PhD Research Fellow in Hydropower generators securing electricity supply and grid resilience

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About the position

The Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences (TNM) has a vacancy for a temporary 100 % position as PhD Research Fellow in “The role of hydropower generators in securing electricity supply and enhancing grid resilience” from January 1st 2027. 

The position is a part of the FME SecurEL center, and it is funded by the Research Council of Norway and USN.

The position is located at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Cybernetics and reports to the Head of Department. The position will be working in the research group, “Electrical Power Systems” (EPS). The place of employment is Porsgrunn. 

The employment period will be four years full time, and there is a premise for employment that the PhD Research Fellow is enrolled in USN’s PhD-program in PhD in Technology within three months of accession in the position. The four-year full-time period will consist of 75 % research duties and 25 % teaching duties.

About the PhD-project and SecurEL

This PhD position “The role of hydropower generators in securing electricity supply and enhancing grid resilience” will be associated with Work Package 1 (WP1) on Security of Electricity Supply in SecurEL. The overall objective for the PhD work is to investigate the role of hydropower generators in managing the security of electricity supply in evolving regional distribution grids. The work of the PhD candidate will be integrated with the ongoing work being carried out by the research partners in WP1. In the initial phase, the supervisors, the candidate (based on the candidate's profile), and research partners in SecurEL will work together to identify the comprehensive research questions to be addressed to meet the overall objective of the PhD work.

Some potential specific research objectives:

• Model the coordination and interactions between power producers and system operators (DSOs and TSO) in scenarios for the transition of distribution grids.
• Quantify the importance of hydropower production and its interoperability in managing security of supply and grid stability.
• Explore the interplay between different aspects of security of supply (energy availability, power capacity, reliability of supply and voltage quality), as well as power flow balancing, and dynamic system integration) in regional distribution grids.
• Investigate how generator characteristics such as capabilities for fault-ride through, island mode transition, and black start impact the vulnerability and resilience of the grid, in particular considering islanded grid operation.
• Develop vulnerability indicators related to power production and control for increasing situational awareness.

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

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements:

• A master’s degree equivalent to a Norwegian master’s degree (120 ECTS).
• Documented proficiency in English (Nordic applicants may submit their high school diploma as documentation).
• Applicants with a strong background in STEM fields (e.g., electrical power engineering, control system engineering, physics or environmental engineering, mathematics (Operations research) or computer science or machine learning).
• The master’s thesis must be included in the application.
• Some of the teaching duties are in Norwegian language. Documented level of Norwegian or Scandinavian language skills at minimum B2 level are required.

Ideal Candidate:

• Ability to collaborate and work effectively in an international and interdisciplinary research environment.
• Demonstrates experience or strong interest in modelling, programming, systems thinking, and qualitative/quantitative research methods.
• Documented programming experience for example GitHub project on MATLAB, Python, Julia, Javascript.
• Experience in mathematical modeling, control engineering, and optimization is a distinctive advantage.
• Possesses a strong academic record, with relevant experience in either industry or academia.
• Has prior professional experience and a solid understanding of workplace responsibilities and expectations, which will be considered a key advantage.
• Shows a deep interest in interdisciplinary research, is capable of independent work, and actively engages with the supervision team to foster collaborative research.

For admission to the PhD-program the weighted average grade is B or higher is usually required. The applicant must have gained the degree within the start date of the position, so applicants in the last semester of their master’s degree are also encouraged to apply.

Personal qualities

In order to be able to complete a doctoral degree, you need to be able to:

• demonstrate motivation and potential for research in the field
• work independently, but also participate in teamwork
• work in a structured way, set goals, and make plans to achieve them
• present and discuss your research with other academics
• get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
• show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject area
• analyse data, assess different perspectives, and draw well-founded conclusions
•  be flexible and open to adjusting the project plan as necessary
• have the academic skills and personal qualities to be able to complete the doctoral programme within the employment period

When assessing applications, particular importance will be attached to

• Formal qualifications
• The scientific quality, research relevance and degree of innovation of the project
• The relevance of the project to the profile of the doctoral programme
• The personal qualities mentioned above

Language requirements

Requirements for proficiency in English 
This position requires good English language skills. International applicants must document this with a valid certificate from one of the following tests. Specific requirements regarding grades can be found on our webpage English requirement for programmes and subjects taught in English at USN.

• TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based Test (IBT)
• IELTS – International English Language Testing Service 
• Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) from the University of Cambridge
• PTE Academic – Pearson Test of English Academic

The following applicants are exempt from the requirements listed above:

• Applicants with one year of completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK or USA
• Applicants who have completed a master’s degree with English as the language of instruction in an EU or EEA country
• Applicants who are exempt based on the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)’s GSU list (Higher Education Entrance Qualification for foreign applicants)

Applicants from Norway can confirm their English language skills by submitting their upper secondary school diploma.

Requirements for proficiency in Norwegian:
The position requires a documented level of B2. The achieved level must be documented in the application.

Project description

Applicants must submit a preliminary research proposal with the application. The project description for the research project should be short and concise, maximum 2–4 pages (600-1200 words).

1. Introduction (the title, main problem and research questions and the background to the project)
2. State of the art (the project’s research field)
3. Theory
4. Methodology
5. Work plan
6. Results and hypotheses
7. Bibliography

Applications with a project description exceeding 1200 words will not be processed.

The project proposal will be included in the assessment of the applicant’s competence.

The final project description and work plan will be prepared in consultation with the supervisor(s) during the first three months of the employment period. It is a prerequisite that you complete the project during the employment period.

What we offer

• Organised research training in a large undertaking with an important social mission
• Careers advice and guidance throughout the entire doctoral programme. Together we will draw up a career plan that includes the skills and knowledge you will acquire
• An inclusive working environment with ambitious colleagues
• Salary in accordance with the Norwegian State salary scale for PhD research fellows (position code 1017) NOK 550,800. In special cases, code 1378 may be used. Any further increases in pay grade will be based on length of service in the position
• Deductions will be made from your salary in order to make statutory contributions to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund on your behalf
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, ensuring favourable pension, insurance and loan schemes

General information

The Appointment Committee for Fellowship Positions (TUS) is the appointing authority for this position. Your competence for the position will be assessed by an expert committee. The expert committee will assess your competence for the position based on the documentation you have registered in Jobbnorge. 

Based on the expert committee’s assessment, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview and to hold a trial lecture. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. 

Employment at USN is carried out in accordance with the principles set out in the Norwegian Civil Service Act, and the legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation, it will be rejected without further consideration.

The University’s Guidelines for recruitment positions at the University of South-Eastern Norway provide a more detailed description of the criteria for appointment as a PhD research fellow. 

As an employee of USN, you must at all times adapt to changes in the field and all organisational changes that are adopted.

Requirements regarding a licence and/or security clearance

The applicant must meet the requirements for security clearance and authorization for Confidential. You can read more about security clearance on the websites of the National Security Authority and the Civil Clearance Authority. 

The position requires a background check prior to employment, pursuant to the Emergency Preparedness Regulations for the Power Supply § 6.7. You can read more about the background check here. USN carries out background checks on applicants in order to verify the information provided in their CV and available documents. The background checks are conducted by an external provider. Applicants will be contacted for their consent if this becomes relevant.

Contact information

For more information about the position, please contact: 
Head of Department, Svein Thore Hagen - svein.t.hagen@usn.no

For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact:
Advisor Live Rykkje Lindgård – liverl@usn.no

How to apply

If you think this position looks interesting and matches your qualifications, you can submit an application electronically by clicking on “Apply for the position” on this page. Here you will need to enter a short application text and information about your relevant education and work experience. In the application text, you must clearly describe your skills and motivation for the position. 

The application must include:

• Cover letter outlining the motivation and a detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• Certified diplomas for your bachelor’s and master’s degrees (120 ECTS). The diplomas must be in a Scandinavian language or English
  • Applicants with higher education completed outside Norway must submit documentation that the education has been approved by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)
• An explanation of the grading system for foreign education (diploma supplement if available)
• A 5-page maximum project description. The candidate should describe how he/she would carry out the tasks if he/she is offered this position. The description preferably also contains new ideas or methods that the candidate would think of using them for the execution of this PhD project.
• A copy of master thesis and any scientific publications and a list of these; GitHub profile with project is also relevant.
• Three references (contact information).
• Other relevant certificates (if applicable, must be specified).
• Documentation of your Norwegian language skills
  • Language proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish can be documented in the following ways:
    • a high school diploma
    • a diploma from higher education completed in a Scandinavian language
    • a passed language test that documents Norwegian skills at the B2 level, for example the “Norskprøve for innvandrere” or a level 3 Norwegian course at a higher education institution
• Documentation of your English language skills
  • Language proficiency in English can be documented in the following ways (see above: Requirements for proficiency in English)
     

Please note that all documents must be in a Scandinavian language or in English. Any translations must be certified. The selection process includes a test where qualified candidates shall complete a task to demonstrate their skills and competence.

The application will be assessed based on the information available in Jobbnorge at the expiry of the application deadline. Make sure your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the competence requirements described in the job advertisement. 

When assessing who is best qualified for the position, we attach weight to education, experience and personal qualities. 

All documentation must be provided in a Scandinavian language or English. If the attachments exceed 30 MB in total, they must be compressed before uploading.

Please note that information about you as an applicant may be disclosed publicly even if you have requested not to be included on the public list of applicants (cf. Section 25 of the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act).  You will be notified if your request for exemption from public disclosure is denied.

We only consider applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge. On request, you must be able to provide certified copies of your documentation.