Uppsala University, Department of Earth Sciences

The Department of  Earth Sciences offers education and research with a unique scope and in international evaluations is considered to be one of Europe's most complete earth science institutions. The Department’s scope is represented by experienced teachers and researchers with expertise covering everything from rocks and volcanoes to earthquakes, weather, wind power and climate, from the beginning of life to dinosaurs, and from lakes to glaciers, carbon dioxide storage and sustainable energy systems. Today we are about 230 employees from more than 30 countries.

The Wind Energy group on Campus Gotland is engaged in activities related to wind power project development and sustainable energy transition. These activities include teaching, research and outreach. The group currently consists of 15-20 persons who focus on the planning, development and management of wind power projects as well as on sustainable energy transition. These individuals have a range of backgrounds and the group has competencies in technical, natural and social science. The group’s teaching consists of both campus and distance education at the Bachelors level and beyond.

Uppsala University is establishing a new graduate school in sustainable development. The main mission of the graduate school is to conduct research based on key social challenges, where local relevance meets international excellence. The research will include changed energy systems, sustainable consumption and destinations development, and will address significant issues such as conservation and change, as well as the definition and management of resources. The graduate school is rooted in ongoing interdisciplinary collaborations in research and education, conducted in an international environment. Uppsala University Campus Gotland, where the graduate school is located, is a hub for the University's research and education in sustainability. We work with international partners, visiting researchers and local players with a special focus on knowledge development to cope with the changes needed to live well during climate change. As a PhD student, you will be part of this interdisciplinary research environment. You will also benefit from the courses, seminars and first-class doctoral supervision offered at the graduate school.

Duties/Project description: The rapid development of the offshore wind industry and decrease in cost is a realistic recourse to reach 100% renewable systems. However, in local or regional energy system the fluctuation of energy might be problematic. Wind farms, if optimised could potentially handle power fluctuations by using, e.g., effective curtailment management techniques which controls power generation but should also optimise the farm operation.

To understand how to optimise the usage of these curtailment techniques it is imperative to possess high-fidelity time series describing the wind flow that can be achieved by using large-eddy simulations (LES).

This PhD project is a part of the project “Gotland's sustainable energy system transition: resources, demand and planning” where three PhD students are participating.

As a PhD student in meteorology with a focus on wind energy, you participate in a research group that focuses on fluid mechanics around individual wind turbines and wind farms. This project focuses on further development of established numerical models to also include loads estimations. In addition to the work on research projects and graduate courses, you will participate in other activities within the section of wind energy. These may consist of teaching and/or administrative work and will be up to 20% of the work hours. The position is located at Campus Gotland.

Requirements: For a PhD student it is required that you are admitted or will be admitted to research education where the ability to follow the research education is essential. The applicant should have an academic degree in either engineering, physics, meteorology. Knowledge in mathematics and physics is required alongside experiences in using advanced CFD tools and programming in object oriented languages.

Additional qualifications: Experience in the development of advanced numerical simulation tools is meritorious. We prefer that have academic and/or industrial experience in the field of wind power. The application should include a letter describing the applicant and his or her qualifications. It should also include CV, copies of diplomas and certificates, thesis and publications. We encourage you to provide details of referees and/or attach a letter of recommendation.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines (only in Swedish)

The application should include a letter describing the applicant and his or her qualifications. It should also include CV, copies of diplomas and certificates, thesis and publications. We encourage you to provide details of referees and/or attach a letter of recommendation.

Salary: According to local agreement for PhD students.

Starting date: 11-01-2021 or as otherwise agreed.

Type of employment: Temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7.

Scope of employment: 100 %

For further information about the position please contact: Stefan Ivanell at +46 18-471 83 60. E-mail: stefan.ivanell@geo.uu.se

Please submit your application by 15 September 2020, UFV-PA 2020/1699.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? If so, you will find a lot of information about working and living in Sweden at www.uu.se/joinus. You are also welcome to contact International Faculty and Staff Services at ifss@uadm.uu.se.

Moving to Gotland? You can find more information about what it is like to live in Gotland here: http://gotland.com/en/move/.

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Full time
First day of employment 2021-01-11
Salary Fixed salary
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100 %
City Visby
County Gotlands län
Country Sweden
Reference number UFV-PA 2020/1699
Union representative
  • Seko Universitetsklubben, seko@uadm.uu.se
  • ST/TCO, tco@fackorg.uu.se
  • Saco-rådet, saco@uadm.uu.se
Published 08.May.2020
Last application date 15.Sep.2020 11:59 PM CEST

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