PhD Candidate in Clean heat pumping technologies and AI

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.

About the job

Through a collaboration agreement between CERN and NorCC (Norwegian Centre for CERN-related Research), this position is one of a number of jointly-funded NTNU-CERN PhD vacancies in the field of the technological sciences (engineering projects). The successful candidate will spend 18 months at NTNU followed by 18 months at CERN, while remaining active in the PhD Programme at both institutions for the full 36 months. For the position of PhD Candidate, the goal is the completion of doctoral education at NTNU and CERN, including an obtained doctoral degree from NTNU.

A jointly-funded NTNU-CERN PhD vacancy is available at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT) at NTNU within the Refrigeration research group on the topic of " Integration of clean heat pumping technologies and AI to enable energy efficient distribution of District Heating and Cooling – [short: Clean&AI based heat&cold @CERN]".

The Refrigeration research group has well-established expertise and networks in the field of vapour compression systems applying natural working fluids for various applications within different industrial sectors. In close cooperation with CERN, the research group is involved in several national and international research projects. The PhD Candidate will be integrated in the research teams at both NTNU and CERN and will benefit from the knowledge of senior researchers during the PhD work, having access to research facilities at both institutions. Workshops will be organized to bring experts in the field together to share and transfer their knowledge, both from outside and inside the two organizations.

The project aims to develop and describe advanced energy systems by integrating new clean heat elevating technologies and artificial intelligence to optimize and enhance the energy efficiency of distribution systems. Various heat sources (e.g. surplus heat from process plants etc.) and possible thermal energy storage devices will be considered and integrated. Focus will be on building up a dynamic model of an entire energy distribution network validated by IoT devices, and smart grid technologies to describe and create a robust, adaptive, and efficient energy management system, supported by AI algorithms.

The proposed system architectures will be validated by monitoring and analysing energy consumption patterns, predict demand, and manage supply in real-time, with the aim to minimize use of primary energy (avoid wastage of high-quality energy) and improve overall system efficiency. By integrating AI, the control system can learn from historical data, adapt to changing conditions, and as an example, may provide predictive maintenance to reduce downtime and operational costs.

Key components of the PhD work include:

• Development/use of dynamic energy conversion and distribution models of typical sites
• Integration of IoT sensors for real-time monitoring and data collection for validation
• Implementation of smart grid technologies (heat pumps and thermal energy storage) for adaptive energy distribution
• Development of AI algorithms for energy demand forecasting and optimization (cost, fossil versus              renewable, environmental impact, etc.)
• Development of a user-friendly interface for energy system monitoring and management

The application of the developed system architecture will be tested and validated on CERN’s infrastructure.

The project's goal is to create a scalable and replicable model for the CERN district heating/cooling systems that can be applied to all the CERN buildings and energy processes. This will contribute to supporting global efforts in energy conservation and sustainable development and open-access dissemination will enable others to follow.

Your supervisor is Professor Armin Hafner at NTNU and Guillaume Rouge at CERN.

Duties of the position

• Conduct literature reviews on current clean energy technologies and AI applications in energy systems
• Develop a dynamic energy distribution model, enabling various supply and demand side scenarios
• Develop and test AI algorithms for energy demand forecasting and optimization
• Design and implement IoT sensor networks for real-time data collection for validation
• Describe and integrate smart grid technologies into the district heating/cooling system
• Analyse collected data and utilize them to optimize the overall system performance
• Collaborate with the expert team designing and operating CERN’s campus technical infrastructure and other researchers in the field to develop, test and implement innovative and applicable solutions, scalable to even larger sites.
• Present research outcomes at conferences and workshops, publish findings in scientific journals

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in refrigeration engineering.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for PhD education.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented by 30.09.2024 
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the Faculty's Doctoral Programme.
• You must have experience in dynamic modelling of energy systems with heat pumps.
• You must present a strong interest for the modelling and simulation of complex multi-physical systems including heat- and mass transfer.
• You must have experience with experimental investigations and data analysis from energy distribution systems.
• Good written and oral English language skills.
• You must be a citizen of a CERN Member State or Associated Member State as listed in CERN Member States.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• Scientific publications are an advantage
• Good written and oral Norwegian language skills

Personal characteristics

• enthusiastic: to encourage other students during supervision of MSCs candidates
• competent: able to communicate with colleagues 
• conscientious: ability to plan ahead
• extrovert: you prefer being sociable, outgoing and talkative

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
employee benefits

Salary and conditions

The PhD candidacy begins with a contract of employment at NTNU for a duration of 18 months, followed by a contract of association and corresponding stipend at CERN for a duration of 18 months. You will remain active in the PhD Programme at both institutions for the full 36 months. Your NTNU supervisor will assist you with your applications to the NTNU and the CERN PhD Programme. A travel allowance is available when travel between NTNU and CERN is deemed appropriate by your supervisors.

During the 18-month period at NTNU, you will have a contract of employment as a PhD candidate (code 1017). PhD Candidates are normally paid NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

During the 18-month period at CERN, you will have a contract of association and will be a member of the CERN Doctoral Student Programme, the conditions of which, including details of the monthly stipend, are described in CERN Doctoral Student Programme | SmartRecruiters. You will not be employed by NTNU during this time.

The employment at NTNU is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be written in English.

Publications and other scientific work must accompany the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above and that all required documentation is included as follows:

• CV and certificates
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees. If you have not completed the Master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the Master's thesis has been submitted
• A copy of the Master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your Master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position
• Name and contact information of three referees
• Publications or other relevant research work if appropriate

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

The Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT) has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Assistants and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the careers of female PhD Candidates, Postdocs and Research Assistants, and is also made  visible to our student body to encourage them to consider an academic path. As part of the EPT Women in Science initiative we are building an international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself 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 reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Armin Hafner, armin.hafner@ntnu.no (NTNU) and Guillaume Rouge, guillaume.fernand.rouge@cern.ch (CERN). If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Megan Norris, megan.norris@ntnu.no.

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

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.