PhD student in control engineering with a focus on data center control

Lund University, Lunds Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen

Subject and project description

The AEGIS project lies at the intersection of two rapidly growing areas: data centers and AI infrastructure on one hand, and energy and power systems on the other. Today, few people possess competence in both areas, which means the expertise you develop here is both rare and highly sought after. More specifically, there is a gap between high-level goals such as "reduce carbon emissions now" and the concrete control of a data center's cooling system, batteries, and computing hardware. In this project, you will bridge this gap. You will develop a control system that receives high-level goals ("intents") and translates them into a coordinated set of control actions for the facility's physical resources. The models are fed back into the control loop and automatically adapted online using both classical control engineering as well as AI and reinforcement learning.

Within the project, you will work on:

Design methods for expressing comprehensive control goals (intent language) that describe goals for carbon emissions, flexibility, and cost. Decomposing high-level goals into concrete control actions. Adapting models for power–performance and thermal processes online.

Tasks

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral studies, which includes participating in research projects as well as doctoral courses, seminars, and conferences.

The PhD employment consists of three main parts and the tasks include:

research projects, including writing articles, traveling to conferences, seminars, etc. doctoral courses, local, national as well as international courses (90hp) teaching (however max 20% of working time), including lab supervision, exam responsibility, and development work. This part also includes departmental service, e.g., work with diversity and equal treatment, organizing events at the department, etc.

Qualifications

To be admitted and employed as a PhD student, you need to meet the requirements below.

Eligibility requirements

Basic eligibility for doctoral-level education is met if you have:

a completed degree at an advanced level or completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits are at an advanced level or in some other way acquired substantially equivalent knowledge.

Special eligibility for control engineering is met if you have:

knowledge equivalent to ”FRTF05 Reglerteknik, allmän kurs (tidigare FRT010)”, as well as specialization at the master's level relevant to the subject area, and a civil engineering degree or equivalent competence.

MSCA's standard eligibility criteria also apply:

No doctoral degree. At the time of employment, you must not have yet completed a doctoral degree. Mobility rule. You must not have lived or had your main occupation (work or studies) in Sweden for more than 12 months during the 36 months preceding the employment. Shorter stays, such as holidays, do not count.

Other requirements

To undertake the current doctoral studies, the following are also required:

very good knowledge of English, both oral and written. good linguistic analytical ability. good creative ability by coming up with new ideas and approaches. good ability to cooperate with colleagues and network with external contacts. that you are self-driven and structured and take personal responsibility for driving studies and research projects forward. good ability for independent work and the ability to formulate and approach scientific problems. good ability for written and oral communication. good knowledge of mathematics as evidenced by course grades.

Merit

For the current doctoral studies, the following are meritorious:

Good knowledge in

Machine learning and reinforcement learning. Cloud systems and the underlying technology. Low-level programming and experience with the Linux kernel.

is particularly meritorious.

Consideration will be given to good collaborative skills, drive, and independence, as well as how the applicant, through their experience and competence, is assessed to have the ability needed to complete the doctoral studies.

About the employment

The employment is a fixed-term position at full-time, starting as soon as possible or no later than March 1, 2027. The doctoral studies are four years of full-time study. In the case of teaching and other departmental work, the employment is extended by the corresponding amount. Provisions regarding employment as a PhD student are found in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

Other

We intend to employ 1 PhD student. The starting salary is 35,900 SEK per month in the 2026 salary scale.

Applicants called for an interview may be required to perform a work sample.

How to apply

The application must be written in English and you should attach to your application:

• CV and personal letter with motivation as to why you are interested in the study position/employment and in what way the research project matches your interests and your educational background.
• Copies of issued academic transcripts and/or degree certificates. These must confirm your basic and special eligibility for the doctoral subject and show that you have the subject knowledge required for the doctoral research project.
• Other information you wish to invoke (copies of grades, information for references, letters of recommendation, etc.).

Welcome with your application!