Doctoral student in Electrical Engineering with focus on electrical motor reliability Full-time NEW

Doctoral Student In Electrical Engineering With Focus On Electrical Motor Reliability

Third-cycle subject: Electrical Engineering

Funded by FFI, the TERMINATOR project investigates how fast-switching silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power electronics affect the long-term reliability of electrical motors. Fast voltage transitions (high dv/dt of 20-50 kV/µs) create electro-thermal stresses that speed up stator insulation dielectric aging and damage bearings. Systematic experimental data linking power electronic switching to material degradation is lacking.

As a doctoral student, you will work at the cutting edge of electrification. Your main tasks will include:

• Developing automated laboratory platforms for controlled electro-thermal aging experiments.
• Conducting accelerated aging tests on stator insulation and bearings under controlled laboratory conditions.
• Analyzing experimental data to develop predictive lifetime models using statistics, signal processing, and machine learning.
• Validating degradation models on laboratory motor test benches under inverter excitation.

You will join the Electrical Machines and Drives group at KTH, a dynamic research environment, working closely with industrial partners: Traton AB, ABB AB, and ABB Robotics Sweden AB. You will report to Associate Professor Luca Peretti.

Supervision: Associate Professor Luca Peretti is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

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.

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.
• Lab experience in power electronics, electric drives, or high-frequency measurements.
• Programming (MATLAB, Python) for automated control and data analysis.
• Understanding of stator insulation systems or bearings.
• Experience with statistical data analysis, signal processing, or machine learning.
• Good collaborative and English communication skills, as the role involves close cooperation with industry partners and active result dissemination.

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