Deadline: 6 December 2011
Open to: Applicants with MSc degree in electrical engineering, industrial engineering, engineering physics or similar, very good level of English
Salary: Based on the existing employment agreement for PhD position at the School of Electrical Engineering
Description
KTH in Stockholm is the largest and oldest technical university in Sweden. No less than one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education capacity at university level is provided by KTH. Education and research spans from natural sciences to all branches of engineering and includes architecture, industrial management and urban planning. There are a total of just over 15,000 first and second level students and more than 1,600 doctoral students. KTH has almost 4,300 employees.
The School of Electrical Engineering conducts research and education in the fields of electrical engineering, information and communication technology, systems engineering, electrical power engineering, and plasma physics. The School research projects are carried out in close collaboration with Swedish industry and universities world-wide. The School has strong undergraduate and graduate programs. The PhD project will take place within the RCAM (Reliability Centred Asset Management) research group at the department of Electromagnetic Engineering in close collaboration with the power industry and other researchers. The RCAM research group focuses on the development of asset management and reliability methods. The vision is to develop methods that lead to a better resource utilization, by using quantitative, risk based analyses in project planning and operation of power distribution.
Job Description
The prerequisites of owning and operating power distribution systems have radically changed over the past 10-15 years and further changes will occur in the future followed by e.g. new technologies and new production and consumption patterns (e.g. small scale production and electric vehicles). The introduction of quality regulation, as well as political and media pressure provides incentives for cost efficiency on the one hand and satisfactory quality of supply on the other. In order to meet the future needs including climate-smart solutions, distribution system operators are forced to perform huge investment (Smart Grids).
As a doctoral student, you will develop quantitative risk-based analyses methods for the investment planning of power distribution to better handle all new conditions. More specific, you will use methods from the following areas: Risk, reliability and economic analysis and, later on; investment and maintenance optimization. Traditionally, primary and secondary (measuring and control) equipment are studied separately. Your challenge will be to study these two parts together to achieve more efficient investments with respect to low risk and low a cost. This type of risk analysis will become more important in the future as more “intelligent” components will be linked to the primary equipment.
PhD positions are intended for those who pursue their own doctoral studies. The positions include about 80% research and 20% teaching assistance duties. The salary is based on the existing employment agreement for PhD position at the School of Electrical Engineering.
Eligibility
Appropriate for the position are individuals which are highly motivated who holds an MSc degree in electrical engineering, industrial engineering, engineering physics or similar. The candidates should have excellent grades and very good skills in oral and written communication (English is a requirement, Swedish is meritorious) and be ready to contribute to an international research group and a scientific research agenda of major importance for industry and society. Knowledge of electrical distribution systems, applied mathematical statistics, optimization, and economics is meritorious.
How to apply?
The application shall include a CV, a brief statement on why the applicant wishes to pursue PhD studies, contact information to three references, the degree certificate, and official transcripts of records, and any other information that may be useful. The application should be sent by email to: 0556@ee.kth.se in pdf format (only), with all documents merged into a single PDF-file, and with the reference number (E-2011-0556) in the subject field. The deadline for the application is 6 December 2011.
Contacts
Patrik Hilber, PhD, Assistant Professor
Phone: +46 8 790 77 72
hilber@kth.se
Rajeev Thottappillil, Professor
rajeev.thottappillil@ee.kth.se
Union representative
Lars Abrahamsson, SACO
Phone: +46 8 790 70 58
lars.abrahamsson@ee.kth.se