PhD research fellow in "Distributed Optimization and Control of Reactive Power"

Welcome to USN The University of Southeastern Norway (USN) ranks as the country's fourth largest higher education institution. We are a vibrant community of approximately 18,000 students and 1,900 employees. Video: https://vimeo.com/898549899/60305e2540 About the position We are looking for a PhD research fellow within “Distributed Optimization and Control of Reactive Power considering grid stability in the Nordic Power System ". The position is part of the CoordQ project (Enhanced Reactive Power and Voltage Coordination in the Nordic Power System), funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN).  Project webpage:  CoordQ - Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge Are you interested in “Distributed Optimization and Control of Reactive Power considering grid stability in the Nordic Power System", and want to engage in research with skilled colleagues who share your interests? Maybe you can become our new colleague at the Department of Electrical Engineering, IT and Cybernetics at the Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences (TNM). The position is available from 1 January 2027 with the latest starting date on 1 April 2027. This is an educational position that is primarily intended to give promising researchers the opportunity to develop academically and professionally through organised research training. It is a condition that the person who accepts the position applies for admission to the faculty’s doctoral programme in Technology within three months of starting in the position. (https://www.usn.no/english/research/postgraduate-studies-phd/our-phd-programmes/technology/). The doctoral programme includes relevant courses corresponding to 30 ECTS (approximately six months) of study, a thesis based on independent research, active participation in national and international research environments, relevant research dissemination, a trial lecture and public defence of the thesis. Read more about organised research training at USN on our website. The PhD research fellowship is for a fixed term of three years with pure organised research training. Your personnel manager will be head of department, and your supervisors will be Sambeet Mishra and Thomas Øyvang It is a prerequisite that you live close by so that you can be present at, and available to, the academic environment at your workplace during ordinary working hours. The place of work will be at campus Porsgrunn. The position is internally funded. About the doctoral project The person appointed will be affiliated with the research project Enhanced Reactive Power and Voltage Coordination in the Nordic Power System (CoordQ), which is headed by University of South-Eastern Norway (USN). The person appointed will be affiliated with the research group  Electrical Power Systems . The research project focuses on strengthening the Nordic power system, from a Norwegian perspective, to meet growing electricity needs while enhancing energy security and reliability. The project will develop a national control framework to reduce power system losses, improve reactive power coordination, and stabilize grid operations by enhancing collaboration between grid controllers at different system layers. Fair price incentives and market participation for reactive power ancillary services will be established to improve grid efficiency and cost-effectiveness. CoordQ brings together leading research and industry partners including USN (project owner), NTNU, Statnett (TSO), Statkraft, Skagerak Kraft, Lede (DSO), and Aker Solutions. Recruitment and research education are an important part of the mission of CoordQ. The PhD candidates funded by the project will contribute with cutting-edge knowledge and research. As a CoordQ-funded PhD candidate, you will be employed by USN and take an active part in the research activities. Through the project, you will have access to a forum with other PhD candidates and postdocs, and opportunities for research to stay with partners, both nationally and abroad, through its international network. This PhD position “Distributed Optimization and Control of Reactive Power considering grid stability in the Nordic Power System" will be associated with Work Package 1 (WP1) on Real-time Fleet Control in CoordQ. The overall objective is to strengthen multi-time scale controller coordination between Automatic Voltage Regulators (AVRs) and power electronic converters, enhancing resilience and adaptive control to improve system stability under fluctuating grid conditions. The work of the PhD candidate will be integrated with the ongoing work carried out by the research partners in WP1. In the initial phase, the supervisors, the candidate (based on the candidate's profile), and research partners in CoordQ will work together to identify the comprehensive research questions to address the overall objective of the PhD work. Some potential specific research objectives: • Develop distributed optimization strategies for optimal reactive power dispatch in the Nordic Power System • Design Automatic Voltage Regulation schemes under various operational conditions including transformer limits, generator set points and stability • Investigate limits for load cycles and inductive absorption in varied grid topologies • Explore dynamic controller limits between synchronous generator and inverter-based resources for grid balancing • Develop adaptive control mechanisms between inverter-based resources and synchronous generator focusing on reactive power capabilities • Identify mechanisms to enhance grid resilience with high share of inverter-based renewables Duties • Complete the doctoral programme up to completion of the doctoral degree within the employment period • Conduct high-calibre research within the framework described above • Produce scholarly publications and disseminate research results • Work closely within the CoordQ project, contributing actively to project activities and delivering research results relevant to industrial partners • Comply with project-related confidentiality requirements, including NDAs and data management procedures as required by the project and its collaborators • Participate in the research group  Electrical Power Systems - Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge • Participate in national and/or international activities such as conferences • Be prepared for changes in your work tasks after appointment Required qualifications • Master’s degree (120 ECTS credits) (or equivalent qualifications) within the field of STEM (e.g. electrical power engineering, control system engineering, Physics or environmental engineering, Mathematics (Operations research) or Computer Science or Machine Learning). • Documented knowledge of relevant methodologies, both quantitative and/or qualitative, at master’s level. • Weighted average grade of B or higher on the master’s degree and thesis. • The master’s thesis must have been approved by the application deadline for the position. • Excellent written and oral English language skills. • Meet the formal requirements for admission to USN’s doctoral programmes and Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences ’s doctoral programme in Technology no later than three months after starting in the position. • Requirements regarding security clearance (Further information regarding security is provided below in the job advertisement). Preferred qualifications • Demonstrate experience or strong interest in power system modeling, optimization, machine learning, and control systems. • Documented programming experience (e.g., GitHub projects) in Python, Julia, MATLAB, or similar. • Knowledge of renewable energy systems (hydropower, wind, solar) and their grid integration. • Experience in mathematical modeling, optimization algorithms, and data-driven methods. • Possess a strong academic record, with relevant experience in either industry or academia. • Show a deep interest in interdisciplinary research, is capable of independent work, an