Postdoctoral Research Associate

The post holder will initiate and conduct high-quality research in support of the UKRI-funded research project “Satellite-Aided Technologies for advancing resilience - Guarding energy services under climate hazards, risks, and disasters (SAT-Guard)”. The project will require an understanding of ICT for smart energy systems, satellite communications or technologies, smart grid and microgrid, distributed energy resources, digital twins, energy resilience, Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods/tools, testbed and method verification. Responsibilities include:

• To conduct individual and/or collaborative research under the guidance of the Principal Investigator and the Co-Investigators where appropriate also, in line with the focus of the research project developing hazard-resilient satellite-aided technologies for energy management and coordination in smart grids.
• To investigate what satellite missions and configurations are cost effective for identification of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) with satisfactory refresh rates, and to contribute to the development of Satellite-assisted Digital Twins for DERs.
• To develop innovative methods for coordinating DERs to restore power that will improve grid resilience by reducing the duration of post-hazard power outages. And to explore the use of satellite communications to facilitate high-speed and reliable data transmission required for resilient communications networks during and post hazard.
• To test and validate satellite-assisted post-hazard restoration strategies in living labs. Experience in software programme and simulation, e.g., using Matlab, AI tools, and OPAL-RT is needed.
• To produce research reports and/or publications as required by the funding body or for dissemination to the wider academic /industrial community.
• To attend, contribute, and where necessary lead, relevant meetings, and engage in the dissemination of the results of the research in which you are engaged in for relevant research stakeholders in the respective appropriate form.

This post is for a fixed term (24 months) until the funding end-date of 31/12/2026. The ideal start date for the successful applicant is 01/01/2025.

About the team

This Research Project is being delivered within the Department of Mathematics Physics and Electrical Engineering in the Electrical Power and Control Systems Research Group. For more information about the Department please visit the homepage at: www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/academic-departments/mathematics-physics-and-electrical-engineering.

About you

Applicants must hold a first degree and should be either qualified or soon to be qualified to Doctoral level in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, or similar disciplines.

Please check the important information about the role's requirements in the 'person specification'.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr Jing Jiang (jing.jiang@northumbria.ac.uk)

To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'. Your application should include a covering letter and a CV. Please also provide up to 3 representative publications (in PDF format) relevant to the requirements set out above.

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