power of Artificial Intelligence, TU Delft has launched a large cross-faculty AI initiative that your project will be part of. You will be a member of the Intelligent Electrical Power Grids research group at TU Delft, along with supervisors Simon Tindemans and Han La Poutré. The third supervisor Eric Cator is professor of applied stochastics at Radboud University. His group has a long-standing collaboration with Alliander and a lot of experience in applying statistical models and AI to power grids. Alliander is a Distribution system operator that maintains and operates the medium-low voltage grid and connects end-users with generators to the transmission high-voltage grid. Alliander is one of the frontrunners worldwide as a DSO in applying smart algorithms and AI; it is also one of the places where the limits of existing methods and available commercial software surface.     

Essential:

• An MSc degree (completed at the start date) in a discipline that combines mathematics and algorithmic thinking (e.g. Machine Learning, Systems & Control, (Applied) Mathematics, Operations Research, Electrical Engineering).
• An excellent academic record (typical grades of 8+ (Dutch) or A).
• Excellent English skills, evidenced by a minimum TOEFL score of 100 or IELTS of 7.0 for each sub-skill (writing, reading, listening, speaking), or a degree obtained in an English-speaking country. See https://www.tudelft.nl/en/education/programmes/phd/phd-admission for details.
• A good intuition for probability and statistics and an ability to read and critically analyse papers in the mathematics/computer science domain.
• You enjoy programming and strive to write code to a high standard.
• An affinity with the energy transition and its technical underpinnings (operation and planning of energy infrastructure).
• You like to work in a multidisciplinary team.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of electrical transmission or distribution systems.
• Experience with machine learning, preferably using Python.
• Experience with collaborative software development (e.g. open-source)

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 € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 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 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 as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

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.

For information about this vacancy and the selection procedure, please contact Simon Tindemans, Assistant Professor, email: [email protected]. 

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before September 15, 2022 via the application button and upload  all of the following:

• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.

Keep the renewable power flowing: develop data-driven algorithms to anticipate congestion in the grid and to rank mitigation options.

While the energy system is undergoing tremendous changes (e.g. rollout of solar panels and electric vehicles), the grid operator is responsible for providing grid capacity for energy consumers and producers. When insufficient capacity is available, this has significant societal, financial and reputational impacts. Traditional network reinforcement is costly and slow, so shorter-term flexibility markets that are currently being developed are a tempting but unproven alternative. How can we quantify the risks involved and rank the options at our disposal?

As part of your 4-year PhD project, you will develop a novel decision support methodology that (1) integrates network models and measurements to learn spatiotemporal models of network usage and available flexibility options, including network switching, which influences forecasts; (2) generates probabilistic forecasts of remaining capacity that are calibrated on the tails (low remaining capacity) and quantifies uncertainties due to lack of input data; and (3) provides a risk-based ranking of mitigation options, including time-to-decide, and scales to online use for large networks with thousands of potentially congested assets.

We are looking for a mathematically-minded researcher who takes a principled approach to understanding data-driven methods. You will collaborate within a multidisciplinary team to develop algorithms that work in the real world. You will be hired as a PhD researcher at Delft University of Technology, but you will also spend two days a week at the Distribution System Operator Alliander. At both locations you will work closely with other researchers who work on machine learning, risk assessment and modelling for power grids. Your academic supervisors are Dr. Simon Tindemans (TU Delft, daily supervisor), Prof. Eric Cator (Radboud University) and Prof. Han La Poutré (TU Delft, CWI). At Alliander, you will be supported by around 10 Scientific staff, data scientists and power system experts.

TU Delft is the Netherlands’ oldest technical university, TU Delft has a long history of research and education in electrical power engineering. Recognising the transformational power of Artificial Intelligence, TU Delft has launched a large cross-faculty AI initiative that your project will be part of. You will be a member of the Intelligent Electrical Power Grids research group at TU Delft, along with supervisors Simon Tindemans and Han La Poutré. The third supervisor Eric Cator is professor of applied stochastics at Radboud University. His group has a long-standing collaboration with Alliander and a lot of experience in applying statistical models and AI to power grids. Alliander is a Distribution system operator that maintains and operates the medium-low voltage grid and connects end-users with generators to the transmission high-voltage grid. Alliander is one of the frontrunners worldwide as a DSO in applying smart algorithms and AI; it is also one of the places where the limits of existing methods and available commercial software surface.     

Essential:

• An MSc degree (completed at the start date) in a discipline that combines mathematics and algorithmic thinking (e.g. Machine Learning, Systems & Control, (Applied) Mathematics, Operations Research, Electrical Engineering).
• An excellent academic record (typical grades of 8+ (Dutch) or A).
• Excellent English skills, evidenced by a minimum TOEFL score of 100 or IELTS of 7.0 for each sub-skill (writing, reading, listening, speaking), or a degree obtained in an English-speaking country. See https://www.tudelft.nl/en/education/programmes/phd/phd-admission for details.
• A good intuition for probability and statistics and an ability to read and critically analyse papers in the mathematics/computer science domain.
• You enjoy programming and strive to write code to a high standard.
• An affinity with the energy transition and its technical underpinnings (operation and planning of energy infrastructure).
• You like to work in a multidisciplinary team.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of electrical transmission or distribution systems.
• Experience with machine learning, preferably using Python.
• Experience with collaborative software development (e.g. open-source)

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 € 2541 per month in the first year to € 3247 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 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 as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

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.

For information about this vacancy and the selection procedure, please contact Simon Tindemans, Assistant Professor, email: [email protected]. 

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before September 15, 2022 via the application button and upload  all of the following:

• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.