Postdoc AI-assisted combinatorial optimization for congestion management

Position (Post-doctoral) Researcher

Irène Curie Fellowship No

Department(s) Electrical Engineering

FTE 1,0

Date off 01/05/2024

Reference number V36.7360

Job description

To achieve the objectives of the Climate Agreement there is a need to rapidly increase the amount of energy that comes from solar and wind farms. In the Netherlands, there is significant interest in relevant investments. However, the lack of grid capacity in the medium voltage grid hinders the realization of new projects. Given the significant lead times and cost of medium voltage grid reinforcement, mobilizing flexibility that is available at the edges of the power system to increase the hosting capacity of the existing network by preventing or minimizing congestion is imperative.

To address this challenge, you will work with a consortium of industry and academic partners who aim to develop and validate scalable optimization and control techniques to exploit distributed energy storage assets located at the low voltage grid (residential and agricultural end-users) in order to resolve congestion issues at the medium voltage grid level and enable the seamless connection of large-scale solar and wind farms. In particular, you will explore the use of machine learning techniques in conjunction with mathematical programming to accelerate the solution of large-scale combinatorial optimization problems that are used to price and specify the parameters of congestion management instruments.

Your tasks will include:

• Developing multi-level distributed optimization and control algorithms for distributed energy storage devices.
• Designing and pricing new congestion management instruments that are compatible with current legislation.
• Validating the proposed algorithms via a pilot that takes place in a congested area where several large-scale renewable generation projects are in the pipeline and involves a significant amount of distributed storage.

You will primarily contribute to Intelligent Energy Systems research activities of the Electrical Energy Systems group. Besides research you will also have the opportunity to contribute to education within the department.

Job requirements

• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Operations Research, Computer Science or a related discipline with a focus on power systems and optimization/machine learning techniques. The position is also open to candidates at the final stage of their PhD who have not defended yet.
• Ability to conduct high quality academic research, demonstrated for instance by a relevant PhD thesis and/or publication(s).
• Proficiency in Python programming. Experience in collaborative software projects is desirable.
• Ability (or willingness) to teach and supervise students, shown by experience or assistance in teaching and positive evaluations of these teaching efforts.
• Excellent command of the English language and good communication skills. Note that there is no Dutch language requirement.
• Be a team player and able to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary context.
• Be available to start no later than September 2024.

You must possess a comprehensive knowledge of power systems and/or electricity markets. You must have a proven ability to develop and apply quantitative decision-making methods (e.g., mathematical programming or data-driven/AI approaches), as evidenced by a relevant PhD thesis or publications. Furthermore, familiarity with topics such as congestion management, flexibility provision, energy management, energy communities, mathematical decomposition methods, distributed optimization techniques is highly desirable.

Conditions of employment

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the possibility to present your work at international conferences.
• A full-time employment for 1 or 1.5 years, depending on the starting date.
• Salary in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale 10 (min. €3,877 max. €5,090).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs on general skills, didactics and topics related to research and valorization.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• Partially paid parental leave and an allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A TU/e Postdoc Association that helps you to build a stronger and broader academic and personal network, and offers tailored support, training and workshops.
• A Staff Immigration Team is available for international candidates, as are a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) and a compensation for moving expenses.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.

Information and application

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact dr. Nikolaos Paterakis, Assistant Professor, n.paterakis@tue.nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HR Services, email HRServices.Fluxtue.nl.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application using the apply-button.
The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position. Indicate your availability.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.
• List of five self-selected ‘best publications’.

Please note that you can upload 1 document of 10 Mb so if you have more than 1 document you will have to combine them.

Selected candidates may be invited first for an online interview and then for onsite visits to TU/e. The position is available immediately and the selected candidate is expected to start no later than September 2024.

We look forward to your application and will screen it as soon as we have received it. Screening will continue until the position has been filled.  

Applications by e-mail are not accepted!