KU Leuven boasts a rich tradition of education and research that dates back six centuries. The university’s basic research orientation has always been and will remain fundamental research. At the same time, the university remains vigilantly open to contemporary cultural, economic and industrial realities, as well as to the community’s needs and expectations. KU Leuven is currently by far the largest university in Belgium in terms of research funding and expenditure (EUR 455.1 million in 2015). KU Leuven conducts fundamental and applied research in all academic disciplines with a clear international orientation. In the Times Higher Education ranking KU Leuven is ranked as the 12th European university, while in the Reuters Top 100 of the World’s most innovative institutions, KU Leuven is listed as the first European university.
The ELECTA research group of the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) of KU Leuven performs research on aspects of generation, transmission, distribution and rational use of electrical energy. Topics covered are smart grids, reliable power systems with high penetration of renewable energy sources, HVDC and LVDC, energy markets, integration of renewable energy sources on transmission and distribution. Seven professors lead the group. They manage the research assisted by a team of senior researchers, post-doctoral researchers and about 50 PhD students.
Join the Energy Transmission Competence Hub (ETCH) within the ELECTA division and embedded in EnergyVille (Genk, Belgium). ETCH is a leading research group in power systems, power electronics, and energy transition technologies, with strong collaborations with industry and transmission system operators.
We are developing BriskSim, a next-generation simulation platform for electromagnetic transient (EMT) and power system dynamic studies. BriskSim aims to support future challenges in converter-dominated power systems, HVDC networks, protection engineering, wide-area dynamics, and digital-twin applications.
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Responsibilities
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who is passionate about both advanced simulation methods and scientific software development.
The successful candidate will contribute to research and development on:
- EMT simulation of future power systems.
- Simulation methods for converter-dominated grids, protection systems, and wide-area dynamics.
- Scalable algorithms and numerical methods for large-scale simulation.
- Scientific software and software architectures for next-generation simulation platforms.
- Industrial demonstration and validation of simulation technologies.
The responsibilities are
- Conduct high-quality research in power system simulation.
- Contribute to the development of BriskSim.
- Design and implement scientific software using modern development practices.
- Improve simulation performance, scalability, and usability.
- Collaborate with industrial partners and system operators.
- Publish in leading journals and conferences.
- Support the supervision of MSc and PhD students.
Profile
We welcome applicants with a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Scientific Computing, Computational Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
Candidates should have expertise in several of the following areas:
- Scientific software development (C++, Julia, Rust, Python, or similar)
- Numerical methods and scientific computing.
- High-performance computing, parallel computing, or large-scale simulation.
- Software engineering practices, version control, and automated testing.
- EMT simulation, power system dynamics, or power electronics (an asset, but not required).
We particularly encourage applications from candidates with experience in developing scientific or simulation software, even if their previous work was outside the power systems domain
Offer
We offer a fully funded postdoctoral position in a leading international research environment. You will contribute to cutting-edge research while helping shape the future of BriskSim, an emerging simulation platform for future power systems.
The position provides opportunities for collaboration with academia, industry, and system operators, as well as involvement in innovation and technology valorisation activities.
More information
Electa
EnergyVille
Interested?
Applicants should submit a CV, academic transcripts and a motivation letter through the KU Leuven application portal. In addition, candidates should provide a brief technical statement (maximum half an A4 page) discussing: (1) their motivation for applying; and (2) highlight their expertise on EMT simulation and/or software development.
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Jef Beerten, mail: [email protected] or Mr. Jeroen Tant, mail: [email protected].
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
