Postdoc in data-driven structured historic energy renovations

Kungliga Tekniska högskolan; Stockholms kommun; On-site; SEK 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

KTH is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to advance energy modelling for historic buildings. You will develop and apply urban building energy models (UBEM) to automate simulations, validate results against real buildings, and translate findings into scalable methods for Swedish conditions.

You will collaborate with interdisciplinary partners, including industry and public sector, and contribute to a portfolio of energy renovation strategies aligned with EPBD in heritage environments.

Qualifications

• PhD in energy systems or closely related field.
• Experience with building energy simulation or UBEM.
• Strong programming and data analysis skills.
• Excellent English communication.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply urban building energy modelling tools to automate energy simulations.
• Validate models against real buildings.
• Translate results into scalable methods for Swedish conditions.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary partners.
• Publish research findings.

Skills

MATLAB

Python

Data analysis

English (fluent)

Independence

Teamwork

Education

Doctoral degree in energy systems or related field

Tools

ODEN

HIBER Atlas

GIS

MATLAB

Job description

Overview

Do you want to use data and modelling to make historic buildings energy efficient – without compromising their cultural value? Join the research project DASHER at KTH. DASHER (Data-driven Structured Historic Energy Renovations) develops and implements interdisciplinary, data-driven methods for the energy renovation of culturally valuable buildings, with an initial focus on Gamla stan (the Old Town) in Stockholm. Anchored in the revised EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the project addresses the challenge of balancing energy efficiency, heritage preservation and a healthy indoor environment.

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will further develop and apply urban building energy modelling tools (such as ODEN and HIBER Atlas) to automate energy simulations and identify cost-effective renovation measures at the district scale. You will work with open and physics-based building-stock data, validate models against real buildings, and translate the results into a scalable method for Swedish conditions, a portfolio of measures for Gamla stan, and guidance for national authorities on implementing the EPBD in heritage environments.

You will be part of a strong interdisciplinary consortium spanning academia, industry and the public sector, and collaborate closely with project partners including Uppsala University. The position is based at the Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering (SEED), School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), KTH, in Stockholm.

Qualifications

Requirements

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time the employment decision is made.
• A doctoral degree in energy systems, building/civil engineering, building physics, environmental engineering or a closely related field.
• Documented experience of building energy simulation and/or urban building energy modelling (UBEM).
• Strong programming and data-analysis skills (e.g. MATLAB, Python or equivalent).
• Very good command of spoken and written English as it is required in the day to day work.
• As a person, you are collaborative and able to work independently.

Preferred qualifications

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline.
• Experience of energy efficiency or renovation of historic / cultural-heritage buildings.
• Experience of physics-based building-stock modelling and work with open and geospatial (GIS) data.
• Experience of hygrothermal / indoor-climate and moisture-risk assessment in buildings.
• A documented record of scientific publications.
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary teams together with industry and public-sector partners.
• Knowledge of the Swedish building stock and regulatory context; knowledge of Swedish is an asset.
• Awareness of diversity and equal opportunity issues, with specific focus on gender equality

Great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

Join us at KTH

KTH shapes the future through education, research and innovation. As a leading international technical university, we play an active role in advancing the transition towards a sustainable society. At KTH, you have the opportunity to grow and develop in a creative and dynamic environment, with good working conditions and attractive benefits. Equality, diversity and equal opportunities are essential to quality and form an integral part of KTH’s core values as a university and public authority.

Log into KTH's recruitment system to apply for this position. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete according to the instructions in the ad.

The application must include:

• CV including relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Copy of diplomas and grades from your previous university studies. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents have not been issued in any of these languages.
• Brief account of why you want to conduct research, your academic interests and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. Maximally two pages long.
• Two reference persons (name, your relationship to them, and contact details).
• A short portfolio of up to three relevant works – academic (e.g. a paper) or practical – with a link, a brief summary, and your role for each.

Your complete application must be received at KTH no later than the last day of application, midnight CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

About the employment

The position offered is for, at the most, two years.

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 applicant's consent. In 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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