Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship in Learning and Optimization Algorithms for Carbon-Aware Datacenter Fleets - DTU Compute

DTU - Technical University of Denmark; Kongens Lyngby; On-site; DKK 314,000 - 404,000; Full time

Job summary

DTU Compute in Denmark invites applications for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship in Embedded Systems Engineering (ESE). You will join the MSCA Doctoral Network AEGIS as one of 15 Doctoral Candidates, coordinated by Prof.

Paul Pop with 10 European partners. The project focuses on designing algorithms and software to optimize AI workloads across datacenter sites, with live grid signals and carbon-efficient operation.

Qualifications

• Strong algorithms and data structures, and solid programming skills.
• Two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent required.
• Fluency in English and ability to work in an international team.

Responsibilities

• Designing algorithms and software to decide where AI workloads run and when datacenter sites change power use.
• Build the central orchestration engine of the AEGIS fleet; react to live grid signals and place/pause/move workloads.
• Collaborate with academic and industrial partners and publish research in conferences and journals.

Skills

Strong algorithms and data structures

Programming skills

Machine learning

Reinforcement learning

Combinatorial optimization

Operations research

Distributed systems

Education

Two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS)

Job description

A Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship is available in the Embedded Systems Engineering (ESE) section at DTU Compute. You will be one of the 15 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) of the MSCA Doctoral Network AEGIS, Adaptive Grid-Interactive Edge Datacenter Fleets , which Prof. Paul Pop, DTU, coordinates together with 10 partners across Europe.

This is a software and algorithms project. You will design algorithms and build software that decide where AI workloads run and when datacenter sites change their power use, so that hundreds of separate sites act as one carbon-efficient grid resource. The project does not involve electronics, FPGAs, or low-level embedded development, and it does not require prior knowledge of datacenters or energy systems: with a strong background in algorithms and data structures, you can learn the optimization methods and the domain during the PhD.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships are among the most respected and best-paid PhD positions in Europe. AEGIS sits where two fast-growing fields meet: datacenters and AI infrastructure on one side, energy and power systems on the other. Few people can work across both, so the skills you build here are scarce and in high demand. Our graduates will be ready for roles at cloud and datacenter operators, energy companies, grid operators, telecom companies, and in academia.

As an MSCA Doctoral Candidate, you will receive: (i) a competitive salary and employment conditions in accordance with the applicable Danish collective agreement and MSCA rules; (ii) two funded secondments, at TU Berlin and at Center Denmark; and (iii) a network-wide training program. The MSCA mobility and, where applicable, family contributions form part of the total employment remuneration and are not necessarily paid as separate supplements.

Responsibilities And Qualifications

The PhD project is DC13, Fleet-Level Workload Shaping with Live Grid Signals. You will build the central orchestration engine of the AEGIS fleet: reacting to live grid signals, it decides where to place, pause, or move workloads, and which sites should change their power use with batteries, cooling, and adaptable compute. You will be responsible for:

• Designing a multi-agent orchestrator that can handle multiple datacenter sites.
• Implementing multi-timescale control, from sub-second to hourly decisions.
• Developing learning-based decision methods, such as contextual bandits with bounded-regret guarantees.
• Building a counterfactual analysis toolkit that estimates the carbon savings of different orchestration policies.
• Publishing and disseminating research in international conferences and journals.
• Collaborating with the academic and industrial partners in AEGIS, and contributing to the department with service work, including being a Teaching Assistant.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

We expect that you have:

• Strong algorithms and data structures, and solid programming skills.
• A background in one or more of: machine learning, reinforcement learning, combinatorial optimization, operations research, or distributed systems.
• Curiosity, initiative, and the drive to own a problem end to end.
• Good spoken and written English.

The standard MSCA eligibility criteria also apply:

• No doctoral degree. At the date of recruitment you must not yet hold a PhD.
• Mobility rule. You must not have lived or done your main activity (work or studies) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 36 months just before you are recruited. Short stays such as holidays do not count.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education .

Assessment

The assessment of applicants will be based on academic qualifications, strength in algorithms and programming, motivation and initiative, and fit with the research area. The assessment will be carried out by an academic assessment committee.

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

At DTU Compute, we have a large focus on creating a good working environment. Our work with diversity and inclusion is an essential part of that. We believe that having a good working environment is a necessary foundation to provide excellent research, teaching, supervision and innovation.

At DTU Compute, we have about 140 PhD students. We offer several events and activities for all our PhD students such as annual PhD Bazaar, onboarding course where you will meet other PhD students, and you can join our PhD Club that organizes BBQs, board games events, lunches etc.

You can read more about DTU Compute at www.compute.dtu.dk .

Salary and appointment terms

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Please see DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures .

The period of employment is 3 years. The starting date is 1 April 2027 or according to mutual agreement. The position is full-time.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Prof. Paul Pop ([e-mail] ). You can read more about the AEGIS network at aegis-dn.eu , the DC13 project page at aegis-dn.eu/positions/dc13 , DTU Compute at www.compute.dtu.dk, and about Paul Pop . More details on relevant research problems are available from Paul Pop's Google Scholar page .

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “ PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Embedded Systems Engineering (ESE)

is one of the research sections at DTU Compute. We develop methods and tools for distributed embedded and cyber-physical systems, with emphasis on timing, safety, dependability, optimization, and real-time communication. DTU Compute spans mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering.

DTU Compute – Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science

– is an internationally recognised academic environment with over 400 employees and 10 research sections. We broadly cover digital technologies within mathematics, data science, computer science, and computer engineering, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, internet of things (IoT), chip design, cybersecurity, human-computer interaction, social networks, fairness, and data ethics. Our research is rooted in basic research and centres on mathematical models of the physical and virtual world, as a basis for the analysis, design, and implementation of complex systems. We focus on ensuring that our research results contribute to creating a better society by supporting areas such as health, green transition, energy supply, and life science. We collaborate with universities, public and private organisations, and companies in Denmark and abroad, and through DTU’s startup ecosystem, we encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. We have a strong ethical, human, and sustainable approach that ensures integrity in our work. Therefore, we strive for and take responsibility for driving the democratisation of digital technologies, so that everyone has the opportunity to actively participate in the development, and we ensure a continued open, democratic, and inclusive society for the benefit of all. At DTU Compute, we value diversity, inclusion, and a flexible work-life balance.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829

DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.