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The University of Oldenburg is seeking to fill the following position

PhD Position / Research Assistant - Optimal control for large
offshore wind turbines and wind farms

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Wind energy research at the University of Oldenburg has gained
international recognition by its integration into ForWind – Center for Wind
Energy Research of the Universities of Oldenburg, Hannover and Bremen
and the national Wind Energy Research Alliance of the German Aerospace
Center (DLR), Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) and
ForWind.
At ForWind, we maintain and value collaboration between our research
groups and partner institutions such as the European Academy of Wind
Energy members. In Oldenburg, our 50 researchers from physics,
meteorology and engineering are collaborating at the WindLab centred on
wind physics. Our mission is to develop an improved understanding of
atmospheric and wind power plant flow physics required to serve the
global demand for clean and affordable electricity. Therefore, we conduct
laboratory experiments, free-field measurements and HPC-based
numerical simulations. We have direct access to the DLR research wind
farm WiValdi (). At this internationally
outstanding infrastructure for wind energy research, the interaction of
atmospheric wind fields with two utility-scale wind turbines can be
investigated to an unprecedented extent.
The main topics include the description and modelling of wind turbulence,
the analysis of interactions of turbulent atmospheric wind flow and wind
energy systems, as well as control of wind turbines and wind farms. The
covered scales range from small-scale turbulence up to meteorological
phenomena. Our research facilities comprise three turbulent wind tunnels,
various equipment for free-field measurements at on- and offshore wind
farms and a high-performance computing cluster. Almost all our projects
combine analyses at more than one of these infrastructures. For validation
of control algorithms, we often perform wind tunnel experiments with
fully-controllable and highly-sensorized model wind turbines, an active
grid for reproducible generation of turbulent inflows, and different flow
measurement techniques. Furthermore, control experiments are conducted
on utility-scale wind turbines and at on- and offshore wind farms.

Your tasks

To fulfil the needs of sustainable power generation systems, the value of
wind energy must be optimised. To facilitate this, new control and
operational strategies for wind turbines and wind farms are required. This
project focuses on the development of control algorithms that optimise the
wind turbine and wind farm dynamic response. The control algorithms
should adapt to the changing dynamics and structural health from
individual turbines. Validation will be performed in simulations and
experimentally in our turbulent wind tunnel with model wind turbines.
Your PhD project is integrated in the second funding period of the
Collaborative Research Centre 1463 Offshore Megastructures
() of the German Research Foundation.
In the first funding period, a novel concept for extremely large wind
turbines, the so-called hybrid-lambda turbine, was developed and
validated by simulations and wind tunnel experiments. The main objective
of your PhD project is to advance the concept to the next level. This
includes the development of control algorithms for individual wind turbines
and for wind farms that improve energy capture and limit structural loads,
while adapting to changing conditions of wind inflow, turbine health status
and power market.

Among others, your tasks will comprise:
– Development of a data-driven model for power output and structural
loads in a wind farm consisting of hybrid-lambda turbines.
– Design of control strategies for compensating wake-induced power
losses and loads under varying and uncertain conditions
– Development of a decision-making framework for choosing operating
modes of individual wind turbines in the wind farm control context.
– Planning, preparing, conducting and analysing wind tunnel experiments
for validation of control algorithms with model wind turbines and
extensive measurement equipment.
– Cooperating closely with partners from the Collaborative Research
Centre and international researchers.
– Assisting in the project organisation, funding acquisition, outreach and
teaching.

Your profile

Requirements for employment are:
– a qualifying university degree (diploma, master or similar) in Control or
Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, Physical Sciences, Wind Energy,
Renewable Energy or equivalent,
– aptitude and willingness to pursue a PhD with numerical and
experimental aspects,
– profound knowledge of control engineering, preferably with
experimental experience,
– extensive experience in programming with at least Matlab or Python,
– high motivation and ability to jointly work on applied research topics,
– very good English skills.

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Desired (but not mandatory) qualifications include:
– experience with wind energy: wind turbine dynamics, wind turbine
control, wake interaction, wind farm control,
– experience abroad of several months during the school, study period or
employment after graduation,
– and good German skills.

Your benefits

We offer you the opportunity to develop your scientific career in a young
and lively academic environment. You will be working in the WindLab –
one of the university's most modern office and lab spaces – while you will
also have the opportunity to do flexible and mobile work. Your pathway
towards the PhD is actively supported by, e.g.,

– multidisciplinary cooperation with other researchers at ForWind and
Fraunhofer IWES in Oldenburg,
– PhD network, trainings and cooperation with research groups within the
Collaborative Research Centre,
– optional secondment at an international research institute
– development of personal, scientific, and teaching skills through an
individual training programme and selected teaching tasks,
– opportunities to present scientific results at international conferences
and through peer-reviewed publications to extend your specific
network,
– structured supervision of PhD process.

Further, the university cares for a family-friendly working environment and
offers a family service centre and children's daycare on campus.

The employment is initially limited until 31.12.2028. The payment is based
on the collective agreement for the public service in the German federal
states, TV-L E13, for a full position.

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Our standards
The University of Oldenburg is dedicated to increase the percentage of
female employees in the field of science. Therefore, female candidates are
strongly encouraged to apply. In accordance to § 21 Section 3 NHG, female
candidates with equal qualifications will be preferentially considered.
Applicants with disabilities will be given preference in case of equal
qualification.

Further information
Further information is available at and
en/physics/research/we-sys.

Contact
For questions regarding this job opportunity, please contact Dr. Vlaho
Petrović at +49(0)441/798-5062 or preferably by email at vlaho.petrovic@uol.de.

Apply now
Please send your application via e-mail by 08.01.2025 to wesys.bewerbungen@uni-oldenburg.de.

Please submit your application preferably electronically as one PDF file
to University of Oldenburg, Faculty V, Institute of Physics, ForWind -
Center for Wind Energy Research, Research Group Wind Energy
Systems, Dr. Vlaho Petrović, Küpkersweg 70, 26129 Oldenburg,
Germany and include reference #ACA110.

The pdf file must include either in English or German:
– A letter motivating your application
– Curriculum vitae
– A one-page research statement. You are requested to present your
notion of the field of the advertised PhD topic and some initial ideas
for tackling it.
– Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
– Employment references

A second PDF file containing your master thesis or relevant research
papers (if available) is an optional attachment.

We are looking forward to receiving your application.