Doctoral student in Electrical Engineering with focus on electrical motor reliability

Third-cycle subject: Electrical Engineering

Funded by FFI the TERMINATOR project investigates how fast-switching silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power electronics affect the long-term reliability of electrical motors. Fast voltage transitions (high dv/dt of 20-50 kV/µs) create electro-thermal stresses that speed up stator insulation dielectric aging and damage bearings. Systematic experimental data linking power electronic switching to material degradation is lacking.

As a doctoral student you will work at the cutting edge of electrification. Your main tasks will include:

• Developing automated laboratory platforms for controlled electro-thermal aging experiments.
• Conducting accelerated aging tests on stator insulation and bearings under controlled laboratory conditions.
• Analyzing experimental data to develop predictive lifetime models using statistics signal processing and machine learning.
• Validating degradation models on laboratory motor test benches under inverter excitation.

You will join the Electrical Machines and Drives group at KTH a dynamic research environment working closely with industrial partners: Traton AB ABB AB and ABB Robotics Sweden AB. You will report to Associate Professor Luca Peretti.

Supervision: Associate Professor Luca Peretti is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7 39 Swedish Higher Education Ordinance) the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a masters degree) or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits or
• acquired in some other way within or outside the country substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.
• Lab experience in power electronics electric drives or high-frequency measurements.
• Programming (MATLAB Python) for automated control and data analysis.
• Understanding of stator insulation systems or bearings.
• Experience with statistical data analysis signal processing or machine learning.
• Good collaborative and English communication skills as the role involves close cooperation with industry partners and active result dissemination.

After the qualification requirements great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years time. An employed doctoral student can to a limited extent (maximum 20%) perform certain tasks within their role e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

As a doctoral student you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTHs Doctoral student salary agreement. Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) KTH Sweden.

Contact information forunion representatives.

Contact information forPhD chapter.

Apply for the position and admission through KTHs recruitment system. It is the applicants responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must include the following elements:

• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these of originals must be certified.
• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicants such cases a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

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Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement the Swedish version takes precedence.

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