PhD student in industrial engineering and management focusing on user perspectives on the energy transition

Are you interested in working with user perspectives on the energy transition, 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 student position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering consists of three divisions: Industrial Engineering and Management, Quality Science, Civil Engineering and Built Environment. The department has approximately 100 employees and has its research and education both at the Ångström Laboratory in Uppsala and at Campus Gotland. For more information, see the web of the department. This position will organizationally belong to the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management and the location will be on Campus Gotland in Visby.

Industrial Engineering and Management is a broad, interdisciplinary subject that spans several sub-areas ranging from organization and management, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as industrial and social marketing within technology and innovation-intensive activities to automation and optimization, to machine design, production and production systems. For more information, see the webpage of the division. 

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.

Project description

 You will be working in the project ”Searching for flexibility” in the research school GRASS on Campus Gotland, where you will be sitting together with the other PhD students and participate in the activities of the research school. The project is closely related to Campus Gotland’s profile area “Energy transition, wind and water and the research conducted by Uppsala Smart Energy Research group - USER.

 The goal of the project is to assess the need and potential for a more flexible use of electricity in future energy systems. Two PhD students will address this question from two different perspectives and in collaboration with an experienced group of supervisors.

 The specific PhD student project will focus on the social need and potential of demand flexibility on Gotland. The social need refers to local stakeholders’ perceived need for flexibility in the energy system. The social potential will be assessed in terms of electricity consumers’ willingness and ability to engage in flexible demand and invest in products to that end. You will also study what roles electricity consumers and energy communities can play in realizing the theoretical flexibility potential on Gotland and what role economic incentives, in terms of dynamic electricity prices and power tariffs, can play in fostering demand response. You will apply a mixed methods approach, including primarily interviews and surveys. You will collaborate with another PhD student focusing on the technical need and potential of demand flexibility on Gotland.

Duties

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements

To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree, 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.

Requirements

As a candidate for this position, you are expected to have a master’s degree in engineering, or any other relevant social science, humanities, natural sciences or technical discipline. Very good knowledge of Swedish and English, spoken and written. Good ability to cooperate.

Additional qualifications

Knowledge about the energy system, its actors and their respective operations as well as the challenges that the energy transition entails is meritorious. So is knowledge about different methodological approaches and a genuine interest in interdisciplinary research questions in the subject area at hand as well as good knowledge in written and spoken Swedish. The fact that the third cycle studies are conducted in an interdisciplinary environment means that your disciplinary background is of less importance in relation to your attitude towards and interest in the third cycle subject area, the research area and interdisciplinary research.

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

Application

Please use the link below. You should include a brief description of your research interests and relevant experience, a CV, copies of diplomas and certificates, thesis (or a draft thereof) and other relevant documents. You are encouraged to provide letter(s) of recommendation and contact information to reference persons.

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date August 20 2025, or as agreed. Placement: Visby.

For further information about the position, please contact: Cajsa Bartusch Kätting, phone: +46 70 527 43 27, e-mail: cajsa.bartusch@angstrom.uu.se

Please submit your application by 14 April 2025, UFV-PA 2025/639.

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.