PhD Position on Designing Promising Pathways Towards the Future Energy System in Europe

Join a cutting-edge PhD project at TU Delft, where you'll design deployment strategies for key energy infrastructure leveraging advanced system modeling to drive the energy transition.

Job Description
The energy transition is critical to achieving global climate goals, and designing effective deployment pathways for key infrastructure is at the core of this challenge. This PhD project will focus on using state-of-the-art bottom-up energy system modelling frameworks to explore and develop deployment strategies for various established and emerging technologies along with their associated infrastructure needs that are essential for the decarbonisation of the energy system. Technologies under consideration span from solar and wind power, small modular reactors, CO2 capture and storage, bio-based technologies, energy efficiency measures to geothermal energy.

You will work on refining and applying leading energy and power system models to optimize the integration of these technologies and their infrastructure in the Netherlands, Europe, or other relevant contexts. The research will provide policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders with critical insights into the economic viability, technological capabilities, societal acceptance, material demands, and environmental impacts of different technologies in the energy transition.

Key Responsibilities:

• Model Development & Refinement: Adapt and enhance existing energy system models to incorporate infrastructure deployment.
• Data Collection and Analysis & Scenario Development: Utilize real-world data and develop scenarios for the design promising deployment pathways.
• Collaboration with Stakeholders: Engage with industry stakeholders, policymakers, and academic partners to align your research with current developments.
• Interdisciplinary Research: Explore the multifaceted challenges of the energy transition, including economic, technological, environmental, and societal factors.
• Dissemination & Reporting: Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present results at international conferences.

You will join a lively community of internationally renowned interdisciplinary energy researchers in the Department of Engineering Systems and Services. Our faculty hosts a diverse group of people from different countries and disciplines, and we welcome candidates that contribute to and enjoy this diversity. We expect that as part of your PhD you will take the lead on interacting and collaborating with other researchers at TU Delft, with research groups at other universities, and with industry and other stakeholders.

Job Requirements

• Master's degree in Energy Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field.
• Preferably, a strong background in energy systems and energy system modelling.
• Demonstrated interest in the energy transition and its multidisciplinary facets including technology, economics, and policy.
• Solid programming skills.
• Excellent analytical and systems thinking skills, with the ability to handle large datasets and complex models.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to collaborate effectively in an interdisciplinary team.
• Experience in collaborating with industrial partners or policy-makers is a plus.
• Proficiency in English (Dutch proficiency is an asset but not required).

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Technology, Policy & Management
The Faculty of TPM provides an important contribution to solving complex technical-social issues, such as energy transition, mobility, digitalisation, water management and (cyber) security. TPM does this with its excellent education and research at the intersection of technology, society and policy. We combine insights from both engineering and social sciences as well as the humanities. TPM develops robust models and designs, is internationally oriented and has an extensive network of knowledge institutions, companies, social organisations and governments.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.

Conditions of employment
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Prof. dr. ir. Machteld van den Broek here.

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 1 December 2024 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter

You can address your application to Prof. dr. ir. Machteld.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• A knowledge security check will be part of the selection procedure (for details page 45: national knowledge security guidelines).
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

For more information about the application procedure, please contact Olivie Beek, HR-advisor here.

36 - 40 hours per week

Mekelweg 5