Research Assistant in Energy Systems Modelling

About the role

Please note applicants must not already hold a PhD. Energy storage is set to be a pivotal technology in future energy systems. As such, understanding which storage technologies are most relevant at different scales and storage durations, their costs and performance, and the market arrangements within which they can thrive, is now crucial. This post will push forward knowledge on these issues, underpinned by improving the state-of-the-art in whole energy systems modelling.

Within the framework of the project “Grid-scale Energy Storage: Imperatives for Accelerating the Green Transition (RESTORATIVE)”, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe’s Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 101227219, at Imperial College London we are seeking a candidate for a Research Assistant position in energy systems modelling. The Researcher employed on this post will be expected to register as PhD student and to submit their PhD thesis at the end of their research contract. The topic of the PhD thesis will be related and aligned with the research activities conducted in the project.

RESTORATIVE consists of 17 PhD students at 7 universities and 4 companies. The project has a total of 16 beneficiary and associated partners from 10 different European countries. All 17 PhD projects fall within the overall theme of grid-scale energy storage technologies, but investigate the topic from different perspectives, including technological development, reliability and security, integration and coupling, socioeconomic and environmental assessment, and policy and regulation.

The post is based in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London. This is a leading department of Computer Science among UK Universities. The department has achieved top results in each of the research assessment exercises undertaken by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The successful applicant will join Professor Adam Hawkes’ research group. The activities within the project will benefit from synergies with other projects in the group as well as with other activities at the department.

Apart from the time at Imperial, two secondments are planned for the position, i.e. one academic (up to 6 months in Switzerland at ETH with the research group of Prof Tobias Schmidt) and one in Germany (up to 3 months in Germany at Siemens Energy). In addition, there will also be project meetings and common gatherings and trainings with the other 16 PhD students in the doctoral network, including 3 summer/winter schools in Denmark and Italy and 2 online workshops.

What you would be doing

The position offers an exciting opportunity to conduct internationally leading and impactful research in energy storage modelling within integrated sector-coupled energy systems. The Research Assistant will assess the storage from two complementary angles; one considering its value integrated energy systems, and the second considering the structure of market trading rules and ancillary services arrangements that the value storage provides can be accessed by the operators of the technologies. They will build on the open energy system models, creating an improved storage representation, developing scenarios of deployment alongside scenarios of variable renewable energy deployment, and assessing their impact on system cost. Through review and modelling of market arrangements, they will also quantify benefits to storage operators, and then seek optimisation of instruments to better reflect the value created.

The postholder is expected to visit the network partners during secondments for a total duration of up to 9 months (6 months in Switzerland + 3 months in Germany). Additionally, the post holder is expected to participate in project meetings, outreach activities including, but not limited to, participation in public events and campaigns, as well as dissemination to popular press.

What we are looking for

To apply for this position, you must have a First Class or Distinction Masters level degree, or equivalent, in a relevant scientific or technical discipline, such as engineering or sustainable energy awarded by College recognised overseas universities/institutions. Overseas applicants for whom English is not the first language must provide evidence of a satisfactory command of English before commencing the programme. Due to the mobility rules of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie program, the applicant must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. As doctoral training networks aim at the recruitment and training of PhD students, the preferred candidate selected after the interviews will be required to apply and be accepted onto the PhD programme prior to receiving a contract of employment. Please see job description for a full list of requirements.

What we can offer you

The Researcher employed on this post will be expected to be registered as a PhD student and to submit their PhD thesis at the end of their research contract. The topic of the PhD thesis will be related and aligned with the research activities conducted in the project. Grow your career: gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression. Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days off a year and generous pension schemes). Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. Our values are at the root of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.