PhD Position Responsible Upscaling of Floating Solar Photovoltaic Systems

You care about a responsible energy transition? Yes? Then, contribute to resolving societal, environmental, and technical challenges of floating photovoltaic (FPV) technologies via this PhD position!

Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD researcher to work on an exciting project focused on:

• Rethinking FPV design through synergizing interdisciplinary knowledge
• Maximising benefits and minimise potential negative impacts of FPV on the local scale through modeling
• Embedding FPV in multifunctional landscapes for humans and nature on the national scale
• Barriers and strategies for upscaling FPV
• Maximising benefits of nature-inclusive FPV design and placement for society

The successful candidate will be part of a dynamic team of researchers within the Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD) group of the Electrical Sustainable Energy department of the TU Delft and will be closely collaborating with the Energy Transition Campus of Shell BV, located in Amsterdam.

The ideal candidate will have a background in physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engieering, or a related field with modeling/simulation/coding experience, with knowledge about sustianbel energy technologies.

Project link: https://www.nwo.nl/en/news/consortium-investigates-nature-inclusive-use-of-floating-solar-panels-through-nwa-programme-responsible-upscaling-of-floating-solar

This is a project performed under supervision of dr. Rudi Santbergen, dr. Oriol Colomes, prof. dr. Arno Smets and prof. dr. Andrei Metrikine. It is a nation wide collaboration across various Dutch organizations (SPARKLES project) in which two faculties of TU Delft are involved: EWI and CiTG, which respectively promote the selected cadidate in the electrcial and mechanical aspects of the project through the Photovoltaic Material and Devices (PVMD) group and the Offshore Engineering group.

The selected candidate will sit at the EWI faculty in the Photovoltaic Material and Devices group of Electrical Sustainable Energy department. The PVMD group focuses on fundamental research and characterization of innovative PV and supporting materials, development of new PV device and PV module architectures and new PV applications. PVMD group is part of the Electrical Sustainable Energy department which is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society.

The candidate will also work closely with the Computational Multiphysics in Offshore Engineering (CMOE) group at the Offshore Engineering section (CiTG). The CMOE group focuses on the development and use of advanced computational techniques for addressing complex challenges and develop sustainable and efficient solutions for offshore engineering, with a focus on offshore renewable energies such as floating solar, offshore wind or wave energy devices.

About the department

The PVMD group is part of 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)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)
• High Voltage Technologies (HVT)

The Electrical Sustainable Energy Department provides expertise in each of these areas throughout the entire energy system chain. The department owns the large Electrical Sustainable Power (ESP) Laboratory assembling High Voltage testing, 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.

Job requirements

Essentials:

We are acutely aware that we are a diverse society and not every talented applicant will have had the same opportunities to advance their careers. We therefore pledge to fully account for any particular circumstances that the applicants disclose (e.g. parental leave, caring duties, part-time jobs to support studies, disabilities etc.) to ensure an inclusive and fair recruitment process that does not rely purely on common research metrics.

The successful applicant will have:

• Master's degree in physics, sustainable energy technologies, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or other relevant enegineering science.
• The candidate has a passion for solar energy engineering and is an excellent team player.
• Domain knowledge of solar energy engineering, energy transtion, modelling and data analytics is a strong plus.
• Experience with in-field experiments of solar PV systems is a plus.
• Excellent communications skills in English, both writing and speaking.
• Ability to work independently and self-driven in a multidisciplinary team• Demonstrable interest in interdisciplinary and intersectoral research, and specifically the interface between power systems, information and communication technologies, and preferably cyber security - Very good command of English. The minimum requirement of a TOEFL score of 100 or IELTS of 7.0 with scores of at least 6.5 for each section (writing, reading, listening, speaking) applies to all candidates wanting to pursue a PhD at TU Delft.

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 Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

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 € 2901 per month in the first year to € 3707 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.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.