PhD Candidate in Stability of Modern Power Grids dominated by Inverter-based Resources

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0

About the position

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? Do you have a background in Electric Power and/or Control Engineering, and are you interested in working at the intersection between both fields? As a PhD candidate with us, you will work toward your doctorate while gaining valuable experience that qualifies you for a future career in higher education and research, both within and beyond academia. 

The Department of Electric Energy (IEL) at NTNU is seeking a highly motivated candidate for a full-time (100%) PhD position for 3 years as part of the project “KreDiT - Towards advanced monitoring and mitigation of stability issues in grids dominated by power electronic converters”. You will join the research group Power System Operation and Analysis (PSOA) at IEL, where we foster an open, inclusive, and collaborative working environment.

Our working environment is characterized by a friendly, supportive atmosphere, with regular gatherings such as research group professional meetings, weekly colloquia, shared lunches, and “Friday coffee” sessions to wrap up the week. These formal and informal occasions provide opportunities to exchange ideas, celebrate milestones, and strengthen connections. PhD candidates also arrange social activities, open to everyone who wishes to join, creating a welcoming and inclusive community.

Your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department.

About the project

Background of the position

The transition to a more sustainable energy system is fundamentally changing power grids, namely due to the introduction of an unprecedented level of power electronic converters (PECs). Although this technology is a key enabler of the energy transition, it also introduces complex stability challenges, many of which are not yet fully understood or addressed by conventional methods. 

Existing commercial simulation tools often fail to predict stability issues due to model inaccuracies and the uncharacterized dynamics of PECs, which are typically proprietary and not fully disclosed by manufacturers. Efforts to characterize PECs through impedance measurements have led to the well-established Impedance-Based Stability Criterion (IBSC), however they face limitations when applied to large-scale systems with multiple PECs, and thus restricting the extension of the stability criteria in complex interconnected systems.

At the same time, the ongoing transition to digital substations (DiSts) presents new opportunities for enhancing stability analysis through advanced measurement infrastructure. Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), equipped with high-speed communication links and GPS synchronization, enable real-time data analysis and collection with event-triggered storage, making them valuable tools for analyzing transient power system behavior. These capabilities could be leveraged to improve PEC characterization and system-level stability assessments, yet their application in this context has not been widely explored. 

However, the IBSC method still falls within the small-signal stability analysis, implying that results are only valid under small perturbations. Thus, a natural question is how to use large-signal stability methods (e.g.: Lyapunov/passivity, Popov Criteria, etc.) in an integrated fashion; e.g.: together with system-wide PEC characterization techniques enabled by DiSts, with the objective to complement the small-signal results.

About the project

The PhD falls within the Research Council of Norway (NFR) Collaborative and Knowledge-building Project (KSP) called “KreDiT - Towards advanced monitoring and mitigation of stability issues in grids dominated by power electronic converters.” 

KreDiT aims to develop new methods and tools to effectively monitor and address converter-driven stability and power quality issues arising from the higher reliance on power electronic converters due to the growing share of solar and wind power [...]. A strong focus of the KreDiT project is given to data-driven approaches to enable preventive and mitigating solutions for system operators.

SINTEF Energy Research is the project coordinator for this KSP project and will be managed by Dr. Tor Inge Reigstad. Therefore, the PhD candidate will also benefit from strong scientific collaboration with SINTEF researchers associated with KreDiT, namely Dr. Raymundo Torres-Olguin and Dr. Santiago Sanchez-Acevedo.

The main supervisor will be Associate Professor Gilbert Joseph Bergna Diaz (IEL), with Associate Professor Sjur Føyen (IEL) as co-supervisor.

Duties of the position

The main objective of the PhD is to investigate (linear and/or nonlinear) system-wide stability assessments methodologies for modern power grids dominated by inverter-based resources in the context of advanced measurement infrastructure enabled by the appearance of digital substations. 

This may include, for example:

• An investigation into their applicability and associated challenges
• Further development of the stability assessment to increase its applicability
• Proposal of digital substation measurement structure based on requirements from a derived stability criterion.
• Development of an open-source tool for stable interconnection of PECs.

In addition, the candidate must:

• Participate in activities of the research group Power System Operation and Analysis (PSOA).
• Complete academic training consisting of coursework corresponding to a minimum of 30 ECTS.
• Contribute to publications in relevant journals and to popular science dissemination.
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions.

Career-enhancing work, in addition to the research project and doctoral education, may be offered to a candidate who demonstrates clear motivation and ability for such work, if the Department determines there is a need. Examples of career-enhancing work include, but are not limited to, contributing to teaching, laboratory and exercise teaching, supervision, and examination work within the employee's areas of competence. 

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in electric power engineering or control engineering, or a related field of study equally relevant to the PhD position (e.g., applied mathematics, etc.). Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, in which 120 credits have been obtained at the master's level. Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position, and no later than autumn 2026.
• You must have strong modelling and programing skills in software such as Matlab/Simulink, PSCAD, OPAL-RT, etc., relevant to address the topic of this PhD thesis. 
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education, i.e., by having relevant work experience and/or published/publishable scientific papers.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the Faculty's Doctoral Programme.
• You must have English language skills, both written and spoken, corresponding to the scale B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Applicants who are not native English speakers are encouraged to document their English language proficiency. This can be done through an approved English language test. One of the following test scores could be documented for this purpose: 
  • TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 79 - 101. 
  • IELTS - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 5.5 - 6.0 
  • Cambridge English - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 160 - 179.

Further assessment of both written and oral English language skills, as well as the ability to communicate fluently, will be conducted throughout the selection process and during any interviews for all applicants.

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Master’s thesis in a relevant topic for this PhD.
• Work and/or research experience in a field relevant to the topic of this PhD.
• English language skills, both written and spoken, corresponding to the scale C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). See which scores are equivalent to the C1 level here.

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), the candidate is expected to: 

• Demonstrate strong motivation, curiosity, and a learning-oriented mindset
• Work independently, take initiative, and maintain good structure and discipline in their work
• Communicate effectively and collaborate well with supervisors and peers
• Show resilience and work constructively when facing challenges or setbacks
• Demonstrate integrity and a strong sense of responsibility in their research conduct

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Social activities organized by PhD Students
• Weekly social gathering on Fridays (Friday coffee)
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK) 
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse, and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability, and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality. 

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 550 800,- per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 3 years, with the possibility of an additional 3 to 12 months of employment related to career-enhancing activities. 

The option for career-enhancing work may be offered to a candidate who has clear motivation and ability for such work, and if the Department deems it necessary. This will be clarified with the candidate during and after any interview. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Electric Power Engineering within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act.

The nature of the work will, with a high degree of likelihood, involve the development of, or access to, assets and information that are considered particularly vulnerable to activities posing a security risk, and for which compelling security considerations apply. The selected candidate must therefore undergo an assessment of personal security suitability. In this context, verification of identity, academic transcripts, and other submitted documentation will also be conducted. The candidate must be able to obtain relevant security clearance for access to and obtain information about hydropower stations and equipment.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in English. 

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include:

• A cover letter where the applicant explains personal motivation, briefly summarizes scientific work, and describes how their background is a good fit (400 words/1 page).
• Project outline containing proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project, and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages, including references). This proposal shall neither be deemed final nor binding for the project.
• CV.
• If you have testimonials of work experience, submit them.
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees. If you have not yet completed your Master's thesis, you must provide confirmation of your estimated submission date for the Master's thesis, or confirmation that your Master's thesis has been submitted.
  • Applicants from universities outside Norway are asked to provide a diploma supplement or similar document that details the study program and grading system. Also, see the specific documentation requirements for education obtained outside Norway, applicable to certain regions or countries, here.  
• A copy of the Master's thesis. If you have recently submitted your Master's thesis, you are encouraged to include a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be provided before assuming the position. 
• If you have publications or other relevant research work, submit them.
• You are encouraged to include documentation of English language proficiency if you are not a native speaker of English. 
• Name and contact information of three referees.

If all or parts of your education have been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, including both Bachelor's and Master's studies, as well as any other higher education. If your institution uses a “diploma supplement” (common in most European institutions), you must attach it. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint work will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Gilbert Joseph Bergna Diaz by email at gilbert.bergna@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Senior HR consultant Sven Robert Storø by email at sven.r.storo@ntnu.no

Application deadline: 09.03.2026

-----------------

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 
 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.