PhD scholarship on the value of consumer flexibility in energy systems - DTU Wind

We are now seeking candidates for a 3-year PhD project as part of the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network on “Consumer Energy Demand Flexibility in Electricity Use” (CoDeF).  Consumers and citizens will play an important role in the transition to net zero carbon energy through flexible energy use and matching demand to available renewable energy supply. Nonetheless, technical, economic, and societal challenges currently hinder consumer participation in energy markets.

If you want to contribute to the green transition of society, thrive in collaborative teamwork and have ambitions for an academic research career, then you might be our new colleague in our research section ‘Society, Market & Policy’ (SMP), where we offer a vibrant and inspiring research community in social sciences embedded in an engineering environment. In addition, you will become part of a European network of 15 PhD students and their supervisors funded under the MSCA Doctoral Network CoDeF, with four of the PhD positions located in and around Copenhagen. More information on the CoDeF training network can be found here . Your main supervisor will be Professor Lena Kitzing  and you will join the PhD School at DTU Wind and Energy Systems.

Responsibilities and qualifications
In your PhD project, you will investigate the value of consumer flexibility in energy systems under different decarbonisation pathways for Europe. In this, you will assess the impact of demand flexibility on the power system and the share of renewable electricity.

Different types of consumer flexibility will provide different values for the system as a whole, and your task will be to estimate and quantify their socio-economic benefits. Different energy system scenarios will be developed, and an integrated multi-vector energy system optimisation will be employed to determine the expected role for consumer flexibility in the different scenarios. This will allow a detailed assessment of how system benefits are created from consumer flexibility and where they occur, so that we can assess and test potential incentive mechanisms for consumer flexibility that allow passing through system benefits to consumers.

We foresee two secondments during this PhD trajectory: subject to confirmation, this would consist of an academic secondment to TU Delft, Netherlands and to VTT, Finland for collaboration on multi-layer energy modelling and integration of multi-criteria optimisation in energy system models, respectively. In addition, the doctoral network aims to provide extensive training in research and transferable skills, centred around annual workshops in Dublin (IE), Dübendorf (CH), Copenhagen (DK) and Bochum (DE).

Besides this, your tasks may include teaching and supervising Masters students and participation in outreach and dissemination activities of the department commensurate with research at PhD level. 

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.

We are seeking candidates with a Master's degree, with documented qualifications in economics, economic analysis, systems engineering, operational research and energy systems modelling through dedicated courses and/or related work.

The following further qualifications will be considered in the assessment:

• Strong background and interest in sustainable energy
• Quantitative skills and experience with data mining and handling big datasets
• Excellent communication skills, both in writing and oral presentation
• Open-minded team player, able to work in multidisciplinary and multinational teams
• A longer-term interest in pursuing a research career

The working language of the project is English and thus the candidate must have suitable skills in both written and spoken English. Proficiency in a Scandinavian language is not required, but we expect an openness to learn Danish during your stay with us. 

The PhD candidate will be selected through a competitive application process. Online applications will be screened against a set of criteria and a shortlist of candidates will be assessed by a specifically formed committee.

The SMP section is part of the Wind Energy Systems Division at DTU’s Department for Wind and Energy Systems. We work towards a sustainable and just energy system and perform multi-disciplinary social science research in the technological, economic and societal nexus of wind energy. We use qualitative and quantitative methods, empirical data, interviews, case studies, financial modelling, socio-economic and policy analysis to study wind energy project development, environmental impacts, social interactions, markets, policy, and industry processes.

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 . 

Please note the mobility requirements for recruitment under the European MSCA programme: in general, recruits must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date. You can find more information here .

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by a committee consisting of Head of Division Lena Kitzing (Professor) and Head of Section Ulrich E. Hansen (Senior Researcher)

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 PhD position will be fully funded for three years under the CoDeF project under the normal MSCA conditions found here . The period of employment is 3 years. The workplace is primarily DTU Risø Campus, Roskilde, Denmark

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information  
Further information including the project description may be obtained from Professor Lena Kitzing, DTU Wind and Energy Systems, + 45 24 65 90 64, [email protected]

You can read more about DTU Wind and Energy Systems at www.vindenergi.dtu.dk/english

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 21 October 2024 (23:59 Danish time) . 

The interviews will be carried out within 2-3 weeks after the application deadline and employment is planned to start in early 2025.

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:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• A short PhD project proposal (maximum 2 pages plus references) describing a possible research objective, theoretical framework and intended methodological approach.

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

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

About DTU Wind Energy
DTU Wind and Energy Systems, which used to be a division of Risø National Laboratory (until 2012), has undertaken basic research, teaching and commercial activities in all aspects of wind energy since the mid-1970’s. DTU Wind and Energy Systems is now the world’s largest public research institute for wind energy and energy systems transition, with about 400 staff members. The department has four divisions: i) Materials and Components for Wind Energy, ii) Wind Turbine Technology, iii) Wind Energy Systems, and iv) Power and Energy Systems. The department is internationally recognised as being in the forefront of wind energy technology and smart energy systems research. We educate and train the next generation of engineers for a sustainable energy future. We collaborate with global leaders in industry and public authorities around the world to research and develop new technologies and services to power the green transition. In the research group Society, Market and Policy (SMP) at DTU Wind and Energy Systems, we work towards a sustainable and just energy system and perform multi-disciplinary social science research in the technological, economic and societal nexus of renewable energy. We are about 20 researchers, using qualitative and quantitative methods, empirical data, interviews, case studies, financial modelling, socio-economic and policy analysis to study renewable energy project development, environmental impacts, social interactions, markets, policy, and industry processes.

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.