PhD Position Distribution Systems Operation under Uncertain and Incomplete Information

PhD Position:
Distribution Systems Flexible Operation under Uncertain and Incomplete Information

The Delft University of Technology is hiring a doctoral candidate for the subject “Distribution systems flexible operation under uncertain and incomplete information”. This four‑year PhD appointment is part of the Future Network Services (FNS) 6G Project. The candidate will be jointly supervised by Dr. Pedro P. Vergara and Prof. Peter Palensky, and will be a member of the Intelligent Electrical Power Grids section.

• Conduct research on how distribution systems can exploit the flexibility of DERs and smart buildings given limited data and increased operational uncertainty.
• Develop AI and ML models to support coordinated operation of DERs and improve system observability via surrogate models.
• Assist in teaching activities, including supervision of students and laboratory work in the candidate’s subject area.
• Collaborate with industrial partners and academics from other disciplines (mathematics, operations research, etc.).
• Contribute to open‑science activities (publications, source code, data).

• Basic knowledge of power systems.
• Completed an MSc degree in a highly technical related discipline (computer science, electrical engineering, etc.) and ranking at the top of the class.
• Excellent analytical skills and a solid foundation in machine learning and/or operational research.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English (TOEFL ≥100 or IELTS ≥7.0).
• Independence, self‑motivation, and enthusiasm for research.
• Ability to work with partners to translate real‑world challenges into research questions.
• Knowledge of electrical distribution systems, power flow, and congestion management.
• Experience with optimisation methods and scheduling problems, and familiarity with optimisation packages such as Pyomo.
• Programming experience in Python, machine learning, command‑line tools, version control.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4‑year period of employment in principle, structured in two contracts: an initial 1.5‑year contract with an official progress assessment within 15 months, followed by an additional 2.5‑year contract if conditions are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities: €3,059 – €3,881 gross per month (first to fourth year) for a full‑time contract (38 hours). Additionally, 8 % holiday allowance and an end‑of‑year bonus of 8.3 % apply.

The candidate will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School, which provides a supportive research environment and a comprehensive Doctoral Education Programme.