Doctoral student in Industrial Electrical Engineering with a focus on Battery Integration

Description of the workplace

The workplace is the Division of Industrial Electrical Engineering and Automation, IEA (iea.lth.se) which conducts all research on power electronics, electrical machines and power grids within Lund University.

The role will include engagement with two key national competence centres with a broad industrial and academic network: Swedish Electromobility Centre and Swedish Electricity Storage and Balancing Centre.

You will be part of the Competence and Excellence for the Electrification of the Transport System (COMPEL) framework. COMPEL is a collaboration between three universities: Lund University, Chalmers University of Technology, and Uppsala University. The platform aims to ensure Sweden's long-term competitiveness in battery development and electrification of the transport sector. The work will be carried out in a battery pack testing facility which is unique in the Nordic countries.

Being a doctoral student

As a doctoral student, you are both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University.

As a doctoral student, you will be trained in a scientific approach. In short, you will be trained to think critically and analytically, to solve problems independently using the right methods, and to develop an awareness of research ethics. In addition, you will have the opportunity to work on projects, to develop your leadership and pedagogical skills. Throughout your studies, you will be guided by supervisors. Doctoral studies end with a thesis and a doctoral degree.

More about being a doctoral student - lth.se

Subject and project description

Batteries play an important role in the energy transition, especially in transport and grid applications. To accelerate the transition to fossil-free societies, it is crucial to understand battery lifetime in different contexts.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to explore battery integration at the intersection of physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering.

This project focuses on analyzing battery utilization strategies, tackling key challenges such as charging, balancing, and thermal management—all from a battery-centric perspective. Your work will focus on investigating how different operational strategies—such as cooling, charging, and balancing—impact the state-of-health and performance of batteries.

The position is funded by COMPEL, offering exciting opportunities for collaboration within its dynamic research framework.

More about the research profile area - lth.se

Work duties

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral programme, which includes participation in research projects as well as third cycle courses, seminars and conferences.

The project will include both, modelling and experimental work, where the experimental work will consist of classification and validation experiments that shall be used to support the modelling work. The modelling work will primarily be related to equivalent circuit models but can be extended to physical models if needed. You will work in a state-of-the-art test environment where you’ll experiment with both individual battery cells and full battery packs.

This is your chance to combine hands-on experimentation with cutting-edge research that directly advances the future of electrification.

The work duties include:

• Review of previous work available in the literature.
• Formulate and validate research hypotheses.
• Design and carry out experiments related to the subject.
• Ensure the validity of Data at all times.
• Publish the findings in high-quality journals and conferences.
• The duties also include participation in teaching and other departmental work (however, a maximum of 20% of working hours).

Qualifications

To be eligible for admission and employment as a doctoral student, you must fulfil the requirements below.

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 industrial electrical engineering if the applicant has:

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

Additional requirements

In order to complete the doctoral programme in question, the following are also required:

• A strong background in physics, chemistry, or electrical engineering
• Good subject knowledge on the topic of batteries.
• Good ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Good ability to cooperate
• Very good knowledge of English, spoken and written

Other qualifications

For the doctoral programme in question, the following are considered as other qualifications:

• Knowledge of battery modelling and related topics.
• Knowledge in related topics such as power electronics, power systems, electromobility
• Proficiency in at least one relevant programming language e.g. Python or MATLAB.
• Knowledge or interest in experiment design, execution and evaluation.
• Experience with statistics and data-processing methods.
• Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme.

More about working at Lund University - on Lund University's website.

About the employment

The employment is a fixed-term employment at full time, starting as soon as possible - as agreed. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. In the case of teaching and other departmental duties, the employment is extended accordingly. Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

More about terms of employment for doctoral students - on Lund University’s Staffpages.

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include:

• CV and a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the doctoral programme/employment and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background.
• Copies of issued study certificates and/or awarded degree certificates. These must confirm that you meet the general and specific admission requirements for the doctoral programme and show that you have the subject knowledge required for the doctoral programme project.
• Other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.)

We welcome your application!