PhD student in meteorology

Are you interested in working with wind energy, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University, Campus Gotland.

The Department of Earth Sciences conducts research and education in a wide range of areas, from the origins of life on Earth, critical and rare metals and minerals, rock formation, landslides and volcanoes, weather and climate, water resources, natural disasters, to energy resources and sustainable development. We are one of the most inclusive departments of Earth sciences in all of Europe and our education and research are conducted in both Uppsala and in Visby.

The Wind Energy Division, a part of the Department of Earth Sciences, is located at Campus Gotland, an international campus on the island of Gotland in the middle of the world heritage city of Visby. Our division is engaged in activities related to Wind Power Project Management and Sustainable Energy Transition. These activities include teaching, research and outreach. The group currently consists of about 30 persons who focus on the high-fidelity modelling, 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 engineering, natural- and social science. The group’s teaching consists of both campus and distance education at the bachelor’s level and beyond. With us you will find a pleasant workplace in a unique environment.

At Uppsala University, a graduate school in sustainability studies – GRASS – was established in 2021. Now, a second cohort of the graduate school is starting. The main mission of the graduate school is to conduct research based on key social challenges, where local relevance meets international excellence. It examines fields such as cultural heritage, digital methods, sustainable consumption and future energy systems, and addresses significant aspects of preservation 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, guest researchers and local actors with a special focus on knowledge development to manage and cope with the transition needed to live well in a world with climate change. As a doctoral student, you will be part of this interdisciplinary research environment. You will also benefit from courses, seminars and first-class doctoral supervision offered at the graduate school.

The division is located at Campus Gotland, an international campus in the middle of world heritage town Visby. Read more on the division´s website. 

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 could potentially handle power fluctuations by using, e.g., storage systems by hydrogen, that also can be used by other applications and provide an important contribution to green transition. To understand how utilize these techniques it is imperative to possess high-fidelity time series describing the wind flow that can be achieved by using large-eddy simulations (LES).

Atmospheric flows are inherently complex, and the importance and need to understand atmospheric flows increase as climate change continues to intensify and create unseen atmospheric conditions. Scientists and engineers develop and employ advanced computational models to simulate the atmosphere, but even with the most advanced modeling achievements, the amount of generated data to analyze required to get a statistical base for an overall understanding is very challenging and requires novel data driven methods.

This PhD project is a part of the project “WHYBS – Wind and Hydrogen systems” where two PhD students are participating. The PhD project focuses on the overall understanding of large-scale wind energy potential and will provide input to the other PhD project how large offshore wind farms can provide energy for hydrogen production that can be used for storage, used by the transport sector, or by large-scale industrial applications.

The wind energy part of WHYBS will provide important input and overall understanding of large-scale wind energy potential. That understanding will provide input to the hydrogen part of the project with for example understanding of power potential and variation due to different wind farm control strategies. Especially, if these strategies are updated with variation of both electric and hydrogen production strategies.

The objectives of this PhD project is to develop new approaches for dynamic verification and validation (V&V) of the high-fidelity numerical models as well develop fast machine-learning models for the accurate prediction of intermittency of wind farm power production during different atmospheric conditions and operational strategies. In order to achieve these objectives, the PhD project will focus on the continued development of established numerical models to perform high-fidelity wind farm simulations including loads estimations and various operational strategies. The numerical simulations will be verified and validated by utilizing machine-learning and data-driven methods aimed specifically at short-term forecasting of the dynamics (e.g. transformers) compared to state-of-the-art measurement methods. An important aspect of the V&V is to enhance the physical understanding of both models and measurements, so it is paramount that the machine-learning methods maintain physical interpretability. 

Large-eddy simulation (LES) coupled to aeroelastic turbine models currently state the highest fidelity possible for wind farm modeling. However, the data generated from LES still needs to be post processed to be able to provide a statistical base for general conclusions on farm related flow phenomena.

The project is part of Uppsala University"s interdisciplinary graduate school in sustainable development GRASS at Campus Gotland where you will sit together with other doctoral students in GRASS and participate in the GRASS activities. The project is also strongly related to Campus Gotland"s profile area Energy transition, wind and water.

Find out more about the research at the Department of Earth Sciences.

Duties
As a PhD student in meteorology with a focus on wind energy, you will participate in a research group that focuses on fluid mechanics around individual wind turbines, wind farms, and their interaction with the complex atmosphere. 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.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in  mechanics, physics or meteorology, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Knowledge in mathematics and physics is required alongside experiences in using advanced CFD tools and programming.

Additional qualifications
Experience in the development of advanced numerical simulation tools and machine learning methods is meritorious. We prefer that the applicant have academic and/or industrial experience in the field of wind power.

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

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 2025-08-25 or as agreed. Placement: Visby, Gotland.

For further information about the position, please contact: Professor Stefan Ivanell, Head of the Division. Telephone number (+46) 018-471 83 60. E-mail address stefan.ivanell@geo.uu.se

Please submit your application by 16 April 2025, UFV-PA 2025/751.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? Find out more about what it´s like to work and live in Sweden.

About Campus Gotland: Uppsala University Campus Gotland offers the best of two worlds: the full-scale university’s broad offering and weight and a unique, small-scale campus in an interdisciplinary research environment. Campus Gotland is a hub for the University’s research and education in sustainability. Find out what it’s like to live on Gotland.