PhD Studentship in Strategic Power System Planning

Position Summary:

Applications are invited for a PhD studentship, to be undertaken at Imperial College London (Control and Power Research Group, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering) under the supervision of Dr. Elina Spyrou.

Summary of Project:

Power systems are at the core of the transition to net-zero energy systems, and they have to transform in two ways. First, their generation mix will include clean energy resources, mostly variable renewable energy resources, and nuclear. Second, the electricity demand is expected to double to accommodate newly electrified energy uses such as transportation and heating. These two transformations create a need for sophisticated planning methods and processes that result in actionable plans by proactively considering high-impact forces such as stakeholder preferences and supply chain issues.

The successful applicant will join the research group of Dr Elina Spyrou, which currently has three PhD students and a postdoctoral researcher. The group is actively contributing to the Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society Center (EPICS) and is closely collaborating with partners in the UK, USA, and Australia.

Funding:

The PhD studentship is funded by the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and includes a stipend of approximately £22,780 per year (tax-free) for three and a half years, home level tuition fees, and support for research expenses and travel to collaborators and conferences. Applicants qualifying for overseas fees are welcome to apply but should indicate in their cover letter if they could cover the difference between overseas and home level fees through other scholarships or self-funding.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The responsibilities include defining, with support from the supervisor, the research questions, creating and managing a plan for the PhD, reviewing the relevant literature, conducting independent research, reporting progress, disseminating results in high-impact refereed journals and conferences. The successful candidate will be based at Imperial, but they will also participate in activities of the Global Energy Center.

Essential Requirements:

Applicants should have a good first degree or a Master’s degree (or other equivalent experience). Suitable backgrounds for these PhD positions include, but are not limited to, power engineering, industrial engineering and operations research, mathematics, computing, and energy economics. The successful candidate will have an excellent understanding in one of the following fields: power system operations, power system economics, linear programming, micro-economics. Experience in working with datasets and prior coursework in probability theory and statistics will be helpful, but not necessary to apply for the position.

How to apply:

Please choose Electrical and Electronic Engineering Research Program and Control and Power Group, then indicate Dr. Elina Spyrou as a potential supervisor when making the application.

The application should include a cover letter (maximum 2 pages) and your CV (maximum 2 pages). Please make sure that your cover letter and CV provide adequate information on your academic ability, research potential, communication and engagement skills, your interest in the research topic, and future career plans.

Full guidance on the application process is available here.

Early applications are encouraged. The post is preferred for candidates who can start at the beginning of Spring term (3^rd January 2026).

For further details of the post, please contact Dr. Elina Spyrou (Elina.spyrou@imperial.ac.uk). For queries regarding the application process, please contact eee.pgadmissions@imperial.ac.uk

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