PhD scholarship in Impact and Scalability of Advanced Controls for Energy Demand Flexibility in Buildings - DTU Construct

In collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology (Chalmers), the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) offers a new PhD position, “Impact and Scalability of Advanced Controls for Energy Demand Flexibility in Buildings”. The PhD candidate will be supervised by supervisors from DTU and Chalmers. This project will integrate energy technology, building physics, HVAC systems, and computer science and control systems architecture, advancing all the above disciplines.

Building energy flexibility is an important resource for balancing and load shifting in energy networks, especially where variable renewable energy sources are involved. Emerging digital and cyber-physical systems technologies are an integral component of grid interactive efficient buildings. Through advanced control and operation of building HVAC systems, these technologies support both energy efficiency and flexible demand objectives. Model predictive control (MPC), which involves physics-based building energy models, and reinforcement learning (RL), which is data-driven, are two powerful control techniques. MPC techniques are well-established, while RL techniques are gaining popularity due to increasingly available sensor and meter infrastructure, affordable computational resources, and advanced modeling algorithms. MPCs excel in handling constrained optimizations and new operational conditions, whereas RLs offer computational efficiency and the ability to handle uncertainties. This project aims to identify promising RL-MPCs for application and upscaling in real-life building management settings.

As PhD candidate you will contribute to SEEDS , a research and innovation project funded by the European Commission, and a large global expert network under the IEA EBC Annex 96 - Grid Integrated Control of Buildings .

Responsibilities and qualifications
The project's primary objective is to enhance the energy flexibility of buildings by employing advanced data-driven energy management techniques. A few available studies indicate that RL-MPC control strategies can result in significant savings in operational energy management for a building. However, the impact and scalability of these results for the large variety of building stock are unknown. 

The required selection criteria include:

• Knowledge of building physics and HVAC system
• Experience in advanced controls (e.g., RL, MPC) 
• Programming knowledge (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB)
• Experience in built environment monitoring
• Excellent English skills, both written and spoken. Ability to publish the research results in high-reputation international journals

Personal characteristics

• Confidence in working independently and in teams
• Ability and willingness to work in inter- and transdisciplinary teams
• Critical thinking

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment  
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education . 

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by Associate Professor Rongling Li (DTU Construct) and Professor Angela Sasic Kalagasidis (Chalmers).

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms 
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. 

The period of employment is 3 years. The starting date is 1 September 2025 (can be negotiated based on mutual agreement). 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here http://www.dtu.dk/english/about/job-and-career/working-at-dtu/career-paths. 

Further information  
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Rongling Li , (https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/persons/rongling-li ), DTU Construct. 

You can read more about DTU Construct at www.construct.dtu.dk.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU. 

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 2 May 2025 (23:59 Danish time) . Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file . The file must include:

• Curriculum vitae 
• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Documents showing relevant experience and skills (e.g., project report, publications, webpage)
• Contact information of two referees
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Civil and Mechanical Engineering (DTU Construct) develops and utilises science and technical knowledge for the benefit of society and the sustainable development. We undertake research, education, innovation, and scientific advice of the highest quality within building design and processes, building construction and safety, building energy and services, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, materials technology, manufacturing engineering, engineering design and thermal energy systems.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.