Researcher Positions: Interoperability of Control and Protection in the High Voltage Direct Current

This project offers excellent opportunity to work on novel aspects related to testing new control and protection concepts for multi-terminal HVDC power systems.

Job description

In the framework of the ongoing InterOpera project with TSOs and vendors, two researcher positions are available. The project deals with the investigation of the interaction between control and protection in multi-terminal HVDC (MTDC) power systems during different system scenarios, such as AC/DC faults. The project includes extensive testing using online real-time simulation with RSCAD/RTDS and offline PSCAD simulation, and is carried out together with industrial partners from different European utilities and vendors.

We offer one-year appointments, with an anticipated start date in November 2026. You will be a member of the section Intelligent Electrical Power Grids within the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science. This project offers excellent opportunities to work in a dynamic team consisting of experts from academia, utilities, and manufacturers.

Offline simulations are validated by hardware-in-the-loop testing. The intention of this project is to investigate how the future multi-terminal multi-vendor HVDC grid will behave, so that the reliability of future systems that are yet to be built can be enhanced.

You will be supervised by Prof. Dr. M. Popov and Dr. A. Lekić. The project offers excellent opportunities to collaborate with world-leading manufacturers of HVDC control and protection equipment and with European system operators.

About the department

The research in the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on four areas:

• DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
• High Voltage Technology (HVT)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)

The Electrical Sustainable Energy Department provides expertise in each of these areas throughout the entire energy system chain. The department owns a large ESP laboratory assembling High Voltage testing, a DC Grids testing environment, and a large RTDS that is actively used for real-time simulation of future electrical power systems, AC and DC protection, and wide-area monitoring and protection. Furthermore, the department owns one of the largest academic RTDS infrastructures, equipped with additional labs for performing Control and Protection HiL testing.

The Intelligent Electrical Power Grid (IEPG) group, headed by Prof. Dr. Peter Palensky, works on the future of our power system. The goal is to generate, transmit, and use electrical energy in a highly reliable, efficient, stable, clean, affordable, and safe way. IEPG integrates new power technologies and smart controls, which interact with other systems and allow for more distributed and variable generation.

Job requirements

• Experience and comprehensive knowledge using PSCAD or RSCAD.
• Excellent knowledge of power electronic devices operation, control and protection for HVDC power systems.
• Completed an MSc degree in a highly technical related discipline (electrical engineering, etc.) and were at the top of your class.
• Excellent English reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.
• You are independent, self-motivated, and eager to learn.
• You are keen to work with co-workers and partners, link real-world challenges, and contribute to the ongoing energy transition.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, staff provide high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional while joining an international community of professionals and students. Together, people create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines that reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we use in our daily lives, including the electricity grid. The faculty contributes to making this technology sustainable and future-proof.

There is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and offer excellent labs and facilities that underline a strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 1 year temporary.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave.
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.