About the position

The Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences (TNM) has a vacancy for a temporary 100 % position as PhD Research Fellow in “Flexible Time Aggregation Approaches for Maximizing Flexibility Value in Nordic Flow-Based Market Coupling” from August 18, 2025. The position is a part of the FME RenewHydro center, and it is funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian hydropower industry.

The position is located at the Department of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Cybernetics and reports to the Head of Department. The position will be working in the research group, “Electrical Power Systems” (EPS). The place of employment is Porsgrunn.

The employment period will be three years full time, and there is a premise for employment that the PhD Research Fellow is enrolled in USN’s PhD-program in PhD in Technology within three months of accession in the position. It may be possible to get a four-year full-time employment period consisting of 75 % PhD Research Fellow and 25 % teaching duties.

About the PhD-project

Flow-Based Market Coupling (FBMC) is a critical mechanism in electricity markets designed to optimize cross-border power exchanges by explicitly incorporating physical transmission constraints into the market-clearing process. Unlike traditional market coupling approaches that rely on simplified transmission models, FBMC ensures a more efficient, reliable, and grid-aware allocation of electricity flows. By using detailed network modeling, FBMC facilitates a more accurate representation of available transmission capacity, thereby reducing congestion and improving the integration of renewable energy sources. This method enhances market efficiency by optimizing spatial resource allocation, allowing for a more transparent and cost-effective electricity trading system across interconnected regions. However, while FBMC improves spatial coordination, the challenge of temporal variability in electricity markets necessitates complementary mechanisms that better capture time-dependent supply-demand fluctuations.

Flexible time aggregation (FTA) addresses this temporal challenge by allowing market participants to submit bids spanning variable time intervals, rather than fixed hourly or quarter-hourly periods. This approach enables more dynamic market participation, where the aggregation intervals are adjusted to reflect intrinsic demand-supply patterns, price volatility, and grid conditions. Methodologically, this requires the development of adaptive algorithms and statistical models that determine optimal aggregation intervals based on variance changes, autocorrelation structures, and event-driven fluctuations in electricity markets. Techniques such as wavelet transforms, clustering methods, and adaptive filtering can be employed to segment time-series data into intervals with homogeneous characteristics, ensuring that market operations are more responsive to real-time grid conditions. Together, FBMC and FTA significantly enhance market efficiency by optimizing both spatial and temporal resource allocation, leading to better renewable energy integration, reduced transmission congestion, and improved overall social welfare in interconnected power systems.

The project aims to strengthen the overall digital competence at USN in collaboration with FME RenewHydro center, NTNU in terms of market designs to provision flexibility and ancillary services from hydropower and characterize operational patterns of hydro power for security of supply.

Additionally, it focuses on optimizing flexibility value stacking strategies, enabling hydroelectric generators to maximize revenue by simultaneously participating in multiple market services such as energy arbitrage, frequency regulation, balancing services, and congestion management.

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements:

a master’s degree equivalent to a Norwegian master’s degree (120 ECTS)
ability to collaborate and work effectively in an international and interdisciplinary research environment
applicants with a strong background in STEM fields (e.g., Electrical power engineering, control system engineering, physics or environmental engineering, mathematics (Operations research) or Computer Science or Machine Learning)
the master thesis must be included in the application

Ideal Candidate:

demonstrates experience or strong interest in modelling, programming, systems thinking, and qualitative/quantitative research methods
documented programming experience for example GitHub project on MATLAB, Python, Julia, Javascript
experience in hydropower engineering with control engineering and optimization is a distinctive advantage
possesses a strong academic record, with relevant experience in either industry or academia.
Has prior professional experience and a solid understanding of workplace responsibilities and expectations, which will be considered a key advantage
shows a deep interest in interdisciplinary research, is capable of independent work, and actively engages with the supervision team to foster collaborative research

For admission to the Phd Program the weighted average grade is B or higher is usually required. The applicant must have gained the degree within the start date of the position, so applicants in the last semester of their master’s degree are also encouraged to apply.

The candidate must have the ability to work independently and at the same time have the motivation to share knowledge and take part in teamwork.

Co-operation between staff members is an integrated part of the working atmosphere at the University of South-Eastern Norway. The candidate must be motivated and demonstrate a proven ability to work effectively within a team and in a collegiate manner to formulate and realize common objectives.

Personal characteristics

Strongly motivated and ambitious
Be structured, targeted and solution oriented
Be motivated to work interdisciplinary
The successful candidate should be creative and actively contribute to the team he/she will be part of
Have good dissemination skills
Personal skills like a positive and friendly attitude, and contributing to a sustainable social environment will also be valued

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement.

We offer

a stimulating and growing research environment, with good opportunities to develop your career and your academic skills
an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
a good social environment
attractive welfare benefits in the State Pension Plan
opportunity for physical activities within working hours

Salary

PhD Research Fellow (code 1017): NOK 546 570 a year. Further promotion will be based on time served in the position.

A statutory contribution to the state pension plan will be deducted from the employee’s salary.

Other information

The research area for the position may include technologies covered by the Ministry's export control regulations. Employment in the position requires a relevant license or security clearance. For more information, see https://nsm.no/en/

The Academic Appointments Board for PhD Research Fellowships is responsible for the appointment. An expert assessment of applicants will be carried out. The candidates deemed best qualified will be invited to an interview.

The person appointed must comply with the laws, regulations and agreements that apply at any given time to the post. Please note that an approved work permit is a prerequisite for employment.

According to its human resources policy, the University of South-Eastern Norway targets a balanced gender composition and aims to recruit persons with a background as an immigrant.

The University contributes to the Inkluderingsdugnaden (a voluntary scheme to promote inclusion), and it is our aim that our employees, to the fullest extent possible, shall reflect the diversity of the general population. We therefore encourage qualified applicants with disabilities to apply for the post. The University will facilitate the workplace for employees with disabilities.

The Department has few women appointed in scientific positions, and women are therefore particularly encouraged to apply.

Pursuant to section 25, 2nd paragraph of the Freedom of Information Act, information on the applicant may be disclosed even if the applicant has requested not be included on the list of applicants. Applicants will be notified if such requests are not allowed.

Contact information

For more information about the position, please contact:

Associate Professor Thomas Øyvang, phone: +47 35 57 51 55 , e-mail: thomas.oyvang@usn.no

Professor Sambeet Mishra, e-mail: sambeet.mishra@usn.no

For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact:

Britt G. Wien, e-mail: britt.g.wien@usn.no

How to apply

The University of South-Eastern Norway makes use of online application management. Applicants to the post must register their application and CV with enclosures online via the Jobbnorge recruitment portal by clicking on the link on the right-hand side – “Søk stillingen” (Apply for the post).

The following documents shall be attached to the online application:

Please note that all documents must be in a Scandinavian language or in English. Any translations must be certified. The selection process includes a test where qualified candidates shall complete a task to demonstrate their skills and competence.

The application will be assessed on the basis of the attached documentation as requested above. Each applicant is responsible for ensuring that the required documentation has been uploaded with the application deadline.

The research area for the position may include technologies referred to in the Ministry's export control regulations. Relevant license or security clearances may therefore be required.

The University has been awarded a Charter & Code certificate by the European Commission, and is entitled to use the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R) logo. The University is also a member of the EURAXESS network, which contributes to good working conditions for mobile researchers.

About us

The University of Southeastern Norway (USN) ranks as the country's fourth largest higher education institution. We are a vibrant community of approximately 18,000 students and 1,900 employees.

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