Reasearch Assistant/Associate - Doctoral Candidate (f/m/d) for ERC Synergy Grant SAFEr Grid - Visionary research on asynchronous power systems of the future

Weitere Informationen

The successful candidate will be employed under a regular employment contract.
The position is to be filled by 4/1/2025 and offered for a fixed term of 2 years.
It is intended to extend the initial contract period by one year. The option to extend the contract for three further years is available.
The fixed-term employment is possible as it constitutes one of the fixed-term options of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Fixed-term Scientific Contracts).
This is a full-time position with the possibility of a part-time contract upon request.
The successful candidate has the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in this position.
The salary is based on the German public service salary scale (TV-L).
The position corresponds to a pay grade of EG 13 TV-L.

Unser Profil

The energy transition poses fundamental challenges for our power systems: large conventional power plants with synchronous generators are successively being replaced by small-scale renewable energy sources, which are typically interfaced via power electronics converters. This transformation drastically reduces the physical inertia within electrical power grids while simultaneously increasing the volatility of generation and consumption. In the future, these developments could aggravate grid instabilities and even cause large-scale blackouts.

In this context, key research questions are as follows: How can the coupling of energy producers, consumers, and storage systems be optimized to efficiently meet local and global energy demands while ensuring the stable and reliable operation of low-inertia power systems? What control strategies, coordination mechanisms, and IT solutions are necessary to operate millions of decentralized power electronic devices within the power grid effectively? Could the existing paradigm of globally synchronized and centrally controlled power grids be replaced by novel, alternative working principles?

At the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems at RWTH Aachen University, we are dedicated to addressing these visionary questions within the framework of the SAFEr Grid project, funded by the European Research Council with a Synergy Grant. The goal of the project is to explore an innovative architecture for future power systems characterized by an asynchronous notion and a store-and-forward principle for controlling energy flows within the grid. Instead of a synchronous, monolithic system, a decentralized and asynchronous network comprising autonomous, modular subgrids will be developed. These subgrids operate independently but can exchange energy with one another when needed—an approach inspired by the structure and features of the Internet.

Join our interdisciplinary team and work with leading scientists in the fields of power systems, control systems, power electronics, communication technology and innovation management to research the fundamentals for a new era of power supply. Contribute to the development of innovative concepts and technologies that will not only make future power systems more reliable but also actively facilitate the success of the energy transition.

Ihr Profil

• a completed university degree (Master or equivalent) in Electrical Engineering, Technical Computer Science, Automation Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a comparable field
• interest in academic research with the objective of pursuing a doctoral degree
• enthusiasm for exploring cutting-edge technologies
• programming experience
• innovative and interdisciplinary mindset, paired with an independent and structured way of working
• social competence, communication skills, and strong teamwork abilities
• fluent English; German is desirable but not mandatory

Moreover, knowledge in at least one of the following areas is desirable:

• modeling, automation, and control of electrical power systems
• power system dynamics and stability analysis for power systems
• operation and control of microgrids with grid-forming and grid-following technologies
• advanced control methods for power systems, such as Virtual Oscillator Control, Active Disturbance Rejection Control, or Hamiltonian Control
• model predictive control and optimization methods for complex, decentralized energy systems
• IoT protocols, network protocols, or communication protocols and their application in cyber-physical systems
• co-simulation of energy supply systems and infrastructures
• real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop tests for electrical power grids and their components

Ihre Aufgaben

As part of an interdisciplinary team, you will play a vital role in realizing the scientific work packages of the SAFEr Grid project. By collaborating closely with partners within and outside RWTH Aachen, you will tackle complex research challenges and develop innovative concepts for the organization and operation of asynchronous power grids. Based on your expertise, your responsibilities may include:

• extending the theory of dynamics and stability for power systems under consideration of a system of asynchronously coupled subgrids
• integrating concepts and methods of cyber-physical systems into the theory of dynamics and stability of power systems
• developing and simulating novel control approaches, particularly for microgrids
• researching scalable and holistic optimization methods for the efficient operation of asynchronous power grids
• validating the theoretical approaches at the laboratory level using real-time simulations and hardware-in-the-loop tests

You will present your research results at international conferences and publish them in high-impact scientific journals (e.g., IEEE Transactions, Elsevier, Springer Nature). You will also actively support the teaching activities of the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems.

Über uns

RWTH is a certified family-friendly University. We support our employees in maintaining a good work-life balance with a wide range of health, advising, and prevention services, for example university sports. Employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements and civil servants have access to an extensive range of further training courses and the opportunity to purchase a job ticket.
RWTH is an equal opportunities employer. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates, particularly from groups that are underrepresented at the University. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability or age. RWTH is strongly committed to encouraging women in their careers. Female applicants are given preference if they are equally suitable, competent, and professionally qualified, unless a fellow candidate is favored for a specific reason.
As RWTH is committed to equality of opportunity, we ask you not to include a photo in your application.
You can find information on the personal data we collect from applicants in accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at http://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbung.

Besoldung / Entgelt

EG 13 TV-L