Doctoral student in Optimization and Control of Complex Systems

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Electrical Engineering

The challenge: 
Energy, transportation, and other critical infrastructures are undergoing an unprecedented shift in scale, decentralization and autonomy. These transformations bring vast opportunities to improve efficiency and sustainability but also pose serious challenges in ensuring their reliability and fairness. Addressing these societal-scale challenges demands for novel optimization and control methodologies that can meet their inherent complexities.

Your role:
The doctoral student will conduct research at the intersection of optimization, game theory, and automatic control for complex systems. Their work will encompass both the mathematical foundations of these fields, e.g., designing innovative algorithms and control strategies, as well as the development of technical solutions to adapt these new methods to applications in the areas of energy systems, mobility, and data centers. The research project will address one or more of the specific research areas in the following (non-exhaustive) list:

• Algorithmic fundamentals of game theory and optimization;
• Computational control of large-scale multi-agent systems;
• Incentive and mechanism design;
• Defining, measuring, and operationalizing fairness in control systems;
• Applications to energy systems, mobility, and data centers.

Supervision:  Assistant Prof. Giuseppe Belgioioso and Prof. Mikael Johansson 

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Guidance on relocating and settling in at KTH and in Sweden.
• Affiliation to Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP)  
• WASP, providing access to a international network of leading researchers and industries, as well as opportunities for extended research visits at top universities (e.g., MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, ETH Zurich, Imperial College) For more information about WASP

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

Selected candidates must be able to provide contact information to at least one academic or professional reference. 

The candidate must be able to demonstrate high motivation for doctoral studies. 

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree:  Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. In the case of studies that are to be completed with a licentiate degree, the total period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for two years.

Union representatives

Contact information for union representatives.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for doctoral section.

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time). However, evaluation of applications will be conducted on a rolling basis as they are received.

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV, including your relevant professional experience and knowledge
• Motivation letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 1 page long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages. Copies of originals must be certified.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant's consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

About KTH

KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy. Read more here