Within the Department of Operations at the Faculty of Business and Economics, two PhD positions (each 1.0 FTE) are available on the topic “Optimization within the Energy Transition”, requiring expertise in Operations Research. This vacancy is part of a large, inter-disciplinary project, ConsenCUS (CarbOn Neutral cluSters through Electricity-based iNnovations in Capture, Utilisation and Storage), involving 19 public and private projects from seven countries. You will work within the Department of Operations.

The EU has set a clear target to curb climate change: a climate neutral industry by 2050. For several crucial EU industries, this means that the CO2 they emit needs to be captured, utilised and/or stored. ConsenCUS aims to provide an industrial roadmap to a net-zero carbon future through “Carbon neutral clusters by electricity-based innovations in Capture, Utilisation and Storage”. We search for PhD candidates to investigate the opportunities and challenges related to energy transition. The envisioned contributions of the PhD projects are:

● to contribute to the establishment of a framework for the Carbon neutral clusters
● to identify the optimization challenges of key-interest within the energy transition
● to develop appropriate Operations Research models and methods to solve the identified optimization challenges. Examples include, but are certainly not limited to:
o decomposition methods for network design problems; robust optimization for dynamic power to gas storage policies; optimal or heuristic dynamic decision making while controlling the different incentives of stakeholders in a distribution network or energy market
● to use the Operations Research models and methods to assess different scenarios of future energy transition by society using input and data provided by partners in the consortium.

• Master’s degree (MSc, MA, or MPhil) in Operations Research, (Applied) Mathematics, Industrial Engineering or related fields
• strong academic record and demonstrated competence in quantitative modeling (i.e., Operations Research)
• excellence in written and verbal English.

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

- a gross monthly salary of € 2,790, which increases yearly to a maximum of € 3,061
- a 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3 % year-end bonus
- a temporary full-time appointment for a period of four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year.

Starting date: 1 May 2021

An assessment may be part of the procedure, consisting of psychological tests and an interview.

Faculty of Economics and Business

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the approximately 35.000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) has an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

The Graduate School SOM of the Faculty of Economics and Business has two PhD positions available.