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 central to the transition towards net-zero energy systems, and they are transforming in two ways.  First, their generation mix is changing, with a growing share of clean energy sources, mostly variable renewable energy sources and nuclear. Second, electricity demand is rising due to the expansion of data centers, electric vehicles, and electric heating technologies such as heat pumps. Delivering this transition requires substantial investments in power sector infrastructure. Yet, deployment is challenged by supply chain bottlenecks and challenges around stakeholder acceptance. The successful applicant will develop novel power system planning models that explicitly incorporate supply chain constraints and stakeholder preferences, enabling proactive and realistic infrastructure planning.

The successful applicant will join Dr Elina Spyrou's research group, which currently includes three PhD students and a postdoctoral researcher. The group contributes to the Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society Center (EPICS-UK) and collaborates with academic and industry 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. There are opportunities to enhance the stipend through tutoring and assisting with course delivery. Irish nationals living in Ireland, or the UK qualify as Home. Applicants qualifying for overseas fees are welcome to apply but should indicate in their personal statement how they plan to 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, and they will also participate in the activities of the EPICS Global Centre .

Essential Requirements:

Applicants should have a first-class Master's degree (or equivalent) in engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, or economics.

How to apply:

Please choose the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Research Program and the Control and Power Group, then indicate Dr Elina Spyrou as a potential supervisor when making the application. The application should include a personal statement (maximum 2 pages) and your CV (maximum 2 pages). There is no need to include a research statement at the application stage. Please make sure to discuss in your personal statement your academic ability, research capability, communication 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 in 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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