项目介绍

2024年10月8日

Job description

Are you eager to contribute to innovative research at the forefront of AI in Power Electronics? Are you fascinated by the potential of AI to support Power Electronics design for reliability, and willing to take on the challenge of multidisciplinary research to advance AI methods for reliability modelling of PECs? The overarching goal of this project is to support PECs design for reliability by developing novel AI-based methods to model complex component degradation and failure interactions within PECs via interpretable and data-aware models tailored to deal with uncertainty and sparse data.

Reliability of Power Electronic Converters (PECs) has gained increasing attention due to the central role they play in mission-critical applications across various sectors, from renewable energy generation to e-mobility. Reliability modelling is paramount to support decision-making for their design, operation, control and maintenance. Ultimately, more reliable PECs carry a societal benefit by accelerating the transition to net-zero and thus a sustainable future.

The overarching aim of this research is to develop novel modelling techniques to support PECs reliability during design and operation, encompassing predictive capabilities tailored to deal with uncertainty and sparse data. You will explore the application of novel data-driven techniques, integrating physics-informed AI models that enhance acceptability and explainability. The focus is on the development of a systematic failure troubleshooting and predictive capability to map fault propagation patterns, eventually highlighting the weak points of the design, thus enabling more efficient distributions of design margins across PECs components. The research work will also involve laboratory experiments within the Power Electronic Lab for data collection and testing purposes.

You will design and lead the research project with the guidance of the supervisory team (dr. Claudia Fecarotti, Prof. George Papafotiou and Prof. Geert-Jan van Houtum). You will publish the results in international journals and conferences to communicate with academia and other societal stakeholders.

Academic and Research Environment

In this PhD project, you will conduct innovative multidisciplinary research at the intersection between reliability and industrial engineering, electrical engineering and AI, by becoming part of the Eindhoven Artificial Intelligent Systems Institute (EAISI), the Operations, Planning, Accounting and Control Group (OPAC) at the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Science (IE&ES) and the Power Electronics Lab within the Department of Electrical Engineering at TU/e. You will be part of a challenging and diverse environment where you will interact with other PhD researchers working on AI and data-driven methods in various fields, including industrial and electrical engineering. You will learn, apply and improve diverse modelling techniques to support the creation of future-proof reliable power electronics.

Job requirements

• A master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Systems Engineering, Systems and Control Engineering, (Applied) Mathematics, Engineering Mathematics, and other related fields;
• Capability and passion for working on challenging topics that have both fundamental and applied research aspects;
• Strong competence in analytical skills, mathematical skills, and quantitative modeling;
• Willingness to perform lab work;
• Strong expertise in programming, including proficiency in languages commonly used in data analysis and machine learning, such as Python;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to collaborate in an international setting;
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level);
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and collaborate with industrial partners;
• Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students;

Conditions of employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,872 max. €3,670).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children’s day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

Information and application

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking Dutch university that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a number 1 position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact
dr. Claudia Fecarotti (assistant professor, c.fecarotti@tue.nl), or prof. George Papafotiou (Full professor, g.papafotiou@tue.nl).

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment or contact HRServices.IEIS@tue.nl 

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the ‘apply now’-button on this page. The application should include a:

• Cover letter (2 page max) in which you describe your motivation, research vision and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications, thesis and relevant experience.
• Contact information of two references.
• Transcripts of Master’s and Bachelor’s program, including the list of courses and grades.
• Master thesis and working papers if available.
• Proof of English proficiency (C1 level or an equivalent level).

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.