PhD Research Fellow in Power Quality Assessment and Planning of Distribution and Transmission Grids
Join a national research centre to develop digital twins and advanced control strategies for power grids with high renewable energy penetration.
Best for:Best for electrical engineering graduates with a strong background in power systems, simulation, and scientific programming.
Overview
The University of Agder is offering a three-year PhD Research Fellow position within the Department of Engineering Sciences, affiliated with the FME SOLAR national research centre. The successful candidate will focus on power quality monitoring and operational planning for grids integrated with significant photovoltaic and inverter-based resources. Responsibilities include developing digital twins, creating event-based power quality assessment frameworks, and evaluating grid control strategies. The research will involve both simulation-based work and hardware-in-the-loop laboratory validation. Applicants are expected to contribute to a collaborative, international research environment while pursuing their doctoral degree.
What you'll do
- Develop digital twins for low, medium, and high voltage grids with high penetration of inverter-based technologies.
- Create an event-based power quality assessment framework and a corresponding simulation toolbox.
- Evaluate grid control strategies to increase photovoltaic hosting capacity, including voltage management and reactive power compensation.
- Design optimal strategies for grid hosting capacity considering power quality, voltage stability, and energy losses.
- Validate research findings through scaled hardware-in-the-loop laboratory experiments.
- Collaborate actively with industry partners and institutions within the FME SOLAR consortium.
Requirements
Degree required: Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, or a related discipline.
Degree offered: PhD
Language: English; TOEFL (PBT 600 or iBT 92) or IELTS (6.5).
Instruction: English
- Proficiency in scientific programming and data analysis using MATLAB or Python.
- Strong understanding of power system analysis.
- Ability to conduct independent engineering research and critically assess methodologies.
- Effective communication skills for reporting scientific results.
- Must meet admission requirements for the UiA PhD programme in Engineering and Science.
- Final-semester Master's students are eligible to apply.
Funding & terms
How to apply
Deadline: 2026-10-23
Applications must be submitted electronically via the official university portal. Candidates should provide all required academic documentation, including diplomas, transcripts, and a list of publications. Ensure all documents are provided in English or a Scandinavian language.
- Diplomas
- Transcripts
- List of publications
- Contact details for referees
Contact
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