Research Associates in Renewable Electricity Grids

Imperial College London seeks two full-time post-doctoral Research Associates for a project on renewable electricity grids. The role involves planning research, supervising students, managing data, and publishing findings. Candidates should hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field. The position is based at the South Kensington Campus and is hybrid, allowing some flexibility in work location. The project aims to enhance services for 100% renewable energy systems.
Job number

ENG03438

Faculties

Faculty of Engineering

Departments

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Salary or Salary range

£48,056 - £56,345 per annum

Location/campus

South Kensington Campus - Hybrid

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Fixed term

Posting End Date

29 Apr 2025

About the role

We are looking for two post-doctoral Research Associates as part of the project “System Services in 100% Renewable Grids.” The project is funded by the Leverhulme Professorship held by Professor Mark O’ Malley and aims to investigate services needed in 100% renewable electricity grids. The efficacy of the services will be assessed across multiple objectives for the electric grid including but not limited to reliability, cost-effectiveness, affordability, and resiliency. As part of the project, emerging resources enabled by the digitalization and hybridization of energy systems will be modelled and their contribution to existing and proposed services will be studied to identify any potential revisions to resource participation models. Emerging resources range from Inverter-Based Resources (e.g. Wind, Solar Photovoltaic and Batteries) to large scale seasonal demand management and storage.

The immediate Leverhulme team currently includes Professor Mark O'Malley (Leverhulme Professor), Dr Elina Spyrou (Leverhulme Lecturer), Professor Janusz Bialek (a part-time Principal Research Fellow), two post-doctoral Research Associates, four pre-doctoral Research Assistants, and two PhD students. The larger project team in the UK consists of about 32 staff and students at Imperial as part of the Global Centres in Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society (EPICS). EPICS globally currently has a team of around 50 people. The team has a diverse range of skills and these two posts will be focussed on filling gaps in our skill base.

The research direction of EPICS is aligned to the Global Power System Transformation (G-PST) initiative and its Research Agenda.

What you would be doing
• Plan research and direct the work of small research teams.
• Assist in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research students and Research Assistants.
• Identify and develop suitable techniques to address research questions, managing data, applying data quality procedures.
• Write reports for submission to research sponsors, presenting research findings to colleagues at conferences.
• Publish in high-quality refereed journals and participate in attracting additional research funding.
• Conduct and plan your own scientific work with minimal supervision.
• Be based at Imperial, collaborate closely with colleagues at Imperial and in the G-PST
• Visit collaborators in the G-PST consortium, attending relevant workshops and conferences, developing and pursuing collaborations within Imperial and with the wider community.
• Maintain a highly organised and accurate record of experimental work and promote the reputation of the team, the Department and the University.

What we are looking for
• Be already holding (awarded) — at the start date of the position — a doctoral degree in Engineering, Economics, Applied Mathematics or a closely related discipline. It is preferable, but not required, that applicants have expertise and an interest in:

(1) flexibility in large manufacturing supply chains and data centres that can complement variable renewables,

(2) a control background applied to power electronics and power system operations and planning,

(3) Power system economics and electricity market design
• Independence in thought and actions combined with practical experience within a research environment and / or publications in relevant and refereed journals.
• Knowledge of some combination of computer languages including but not limited to Python, PyOMO, Julia, GAMS etc. and specialised tools such as PSSE, PLSF, DigSilent, PSCAD, Plexos, SPINE etc.
• Experience of dealing with the energy industry and or policy makers and or research sponsors in energy environment or in a closely related area is desired but is not essential to apply for the position.

What we can offer you
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).
• Up to a 30-month fixed-term contract in the first instance and the opportunity to spend time working internationally within the EPICS and G-PST ecosystem.

Further information

Further information about the post is available in the job description.

Each role is full-time and fixed-term for up to 30-months in the first instance.

Applications need to be made online via our website. To apply, visit www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs and search by the job reference ENG03438.

For technical issues when applying online please email support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk.

If you require any further details on the role please contact Prof Mark O’Malley via email at m.omalley@imperial.ac.uk.

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

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