Doctoral student in Battery Storage in Electricity Markets Full-time

Doctoral Student in Battery Storage in Electricity Markets

School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at KTH

Project Description

Third-cycle subject: Electrical Engineering

This project focuses on enhancing the participation of battery energy storage systems in the Nordic electricity market to support a sustainable low-carbon energy system. As the share of renewable generation increases, battery storage plays a key role in providing flexibility, ensuring system reliability, and improving market efficiency.

The project addresses three main challenges: (i) designing market-compatible bidding structures for battery storage that reflect operational constraints, (ii) developing tailored financial hedge contracts to manage revenue risks in low-volatility markets, and (iii) enabling co-optimization of energy and reserve services using advanced optimization and AI-assisted methods.

The research combines mathematical modeling, electricity market design, and computational optimization. The doctoral student will work closely with leading industry partners, including Nord Pool and Fortum, and contribute to both theoretical developments and real-world applications.

Supervision: Prof. Mohammad Reza Hesamzadeh and Prof. György Dán (KTH), Prof. Derek Bunn (London Business School), Prof. Darryl Biggar (Monash University) are proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

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

Specifically, we are looking for candidates with:

• A Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Energy Systems, Engineering Physics, Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in mathematical optimization, including linear, mixed-integer, or nonconvex optimization.
• Good understanding of energy systems and electricity markets.
• Computer Programming skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Candidates with a background in mathematics, physics, or computer science and a strong interest in energy systems are also encouraged to apply.

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.

In addition, the following qualifications are considered meritorious:

• Experience with stochastic optimization, decomposition methods, or large-scale optimization.
• Knowledge of electricity market design, ancillary services, or flexibility markets.

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.

As a doctoral student, you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH's Doctoral student salary agreement. Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) | KTH | Sweden.