Incorporating distribution grids in multiscale stochastic energy system models  

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Background - PhD Candidate at FME SecurEL – Incorporating distribution grids in multiscale stochastic energy system models  

There is a temporary PhD position for 3 years available at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management – Section Health, Safety and Environmental Management. The position is resident at NTNUs campus in Trondheim. This is an educational position, which will provide promising research recruits the opportunity for professional development through studies towards a PhD-degree. The position is connected to the PhD program at the Faculty of Economics and Management and the faculty will be your employer.

The PhD position will be part of FME SecurEL. The Centre will facilitate a secure, resilient, and sustainable electricity distribution grid that ensures both the security of electricity supply and a path to a net-zero-emissions society. See https://securel.no/ 

About the centre

The PhD position will be part of FME SecurEL. The Centre will facilitate a secure, resilient, and sustainable electricity distribution grid that ensures both the security of electricity supply and a path to a net-zero-emissions society. See https://securel.no/ 

SecurEL is a Centre for Environment-friendly Energy Research, facilitating a secure, resilient, and sustainable electricity distribution grid that ensures both the security of electricity supply and a path to a net-zero-emissions society. SecurEL aims to develop new knowledge addressing research challenges arising from accelerated electrification and increased use of the existing grid. Reaching these goals requires strong interdisciplinary collaboration among research institutions, user partners, and experts with diverse areas of expertise.

The Centre brings together experts from fields such as electrical engineering, energy systems, information and communication technology, cybersecurity, engineering cybernetics, industrial economics, as well as humanities and social sciences, to develop effective solutions for the power grid. SecurEL is a consortium of 42 partners, including 7 research partners. The centre period is 2025-2032, and the total budget is 398 million Norwegian kroner (NOK). NTNU is represented as a partner mainly by the Department of Electric Energy (IEL) and the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management (IØT).

Recruitment and research education is an important part of the mission of SecurEL. The PhD candidates funded by the Centre will contribute with cutting-edge knowledge and research. Overall, the Centre will directly finance 17 PhD and postdoc positions, and also have several associated PhDs from closely related projects. As a SecurEL-funded PhD candidate, you will be employed by NTNU, a university partner in the Centre, and take active part in the research activities. Through the Centre, you will have access to a forum with other PhD candidates affiliated with the Centre, and opportunities for research stays with partners, both nationally and abroad, through its international network.

Read more about the Centre and its research at the website https://www.securel.no/.   

About the position

Energy system models are widely used by researchers and analysts for investigating how policies and technology developments may impact our energy futures. These models often cover large geographical areas, several energy carriers and sometimes also multiple time scales. Therefore, it is unavoidable to make trade-offs between modelling detail and computational efficiency/tractability. Local energy resources and demands are typically aggregated to country-level, while local constraints, such as distribution grids, are usually not considered at all.   

This PhD will contribute to the field by exploring new methods and modelling frameworks for inclusion of distribution grids and distributed resources in multiscale energy system models with a special focus on capturing security of supply aspects of the distribution grid in the energy system modelling. The models may be multiscale in the time dimension including for example investments (years), operations (hours) and balancing (minutes). The models may also be multiscale in the geographical resolution by representing the spatial location as a country (Norway), while other locations are modelled in detail with physical location of distributed generation and grids.  The modeling framework will be stochastic in order to represent variations in demand and renewable generation.  

Methodologically, the project will be based on novel models and decomposition methods for multiscale stochastic problems. Examples of relevant methods may be Stochastic Dual Dynamic Programming, Alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) composition and similar decomposition approaches. We are searching for candidates that have interest both in energy systems and power sector modeling and in optimization methods.  

The project will be a cooperation between NTNU, SINTEF, IFE as well as the industrial partnership of the FME SecurEL.  

You will report to your supervisor. 

Duties of the position

• Execute a PhD project within 3 years (including obtaining own data for research, analysis and dissemination). 
• Plan and execute the empirical work and data collection targeted to address the research objectives. 
• Complete the necessary doctoral coursework as per NTNU’s guidelines.
• Attend project meetings and develop a collaboration network with project partners.
• Disseminate research findings through national/international academic conferences and open access scientific journals that meet the requirements for the PhD position.

Required selection criteria

• The PhD-position's main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is completion of a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) in operations research and optimization or equivalent education. Applicants should have a strong academic background with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. Applicants with no letter grades from previous studies must have an equally good academic foundation.  
• The position requires excellent English oral and writing skills. 

Preferred selection criteria

In addition, the following qualifications will contribute positively to the evaluation of the applicant:

• Background and/or experience relevant to the project topic  
• Scandinavian language skills
• Documented experience with stochastic optimization
• Documented experience with energy system analysis 
• Good knowledge of digital tools like Julia, Python, etc.  

Personal characteristics

• A high level of personal responsibility and initiative
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team in accordance with the project objectives
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary projects and teams
• Suitable candidates should have good communication skills, be flexible and solution-oriented

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment 
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

Information about Working and living in Norway can be found at the following link: http://www.nyinorge.no/en/Ny-i-Norge-velg-sprak/New-in-Norway/

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, at gross NOK 536.200,- 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 3 years. The position is connected to the PhD program at the Faculty of Economics and Management and the faculty will be your employer. Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Industrial Economics and Technology Management within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period. Your work place will be at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management.

As a result of the new Act relating to universities and university colleges with associated regulations of 01.08.2024, NTNU has, during a transitional period (for decisions on employment in recruitment positions before 1 August 2025), chosen to use the terms of employment in the old regulations of 31 January 2006 no. 102 on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, scientific assistant and specialist candidate.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.
As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

The position is subject to external funding.
For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available 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. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

1)    Application letter concerning your motivation for completing a PhD
2)    A CV with information on education, previous research experience, together with authorized documentation of certificates and study records. 
3)    Academic work (not master thesis). Joint work will be evaluated. If it is difficult to identify the contributions from individuals in a joint piece of work, applicants should enclose a short descriptive summary of what she/he contributed to the work. 
4)    Name and address of three references

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, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. Please note that diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI). 

If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well. 
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 for research will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered.

General information

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

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.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt 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 exemption is not granted.

Questions about the position can be directed to Professor Asgeir Tomasgard email Asgeir.tomasgard@ntnu.no or phone + 47 930 58 771.  If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor Hilde Selli Egelie, e-mail: hilde.s.egelie@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 31.03.2025