The eFORT project, funded under Horizon Europe, is recruiting talented, enthusiastic, and ambitious candidates to perform excellent research and achieve breakthroughs in the field of power system resilience and cyber security. The main objective of eFORT is to make interconnected power grids more resilient and reliable to failures, cyber attacks, physical disturbances, and data privacy issues. To this end, a set of technological innovations will be developed for the detection, prevention and mitigation of risks and vulnerabilities with positive impacts on power system operation and stability. The eFORT solutions will be demonstrated at TSO, DSO, digital substation, and microgrid levels in 4 real demonstration environments.

Within the eFORT project, Delft University of Technology is hiring a Postdoc on the subject: “Cyber security and self-healing power grid capabilities to defend against cascading effects".

You will conduct research on power system stability and cyber security. You will develop self-healing capabilities for interconnected power grids to stop the propagation of cascading effects and prevent a blackout. First, a computational method will be developed, which uses a digital twin of the power grid to assess in real-time the impact of cyber attacks on power system operation, estimate stability margins, analyse how they can initiate cascading failures that may lead to a blackout, and quantify grid resilience. Then, you will develop an Intelligent Platform to enable the self-healing grid capabilities and stop propagation of cascading outages. This will be achieved by a novel system for coordinated, self-healing emergency controls using wide area monitoring, protection and control (WAMPAC) and microgrids. Our large RTDS infrastructure and a digital substation are connected for hardware-in-the-loop simulations and cyber attacks. They are coupled with IT-OT systems, the Control Room of the Future (CRoF) and a cyber range. This state-of-the-art lab will be used to conduct research and demonstration of prototype solutions to both academic and industry partners.

You will be jointly supervised by Dr. Alex Stefanov (Assistant Professor, daily supervisor) and Prof. Peter Palensky. You will join the Cyber Resilient Power Grids (CRPG) team led by Dr. Alex Stefanov, which conducts research on cyber security and resilience of power grids.

You will dedicate about 60% of the time to research activities within eFORT project together with 2 PhD researchers, and you will direct the WPs and Tasks led by TU Delft.

You will dedicate about 40% of the time to (i) act as CRPG team lead, and manage, coordinate and organize CRPG team activities and (ii) help with PhDs supervision.

We offer a two-year Postdoc appointment, with an anticipated start date in October / November 2022. You will be a member of the section Intelligent Electrical Power Grids that is part of the Electrical Sustainable Energy (ESE) Department within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science. This project offers excellent opportunities to work in a dynamic team, and excellent networking opportunities with experts from academia, utilities, and vendors.

Essentials:

• Demonstrable interest in interdisciplinary and intersectoral research, and specifically the interface between power systems, information and communication technologies, and cyber security.
• Completed a PhD degree in a highly quantitative and analytical related discipline (electrical engineering with an emphasis on power systems, automatic control, applied mathematics, and/or computer science).
• Excellent academic and publication track record.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills.
• Strong knowledge of power system stability and control, and cyber security.
• Very good command of English. The minimum requirement of a TOEFL score of 100 or IELTS of 7.0 per sub-skill (writing, reading, listening, speaking) applies to all candidates wanting to pursue a Postdoc at TU Delft.
• You enjoy performing research. You are independent, self-motivated, and eager to learn.
• You are keen to work with industry partners to link real-world challenges to fundamental research questions.
• Very good, demonstrable experience with computer modelling and simulation such as DIgSILENT PowerFactory, communication network simulators/emulators, RTDS and/or OPAL-RT.
• You enjoy programming and hold your code to a high standard.

Desirables:

• Solid knowledge of power system stability, operation and control.
• Knowledge of computer networking and cyber security.
• Experience with Python and machine learning libraries.
• Experience with collaborative software development (e.g. open source).

A salary based on scale 10 of the CAO for Dutch Universities with a minimum of € 2.960- and a maximum of € 4.670,- gross per month based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context. At TU Delft we embrace diversity and aim to be as inclusive as possible (see our Code of Conduct). Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale.

Challenge. Change. Impact! 

Faculty Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three disciplines - electrical engineering, mathematics and computer science. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make future-proof. We are also working on a world in which humans and computers reinforce each other. We are mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. There is plenty of room here for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1,100 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.

About the department

The research in ESE Department is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on three areas:

• DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)

ESE Department owns the ESP laboratory and a large RTDS cluster that is actively used for real-time simulation of future electrical power systems, AC and DC protection, and wide-area monitoring, protection and control.

IEPG group, headed by Professor Peter Palensky, works on the future of our power system. The goal is to generate, transmit and use electrical energy in a highly reliable, efficient, stable, clean, affordable, and safe way.