The Doctoral School of Industry Innovations (DSII) at Tampere University (TAU) explores research questions that are directly relevant for industry and business. Tampere University hires a Doctoral Researcher to complete a four-year, company-sponsored dissertation project under the joint supervision of a university professor and a company representative.
The sponsoring company for this position is Pori Energia. Pori Energia Group produces and provides energy and energy services. We are responsible for the electricity transmission of more than 50,000 network users and district heating to more than 50% of homes in Pori. We work ambitiously and our production goal is to be 90% carbon neutral during 2023. We employ 170 energy sector professionals.
DSII offers Doctoral Researchers a unique opportunity to undertake dissertation research, gain a thorough understanding of product development, tackle real-world business challenges and expand their professional networks.
Job description
The purpose of the job is to create new knowledge for academia and industry in the field of energy communities related to energy system flexibility as a part of the green transition and electrification. The goals are to:
Create an overall view of business opportunities for energy companies’ (retailer, district heating, producer, aggregator, etc.) services to active customers and energy communities and to understand the role of these services in the value creation of the sector integrated energy system.
Determine novel services and solutions based on dataspaces and large-scale data collection and sharing, taking into account privacy concerns. Services related to flexibility provision for multiple stakeholders, co-optimization of flexibility for multiple markets and needs. Verification and validation of flexibility capabilities and activations automatically are especially interesting.
Economic value of new services can be assessed by various data provided by Pori Energia and available open sources.
As a Doctoral Researcher you would conduct independent research work in collaboration with supervising professors and Pori Energia, and other researchers of related research groups of the supervising professors. The results will be disseminated in scientific peer-reviewed journals, international conferences, doctoral network events and events with industry.
At the university, the work will be supervised by prof. Pertti Järventausta, prof. Sami Repo and prof. Tarmo Lipping. The company’s supervisor will be Ph.D., Pori Energia Oy Managing Director Petri Paajanen. You will also be supported by practitioners in the steering group, including company representatives.
The tasks of all Doctoral Researchers will also include teaching duties that amount to approximately 5% of their annual working hours, unless there are justified reasons to the contrary.
Requirements
You need to have an applicable master’s degree in electrical engineering, or a related discipline in science or engineering. You need to have, or at least to have capability to adopt, needed knowledge on European energy market practices and regulation, service related business models and economic assessment, and data analysis in addition to electricity energy engineering technologies.
You should also be ready to work as part of the research teams at Tampere University (both in Tampere and Pori campuses), and also in close co-operation on-site with the team of Pori Energia in Pori. The latter means also capability to use Finnish as a working language. You also need to have an enquiring mind, enjoy problem-solving and be able to think independently while also being able to work in a team. A good command of English, both in writing and in oral presentations, is required.
Please note that before commencing in the position, the selected candidate must apply for a study right within the doctoral programme at Tampere University, unless they already have one. Please visit the admissions webpage for more information on eligibility requirements.
Tampere University is a unique, multidisciplinary and boldly forward-looking, evolving community.
Our values are openness, diversity, responsibility, courage, critical thinking, erudition/bildung, and learner-centredness. We hope that you can embrace these values and promote them in your work.
We offer
The position will be filled for a fixed-term period of four (4) years, commencing in April 2023 or as soon after that as possible. A trial period of six (6) months applies to all our new employees.
The salary will be based on both the job requirements and the employee's personal performance in accordance with the Finnish University Salary System. According to the criteria applied to teaching and research staff, the position of a doctoral researcher is placed on level 2-4 of the job requirements scale. A typical starting salary for a Doctoral Researcher is approximately 2500 EUR per month. The salary increases based on experience and the progress of doctoral studies.
We are inviting you to be a part of a vibrant, active and truly international research community and our research groups of Smart Grids and Data Analytics and Optimization.
The University has a strong commitment to the highest level of scientific research and the provision of high-quality doctoral education. The faculty as well as the Doctoral School of Industry Innovations support the doctoral students by offering training and peer support. Doctoral students in DSII develop a strong set of skills, enabling them to conduct agile, customer-oriented research, development and business. The University offers a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, excellent sports facilities on campus and several restaurants and cafés on campus with staff discounts. Please read more about working at Tampere University.
Tampere is one of the major academic hubs in the Nordic countries and offers a dynamic living environment. Tampere region is one of the three most rapidly growing urban areas in Finland and home to a vibrant knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial community. The city is an industrial powerhouse that enjoys a rich cultural scene and a reputation as a centre of Finland’s information society. For more information on Tampere, please visit here.
How to apply
Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is 13.3.2023 (23:59 EET / 21.59 UTC). Please write your application and all the accompanying documentation in English and attach them in PDF format.
Please attach only the following documents to your application:
A letter of motivation and description of your research interests (max. 1 A4 page)
Curriculum vitae according to the TENK template (including the contact details of two referees).
List of publications
Degree certificates
Transcript of records (master's degree studies).
For further information, please contact:
Pertti Järventausta, pertti.jarventausta@tuni.fi, +358 40 5492384
Sami Repo, sami.repo@tuni.fi, +358 40 8490454
Tarmo Lipping, tarmo.lipping@tuni.fi, +358 40 8262860