PhD scholarship in Data driven design optimization and control of wind power plants - DTU Wind

We seek an enthusiastic and engaged PhD willing to be part of a world-leading research environment and contribute to developing the next generation of data driven methods for optimization and control of large wind power plants. You will get the opportunity to participate and influence the development of comprehensive design optimization and data driven control for wind power plants in collaboration with the top universities wind energy research in Europe and beyond. 

You will be a part of two very exciting projects, Independent Research Fund Denmark OptiWind  and Horizon Europe TWAIN project . Both projects apply optimization methods and advanced systems engineering to multidisciplinary research that bridges key domains of wind and renewable energy. 

You will be part of a dynamic work environment with a pleasant team atmosphere, where you will have the opportunity to grow and develop your academic, industrial, and personal skills. 

The Division for Power and Energy Systems at the Department of Wind and Energy Systems provides cutting-edge research in sustainable, reliable and cost-efficient energy systems to the benefit of society. At the Department, you will enjoy the advantages of a creative and inspiring work environment shared with about 400 highly skilled and motivated colleagues.

DTU highly encourages the PhD candidates to have a research stay of 3-6 months in abroad. The time period and destination will be determined in an agreement with the supervisors. 

Responsibilities and qualifications
The PhD project is at the intersection of data science, optimization and control, all with applications to wind energy science. 

Cost efficient wind power plant development implies design and operational optimization. In design phase, one of the crucial tasks is finding the optimal layout, i.e. wind turbine locations, such that the energy production is maximized. While significant research has been done in this area, most approaches involve heuristics/metaheuristics and numerical optimization methods. Very little attention has so far been given to using AI approaches for the layout optimization of wind power plants. 

In operational phase, the current wind farm controller (WFC) architectures are not capable of assessing the integrated economic, social, and environmental implications of the control actions, hence the need to establish AI-driven methodologies for multi-objective WFC by digitalising the existing models, building new ones and incorporating them into model ensembles. This PhD project aims contribute to both of these objectives, employing AI-driven methods and contributing to the development of AI-based multi-level control for wind power plants. 

You will be a part of an international team developing open-source tools capable of supporting the development of multi-disciplinary and multi-objective optimized wind farm control functions for grid compliance and services. If you have the skills but not the experience in wind energy science, we would still like to hear from you. The same is valid if you feel you only have part of the skills, but the desire and ability to improve on the rest.

We are looking for a self-motivated and team-oriented person who thrives in a collaborative environment and enjoys working with complex, multi-disciplinary topics. 

A good candidate will fulfil most of the following points:

• Knowledge in one or more of the following fields:
  • Data driven methods ideally with application to wind energy science
  • Data-driven wind farm layout optimization 
  • Data-driven active power control in large wind power plants
• Experience in programming with scientific Python

Desired skills:

• Knowledge with data science/analytics and machine learning methods
• Familiarity with electrical grid operation and requirements
• Proficiency in the English language
• Good ability to present results in oral presentations and prepare scientific papers for publication in international journals 

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 Professor Nicolaos A. Cutululis and Senior Researcher Tuhfe Göçmen.

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.

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 Professor Nicolaos A. Cutululis ([email protected] )

You can read more about the department  at www.wind.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 31 May 2024 (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:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter). It would be beneficial that you explain why you suit well for this specific PhD position in terms of your scientific background, programming skills, motivation and commitment, etc (details are welcome).
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• A list of at least two references. 

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, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

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.