Postdoctoral Research Associate: Climate and Power Systems Project

The University of Virginia's (UVA) Environmental Institute (EI) is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support its interdisciplinary "Climate and Power Systems" project. The selected candidate will work with an interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors and researchers with expertise in machine learning, resilient infrastructure, and optimization, to investigate the optimal joint expansion, transition, and resilience planning of power systems that are responsive to climate change and its associated uncertainty.

As utility planners and regulators anticipate future grid developments and make informed investment decisions to accommodate ever-growing electricity demands, this research project aims to, among other things, develop models that integrate and prioritize these systems' resilience to extreme weather events and climate change impacts. Through collaborations with two utility providers, the postdoctoral research associate will be, ultimately, contributing significantly toward uncovering and incorporating real-world constraints into formulating and refining climate-sensitive resilient power systems of the future, alongside the research team.

Drawing on their expertise in power systems, deep learning (DL), reinforcement learning (RL), and optimization, the Postdoc is expected to support the development of a robust multi-agent RL (MARL) framework to handle the research project's multiple objectives of expansion, transition, and resilience planning in a non-stationary and climate-aware setting. In short, the Postdoc will play a central role in modeling power system complexities and climate-driven uncertainties.

• Applicants must have received or will receive their doctoral degree by the beginning of their appointment; we prefer candidates who have received their degree within five years prior to the start of the appointment.
• There is no citizenship requirement. UVA may help fund candidate visas for the duration of the postdoc.
• The successful Postdoctoral Research Associate will be appointed for one (1) year.
• Applicants seeking to be considered for the Postdoctoral Research Associate role for this project will be evaluated on three main criteria: the strength of their research. their ability to collaborate across disciplines; and their commitment to broadening perspectives and voices in finding applicable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.

• A strong interest in interdisciplinary research, particularly in areas that bridge power systems, climate resilience, and advanced computational techniques.
• A solid background in power systems, machine learning, and optimization is required, as the project's methodology will heavily rely on these areas to develop and implement novel approaches for adaptive power system planning.
• Familiarity with reinforcement learning or multi-agent systems would be beneficial.
• A demonstrable strong written and oral communication skills, as effective dissemination of research findings to both academic (including conference presentations and journal articles) and industry audiences will be crucial.
• The Postdoc must be enthusiastic about and comfortable with industry collaborations that may include stakeholder interactions, feedback gathering, and incorporating real-world industry insights into research.
• A motivation to take on a leadership role, drive innovation and contribute to the project's strategic direction.

Once selected, the Postdoctoral Research Associate will join a cohort of other Climate Fellows Program postdocs at UVA and will receive professional training, technical support, and computational infrastructure tailored to their project, for two (2) years. The postdoc will receive direct mentoring from at least two UVA faculty members in different disciplines to help them build cross-disciplinary fluency in support of their own research.

They will join a network of faculty members from 30 departments in 12 schools across UVA focused on producing research and providing training that is both great and good at the intersection of climate change and human well-being.

Starting salary
: $70,700/year

Research Funds
: $5,000/year

We partner with the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, UVA's Career Center, and staff across the university, to provide career development and extracurricular opportunities to student and postdoctoral faculty.

The UVA Environmental Institute is the hub of interdisciplinary environmental research at the university. We provide seed funding, research experiences, and training to faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students from the university's 12 schools. With a focus on impactful research, the Institute and its collaborators are committed to our mission to support interdisciplinary research and training that is both great and good at the intersection of climate change and human well-being, while ensuring that the full spectrum of human attributes,…