Postdoctoral Fellow, Flexibility as a Resource in the Distribution System

About the job

The postdoctoral fellowship position is for two-years, where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. The candidate will be part of a strong research group in Data-Driven Optimal Control and MPC, with a focus on energy management. 

The position is funded through the FME Cineldi Research Centre on Environment-friendly Energy. The goal is to build solutions to exploit optimally the potential resulting from connected power generation sources and loads to support the distribution system.

For the future electricity distribution grid, we need to consider new assets such as renewable energy resources, energy storage, and end-user flexibility (e.g. houses and buildings). This calls for the introduction of advance optimization methods to exploit these assets and understand their potential for the distribution system. Thanks to the increasing digitalization of consumers, there are many opportunities to form local energy communities providing services to the power grid. The candidate will focus on these opportunities, and their impact on the security and cost of supply, the distribution system development, and its planning and operation. The results will be new methods, algorithms, tools, and recommendations for distribution system planners.

The postdoctoral fellow will be integrated in a strong research group and work closely with other PhDs/Postdoctoral Fellows and researchers within CINELDI. The group has access to experimental smart houses and buildings, which will help the postdoctoral fellow access relevant and real applications. The supervision team has a background in power systems and industrial economics with a strong track record in the research and development of industrial applications.

Your immediate leader is Prof. Sebastien Gros, Head of Dept. of Cybernetics.

Duties of the position

• Develop methods within the domain areas of FME Cineldi, with a focus on optimization and data-driven methods
• Publications in scientific journals and conferences, dissemination to research partners and user partners in the Cineldi consortium
• The candidate will be involved in supervision of Master and PhD students 

Required selection criteria

The candidate should have a completed Ph.D. in relevant areas, with an interest in theoretical development, verification of concepts, and implementation. 

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in electrical engineering, energy engineering, control engineering, or operational research. 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.
• You must have excellent skills in mathematics and formal reasoning, and a good sense of research strategy
• You must have excellent programming skills, and a sense of applications
• Applicants must have excellent English language skills, written and spoken. Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside 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)

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

• PhD candidates with a strong background in operation research or optimal control with interests in the power systems are encouraged to apply
• Alternatively, candidates with a strong background in power systems and an interest in theoretical development, verification of concepts, and implementation are also welcome.
• Hands on experience within at least one of the following programming languages: C, C++, Julia, Python.
• Candidates with a strong publication record will be preferred.
• A minimum requirement, at least one publication as the first author in reputable venues, such as IEEE Transactions or other high impact factor journals.
• Good collaborative skills as the candidate will work closely with other PhDs/PostDocs and researchers within CINELDI
• Interest in applying the research

Personal characteristics

• Motivation and a desire to make an impact on critical societal problems will be considered when evaluating the applicant
• Capability to work in a group, team player
• Good communicator, solution oriented, adaptive, resourceful and independent
• Transparency and honesty 

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer 

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment 
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues 
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 
• employee benefits 

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 563 500 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 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 

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

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified 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:

• CV and certificates
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your Ph.D, 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
• Research plan
• Name and contact information of three referees

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 continually maintain and improve your professional development and be flexible regarding any organizational changes.

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 Prof. Sebastien Gros, email sebastien.gros@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Berit Dahl, e-mail: berit.dahl@ntnu.no .

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: 30.04.2023. 

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 Engineering Cybernetics (ITK)

Engineering cybernetics is the study of automatic control and monitoring of dynamic systems. We develop the technologies of tomorrow through close cooperation with industry and academia, both in Norway and internationally. The Department contributes to the digitalization, automation and robotization of society. The Department of Engineering Cybernetics is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.

Deadline 30th April 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Project
Place of service Trondheim