This PhD position gives a unique possibility to reach specialist competence in battery research and combine this with automatic control, both fields with very strong job markets in the foreseeable future. You will be working in an internationally well-reputed group of about 15 researchers developing battery management algorithms improving battery performance and lifetime, and aiming for a more sustainable future.
Project description
The rate of transition towards full electromobility depends heavily on the battery systems. For a given installation, the main factors affecting the sales are the fast-charging performance and the battery lifetime. However, with today’s sensors the battery systems are treated as a black box, leaving the local degradation conditions inside battery cells neither monitored nor well controlled. The consequence of this is suboptimal performance and premature battery ageing associated with undermined reliability and safety. In this project we will introduce new cheap sensors and develop intelligent algorithms for battery management systems that use the sensors in feedback to achieve accurate estimations of the cell-interior conditions and faster charging, without compromising on lifetime and safety.
This project is in partnership with the research group Nanomaterial and Manufacture at Chalmers, Volvo Cars, and ConScience AB, and is mainly funded by the Swedish Energy Agency under the call within “Betterifondsprogrammet”. The position is a full-time temporary employment for four years of PhD studies extended up to five years to accommodate teaching performed at the department. You will be provided with a competitive monthly salary and full social benefits, and will have opportunities to work closely with experts at Volvo Cars and ConScience AB.
The position is a full-time temporary employment for four years of PhD studies extended up to five years to accommodate teaching performed at the department.
Information about the division and the department
The position is with the Automatic Control group, comprising about 35 researchers, at the division of Systems and Control, which has about 100 employees and is the largest division of the Department of electrical engineering. Aiming for a sustainable world, the group is involved in many research projects on energy savings using automatic control methods. In general, the projects are carried out in collaboration with other research groups, institutes and industry, and often in interdisciplinary constellations. The BMS (battery management system) team, within Automatic Control, is the leading team on BMS research in Swedish academia, with a successful focus on modelling, estimation and control. It is a highly international team with researchers from all continents (!) working together in a friendly environment that is characterized by openness. For its battery research, the team has received the Volvo Car Technology Award and has published over 50 top tier journal papers and several patents in the area.
Major responsibilities
Your major responsibility is to pursue research in line with the project, publish, and present scientific articles, and take part in discussions. As part of your PhD you will receive further education by courses relevant for your research, research project, automatic control in a wide sense, and your future career. You will also be expected to participate in teaching activities in the field of Automatic Control (up to a maximum of 20%).
Qualifications
Master’s degree, preferably in control, electric power engineering, computer science, engineering physics or similar. Mathematical talent and interest. Fluent in written and spoken English. Previous experience of battery management systems, machine learning and power systems is a merit.
The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.
Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.
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Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.
Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20230505 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.
CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.
Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus
Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.
Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.
Application deadline: 2023-10-15
For questions, please contact:
Prof. Torsten Wik, Automatic Control, Department of Electrical Engineering
torsten.wik@chalmers.se, +46 (0)31 772 5146
Ass. Prof Changfu Zou, Automatic Control, Department of Electrical Engineering
changfu@chalmers.se, +46 (0)31 772 339
Dr Xiaolei Bian, Automatic Control, Department of Electrical Engineering
xiaoleib@chalmers.se, +46 (0)70 371 7378
*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***
Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!
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