PhD / Postdoc on Model Predictive Control for Energy Management

Introduction

We invite highly motivated students with a strong background in systems and control to apply for a PhD/Postdoc position within the Control Systems Technology section at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This project focuses on developing model predictive control (MPC) algorithms for residential energy management systems and energy hubs, with particular emphasis on distributed optimization, cyber-security, and quantum computing for real-time decision-making. Ultimately, the goal is to equip households and neighborhoods with smart energy management tools that make everyday living more sustainable.

Job Description

With households accounting for more than 25% of the overall energy consumption in the European Union, effective home energy management is key to reducing costs, lowering emissions, and supporting grid stability. In this project, you will design MPC strategies that scale from single households to interconnected residential energy hubs. You will explore three cutting-edge directions: (1) AI-enhanced distributed MPC to improve computational speed, (2) cooperative approaches enabling dynamic collaboration among households, and (3) quantum-based MPC to potentially accelerate optimization tasks. Your work will address pressing challenges in scalability, cyber-security, and real-time operation, paving the way for practical deployment of sustainable MPC-based energy management systems.

Additionally, you will have access to the graduate courses at the Dutch Institute of Systems and Control (DISC) and have the opportunity to collaborate with industrial and academic partners. You will partake in teaching duties at the bachelor and/or master's levels, collaborate in the supervision of master’s degree projects, and attend leading conferences in the systems and control field. By joining us, you will be part of the Control Systems Technology Section, a vibrant community of more than 80 researchers including faculty members, postdocs and PhDs working on diverse fundamental and application-oriented topics in the fields of control and systems theory, cyber-physical systems, optimization, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and systems engineering.

Job Requirements

We are looking for talented, enthusiastic PhD candidates with a master’s degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, Systems and Control, Applied Physics, or Applied Mathematics. This requirement is mandatory.

In addition, the ideal candidate would have the following experience, skills and interests:

• Strong background in energy systems and/or optimization.
• Ability to balance theoretical work with applied work, taking ownership of the research project.
• Interest in collaborating with an international team of academic and industrial partners.
• Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students.
• Experience with programming in Matlab or Python.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level).

Conditions of Employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer: 

for a PhD:

• Full-time employment for 4 years (fully funded), with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. 
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 3,059 max. € 3,881).  

for a PostDoc:

• Full-time employment for 2 years.
• Salary in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale ... (min. € 4,241 max. € 5,538).
• A TU/e Postdoc Association that helps you to build a stronger and broader academic and personal network, and offers tailored support, training and workshops.

and for both:

• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. 
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. 
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.  
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

Information

The Control Systems Technology Section is among the largest and high-impact research centers in systems and control. It is uniquely positioned in a key high-tech region, the Brainport Eindhoven (http://brainporteindhoven.com), which is home to many leading companies. As such, it is a unique section in which both state-of-the-art fundamental and applied research is performed and deeply intertwined. High-quality research and high-quality education are two sides of the same coin, and we educate many engineers for Dutch and international industries and universities.

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact Assistant Prof. Paula Chanfreut, p.chanfreut.palacio@tue.nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HRServices.gemini@tue.nl.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.
• Brief description of your MSc thesis and/or relevant research projects.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.