Postdoctoral Research Associate

Washington State University • Pullman, WA

6d • $62,232 - $120,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Opportunity: Postdoctoral candidate will lead and support a portfolio of funded research projects under the supervision of Dr. Wei Du, Assistant Professor, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture (VCEA), School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)/Energy Systems Innovation Center (ESIC) to develop high-fidelity grid-forming inverter models and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) models, and investigate their impact on the power system stability. Candidate will also develop robust control strategies for inverter-based resources, and conduct hardware experiments and hardware-in-the-loop testing to validate the control algorithms.
Research Component: Conduct research on modelling and analysis of electric power grid. Study impacts of high-fidelity grid-forming inverter models and high-voltage direct current (HVCD) models on power system stability. Contribute to the advances of power systems optimization and stability. Lead collaborations with PNNL researchers and develop proposals to support new efforts in the aforementioned problem space.
Student Supervision: Help supervise Ph.D. students: Create a research plan aligned with ongoing projects, timely follow-up on research progress, and assist in dissemination of the results. Help prepare training and skill development plans for early Ph.D. students related to conceptual understanding, research methodology, and implementation details. Hold weekly paper reading session with Ph.D. students and provide feedback.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Power Engineering or related discipline
• Experience conducting research on modelling and analysis of the power grid
• Experience conducting research on high-fidelity inverter models and high-voltage direct current (HBCD) models on power system stability

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a portfolio of funded research projects
• Develop high-fidelity grid-forming inverter models and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) models
• Investigate the impact of these models on power system stability
• Develop robust control strategies for inverter-based resources
• Conduct hardware experiments and hardware-in-the-loop testing to validate control algorithms
• Conduct research on modelling and analysis of the electric power grid
• Study impacts of high-fidelity grid-forming inverter models and high-voltage direct current (HVCD) models on power system stability
• Contribute to the advances of power systems optimization and stability
• Lead collaborations with PNNL researchers
• Develop proposals to support new efforts in the aforementioned problem space
• Help supervise Ph.D. students: Create a research plan aligned with ongoing projects, timely follow-up on research progress, and assist in dissemination of the results
• Help prepare training and skill development plans for early Ph.D. students related to conceptual understanding, research methodology, and implementation details
• Hold weekly paper reading session with Ph.D. students and provide feedback

Benefits

• Paid sick and vacation leave
• Paid holidays
• Medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents
• Retirement
• Deferred compensation
• Optional supplemental retirement accounts

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree