PhD Candidate in Model Predictive Control for Energy Optimization in Cooling and Ventilation systems

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At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

About the position

Through a collaboration agreement between CERN and NorCC (Norwegian Centre for CERN-related Research), this position is one of a number of jointly-funded NTNU-CERN PhD vacancies in the field of the technological sciences (engineering projects). The successful candidate will spend 18 months at NTNU and 18 months at CERN, while remaining active in the PhD Programme at both institutions for the full 36 months. For the position of PhD Candidate, the goal is the completion of doctoral education at NTNU and CERN, including an obtained doctoral degree from NTNU.

A jointly-funded NTNU-CERN PhD vacancy is available at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics at NTNU on the topic of Model Predictive Control for Energy Optimization in Cooling and Ventilation Systems.

There has been considerable effort recently to reduce energy consumption at CERN, which currently stands at roughly 1.3 TWh per year.  One attractive means to achieve this, which typically also requires minimal capital expenditure, is to improve control algorithms.  At CERN, cooling and ventilation applications account for a considerable proportion of electrical consumption (in the order of 100 GWh per year). Improving control systems for these applications could therefore enable considerable energy savings.  A recent pilot implementation of Model Predictive Control (MPC) on an Air Handling Unit (AHU) at CERN has demonstrated promising results with respect to energy savings.  The focus of this project will be to investigate how MPC may be efficiently implemented for large numbers of similar installations.

Your immediate leader at CERN will be Dr. Brad Schofield, and at NTNU Prof. Morten Hovd.

Duties of the position

• Develop methodology for efficient roll-out of the piloted control methodology.  At CERN there is a large number of AHUs, of several different designs, and operating in different environments.
• Continue to develop energy-optimal advanced controllers for other process areas, in cooperation with the equipment groups.
• Be admitted to and, within the timeframe of the project, completing the requirements of the PhD programme in Engineering Cybernetics at NTNU 

Required qualifications

• You must have a Master’s degree or equivalent in Engineering Cybernetics or Control Engineering with a strong background in industrial control systems, or a Master’s degree in process technology (from Mechanical or Chemical Engineering) with a strong background in control and optimization.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the NTNU PhD programme in Engineering Cybernetics.
• You must have good written and oral English language skills. Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside EU/EEA/Switzerland must provide documentation of English language proficiency, in terms of an approved test (such as TOEFL, IELTS, or similar).
• You must be a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
   

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of heat transfer and thermodynamics
• Good programming skills

Personal characteristics

• 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, focused, and solution-oriented.
• Creative and innovative in research.

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 at NTNU

General

The period of employment at NTNU is 18 months in total.  This may be split into two periods, starting with 12 months at NTNU, followed by 18 months at CERN, and finally 6 months at NTNU.  You will remain active in the PhD Programme at both institutions for the full 36 months. Your NTNU supervisor will assist you with your applications to the NTNU and the CERN PhD Program. A travel allowance is available when travel between NTNU and CERN is deemed appropriate by your supervisors.

Contract of employment at NTNU:

During the period(s) of employment at NTNU, you will have a contract of employment as a PhD candidate (code 1017). PhD Candidates are normally paid NOK 532 200 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.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering Cybernetics within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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. 

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

Contract of association at CERN:

During the 18-month period at CERN, you will have a contract of association and will be a member of the CERN Doctoral Students Programme, the conditions of which, including details of the monthly stipend, are described in CERN Doctoral Student Programme | SmartRecruiters. You will not be employed by NTNU during this time.

About the application

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

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.

The application must include:

• A motivation letter (0.5-2 pages), indicating how the applicant envisages her/his contribution within the project
• CV  (including list of publications and relevant former positions)
• Certified copies of transcripts from Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• English language proficiency documentation, if required (see above) 
• Name and contact information of minimum 2 referees
• Any publications or other relevant research work

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken outside Norway, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your contribution.

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 our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

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 PhD candidate employed by NTNU you must at all times adapt to changes brought about by developments in your research area, and comply with organizational changes adopted by NTNU.

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 Morten Hovd, email: morten.hovd@ntnu.no . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant 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. 

Application deadline: 31.12.2024.