Doctoral student in Industrial Electrical Engineering with focus on charging infrastructure at freight terminals and construction sites - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace

The doctoral student will be employed at the Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation Division (IEA). The research at IEA is focused on the thematic areas of electric power systems, electric drive systems and water systems. All research aims at a sustainable society in line with the EU climate goals and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Specifically, scientific methods for modelling, analysis and control of systems of industrially relevant complexity are applied and validation is based on laboratory analysis and field measurements. 

We are now seeking motivated candidates who are willing to make a difference in the fight against global warming and drive the transformation of transports.

Subject description

The research education subject is industrial electrical engineering. The Industrial Electrical Engineering research group focuses on technologies and systems for electrical and electromechanical energy conversion, with a special focus on the electrification of different types of vehicles. The subject is inherently interdisciplinary with strong links to electromagnetism, power electronics and electronics, materials engineering, electrical machine design, control engineering, as well as realtime systems, industrial automation and electrical metrology. The subject also links to industrial automation where research problems at a more global system level are addressed. Research in industrial electrical engineering is often inspired by real industrial problems. 

Project description

The aim of the project is to create conditions for an efficient electrification of vehicles at large facilities with construction machines and heavy transports. The challenge is generic in that the facility is assumed to be characterized by I) a weak connection to an external power grid compared to the charging need, II) a large and over time varying charging need, III) access to local generation of electrical energy (e.g. solar, wind), IV) access to local storage of electrical energy (e.g. batteries) and V) a need for robustness in the event of failure of the external power grid. The generic challenge is modelled, simulated and optimized for two actors involved in the project; a large site (e.g. a road construction with 10-50 work machines, 30-400 trucks in/out per day) and a freight terminal (>100 cars with fully electrified local, regional and linehaul transports). 

The challenge is to determine how best to build and use the transport electrification infrastructure, both during the transition phase with a partially electrified vehicle fleet and ultimately with a fully electrified fleet, to achieve availability and robustness at lowest possible cost. The aim is to reduce the cost of the charging infrastructure by 50%. The expected results are technical, i.e. referring to and describing power electronics-based solutions in technical terms, such as converter types (AC/DC, DC/DC with or without galvanic isolation), centralized vs. decentralized energy management, modularity limits, voltage, current, power and energy levels, robustness against disturbances/failure of the feeding grid, capacity for generation to the grid/flexibility services, etc. The project includes prototyping in a power electronics lab. 

The project is a collaboration between Sustainable Innovation (main applicant and project manager), Volvo Construction Equipment, Bring and the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) at Lund University.

Work duties

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

The tasks in the research project consist of system studies of the power and energy use for heavy transports in the kind of large facilities that the project concerns. It requires modelling including vehicles - charging systems - local energy storage - local energy generation (through, for example, solar energy) and connection to the relevant electricity grids. The models are used for system optimization of total cost under boundary conditions such as purchase cost, total operating cost over time, availability (uptime), etc. 

The work is carried out in close collaboration with researchers in the same group at LTH who are working on related tasks as well as with researchers at Volvo Construction Equipment, Bring and Sustainable Innovation who are also working on related issues. 

Admission requirements 

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant: 

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in the research subject Industrial electrical engineering if the applicant has: 

• at least 30 second-cycle credits of relevance to the subject area

Additional requirements:

• Good knowledge in power electronics, electrical circuits, applied battery technology and modelling of electrical energy systems, both AC and DC
• Good knowledge of charging solutions for electric vehicles
• Good knowledge of the characteristics of the electricity network, especially regarding electric vehicle charging
• Very good knowledge of English, written and spoken 

Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following: 

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study 
2. An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems
3.  Written and oral communication skills
4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience

Other assessment criteria:

• Experience in electric powertrains and charging solutions, energy storage technology with battery and fuel cell technology and life-cycle assessment is an asset. 
• The appropriate background for applicants is an MSc in Engineering Physics or Electrical Engineering with a clear focus on one or more of the areas of electric vehicles, power electronics and power systems engineering. 
• Experience of working in industry with relevant tasks in the field is considered an additional qualification. 

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, motivation, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee Work at Lund University: Work at Lund University

Terms of employment 

Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).

We look forward to receiving your application!