PhD Candidate in Controlled Environment Agriculture – Energy Grid Integration

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NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

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About the position

The Department of Engineering Cybernetics (ITK), renowned for expertise in decision-making, optimization, control, and AI for sustainability, invites applications for a PhD position. This project focuses on developing a novel, sustainable urban food-energy system by holistically integrating Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), particularly vertical farming with emerging energy markets. Vertical farming is increasingly recognized to play an important role in sustainable local food production, especially in regions where outdoor agriculture is limited due to climate constraints, reducing reliance on food imports, transportation-related emissions, and enhancing food security.

With the increasing penetration of unpredictable renewable energy sources (such as wind and solar) and the widespread electrification of energy systems, demand-side energy flexibility has become essential for maintaining grid stability. Democratized energy flexibility markets are rapidly developing worldwide, enabling consumers to actively provide flexibility services and benefit economically while supporting a sustainable grid.

This PhD project aims to leverage cutting-edge optimization, control and machine learning methods to optimally integrate vertical farms in these emerging flexibility markets. By modelling energy flexibility of different crops and market mechanisms, the research will establish a holistic integration framework that significantly reduces operational energy costs for vertical farms, maximizes economic benefits, and contributes to broader sustainability goals.

Are you motivated to address global sustainability challenges by developing innovative technological solutions at the intersection of food production and energy systems? We seek a highly motivated candidate passionate about technology-driven sustainability solutions, eager to develop advanced decision-making methodologies, optimization algorithms, and machine learning techniques to tackle this challenging, interdisciplinary problem.  As a PhD candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia. 

Your immediate Line Manager and supervisor will be Professor Sebastien Gros, and Professor Morten Hovd will be co-supervisor.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out and publish research of excellent quality within the framework described above
• Collaborate across departments at NTNU, NMBU, SINTEF and seek interdisciplinarity
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Participate in discussions with the industry and map the issues from their perspective

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• Strong background in mathematical modeling, numerical optimization and control.
• Knowledge in machine learning and data driven decision making methods.
• You must have a master's degree in engineering Cybernetics, Control Engineering, or equivalent with a strong training in optimization, energy optimization or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position. 
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education. You must meet all the requirements for admission to the IE faculty's Doctoral Program. 
• Very good English skills, written and spoken, are required. Applicants from non-European countries where English is not an official language and did not have your education in English must present an official language test report. The acceptable tests are TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) or GRE Minimum scores are:
       o    TOEFL: 600 / writing 4.5 (paper-based test), 92 / writing 22 (internet-based test).
       o    IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted).
       o    CAE/CPE: grade B or A.
       o    GRE: A minimum score of 3.5 in Analytical Writing and at least 150 in Verbal Reasoning. 
• Solid programming skills in Python, knowledge of standard optimization software is a plus (Gurobi, CasADi, Acados etc).
   

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

Additionally, you are required to demonstrate good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level. If you cannot document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2 upon employment, you must complete Norwegian courses corresponding to at least 15 credits before the end of the employment period. NTNU will facilitate this during your PhD period. 

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

The following criteria will guide our selection among candidates meeting the required criteria:

• You must have an academically relevant background within optimization, modelling, sequential decision making.
• Strong skills in mathematics, grasping of new concepts, capacity for mathematical formalism. This can include your academic record, previous projects, work experience etc.
• Multi-disciplinary knowledge in the field
• Knowledge in agronomy, photobiology
• Knowledge of electric energy markets, especially in Northern Europe
• Background on renewable energy, energy storage, flexible demand
• Knowledge on distributed optimization algorithms

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to: 

• Work independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity 
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions 
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK  536 200,-  per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 3 years. If learning Norwegian (level A2 corresponding to at least 15 credits) is to be completed before the end of the employment period, the employment period can be extended by 10 weeks after completed and documented the Norwegian course.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD program in Engineering Cybernetics within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral program throughout the period of employment.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request. 

The application must include: 

• CV and certificates.
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page).
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation on when you are expected to complete the master’s degree.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Name and contact information of at least two referees (preferably someone supervised you in research/academic projects).
• Any relevant publications or other relevant research work.

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Dr. Akhil S Anand, email: akhil.s.anand@ntnu.no . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Berit Dahl, email: berit.dahl@ntnu.no .

Application deadline: 31.05.2025.

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality. 

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