Vacant job

Job Responsibilities

The Challenge:

Energy, transportation, and other critical infrastructures are undergoing unprecedented changes in scale, autonomy, and decentralization.

These changes present significant opportunities to improve efficiency and sustainability, but also serious challenges in ensuring reliability and fairness. Addressing these societal challenges requires new optimization and control methods that can meet their inherent complexity.

Your Role in the Project:

The Department of Automatic Control at KTH is seeking two postdoctoral researchers to join our team. The successful candidates will work with Professor Giuseppe Belgioioso and conduct research at the intersection of optimization, game theory, and automatic control for complex systems. The work will encompass both the mathematical foundations of these areas—e.g., designing innovative algorithms and control strategies—as well as developing technical solutions to adapt these new methods to practical applications in the fields of energy and mobility. The research project will address one or more of the specific research areas in the following (non-exhaustive) list:

• Online feedback optimization
• Game-theoretic control (e.g., game-theoretic MPC)
• Hierarchical game theory for incentive design
• Definition, measurement, and operationalization of fairness in control methods
• Predictive control for large-scale systems
• Theory of control architectures

We Offer

• An employment at a leading technical university that creates knowledge and competence for a sustainable future
• Committed and ambitious colleagues in a creative, international, and dynamic environment
• Connection to Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems, and Software Program

About WASP:

The Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) is Sweden's largest individual research program ever, a major national initiative for strategically motivated basic research, education, and faculty recruitment. The program addresses research on artificial intelligence and autonomous systems that act in collaboration with humans, adapt to their environment through sensors, information, and knowledge, and form intelligent systems-of-systems. The vision for WASP is excellent research and competence in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and software for the benefit of Swedish society and industry. Read more: WASP website (https://wasp-sweden.org/)

KTH's workplace (https://www.kth.se/om/work-at-kth/kth-your-future-workplace-1.49050) and our benefits (https://www.kth.se/om/work-at-kth/en-arbetsplats-med-manga-formaner-1.467932)

Qualifications

Requirements

• A completed PhD or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a PhD. This eligibility requirement must be met by the time the employment decision is made.
• A strong foundation in mathematical tools relevant to the project, particularly optimization and control theory.
• A documented track record of exceptional research results and publications in high-impact venues.
• Knowledge of programming languages and computational tools applicable in the field.
• Advanced analytical skills, with a proven ability to work independently and collaborate within interdisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, to effectively disseminate research results and collaborate with team members.
• Awareness of diversity and equality issues with a particular focus on gender equality.

Meritorious

• At the time of the application deadline, no more than three years since obtaining a PhD or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a PhD.
• Expertise in one or more of the specific research areas relevant to this position.
• Knowledge of relevant technology areas applicable to this position, e.g., power grids, energy markets, smart mobility, data centers, and supply chains.
• Documented experience collaborating with industrial partners, including joint research or technology transfer.
• Previous experience supervising students at the bachelor’s and master’s levels.

We will place great emphasis on personal qualities.

Union Representatives

Contact details for union representatives (https://www.kth.se/om/work-at-kth/fackrepresentanter-1.500898).

Application

You apply via KTH's recruitment system. As an applicant, you have the primary responsibility for ensuring that your application is complete when submitted.

• CV, including names of at least 2 professional references
• Cover letter (max 1 page)
• Research statement (max 2 pages excluding references)
• Copy of degree certificates and transcripts from your previous university studies. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents are not issued in either of these languages.

The application must be received by KTH no later than the application deadline at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

About the Employment

The employment is permanent, but for a maximum of two years.

A fixed-term merit-based employment (https://www.arbetsgivarverket.se/globalassets/arbetsgivarverket/avtal-och-skrifter/avtal/avtal-om-tidsbegransad-anstallning-som-postdoktor/avtal-om-tidsbegransad-anstallning-som-postdoktor-2021-11-19.pdf) primarily focused on research intended as a first career step after obtaining a PhD.

Other

The pursuit of gender equality, diversity, and equal opportunities is both a quality issue and an obvious part of KTH's values.

For union representatives (https://www.kth.se/om/work-at-kth/fackrepresentanter-1.500898) in connection with recruitment.

If the employment is classified, a security clearance in accordance with the Security Protection Act (2018:585) is required to be eligible. Information about the position being classified will be provided during the recruitment process.

We kindly ask for no direct contact with staffing and recruitment agencies or sellers of job advertisements.

About KTH

KTH is one of Europe’s leading technical universities and an important arena for knowledge development. As Sweden's largest university for technical research and education, we gather students, researchers, and faculty from all over the world. Our research and education encompass both natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial economics, urban planning, history, and philosophy. Learn more about KTH (https://www.kth.se/om/om-kth-1.885102).