Two PhD scholarships in Nordic TSO Cross-Border Coordination - DTU Wind

Millions of people across the Nordic region depend on electricity that is reliable, affordable, and increasingly renewable. Making that possible as the energy system grows more complex and interconnected is one of the defining engineering and societal challenges of our time. We invite you to join us in tackling it. We are looking for two fully funded PhD researchers to work on cross-border coordination for the Nordic power system, as part of the IFD Grand Solutions-funded Nordic-Sec project. These are 3-year positions based at DTU, embedded in a collaborative team that bridges rigorous academic research and direct operational practice.

Why this PhD at DTU?

Your work will have direct, measurable impact. You will collaborate closely with Energinet, the Danish Transmission System Operator, and Nordic RCC, the regional coordination center for all Nordic TSOs, on problems that are operationally urgent and technically unsolved. The Nordic power system serves as an ideal demonstration case: highly interconnected, renewable-rich, and operationally advanced. The methods developed in this project are designed to be general, and we fully expect them to be adopted and applied across Europe and beyond.

What you will work on

We are recruiting two fully funded PhD students, each for three years, to work on two closely related research tracks within the Nordic-Sec project:

• PhD 1 — Coordinated Cross-Border Capacity Allocation: Develop advanced capacity allocation mechanisms enabling Nordic TSOs and the RCC to jointly calculate and approve cross-border transfer capacities with greater accuracy, transparency, and fairness.
• PhD 2 — Cooperative Reserve Sizing and Procurement: Develop risk-aware, multi-stage decision-support mechanisms for joint reserve sizing and cross-border procurement.

Responsibilities and qualifications

We are looking for highly motivated and committed candidates from varied backgrounds, eager to contribute to cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research. Successful applicants will ideally have:

• A relevant MSc degree in electrical engineering, energy systems, applied mathematics, operations research, computer science, data analytics, control, or related fields
• Background in at least one of: optimization, probability and statistics, machine learning, game theory, or control
• Programming experience (e.g., Python, Julia, MATLAB)
• Interest in power systems, electricity markets, and cross-border energy coordination
• Excellent English communication skills and a collaborative mindset

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 7 August 2026 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration.