PhD Candidate in High-Frequency Wide-Bandgap Power Conversion Technologies

This is NTNU NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim. At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world. You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here. Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0 About the position Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? Do you have a background in electrical power engineering, and are you interested in power electronics? As a PhD candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, both in and outside academia. The Department of Electric Energy (IEL) at NTNU is seeking a highly motivated candidate for a full-time (100%) PhD position for 3 years. You will join the research group Power Electronics and Electrical Machines (PEM) at IEL, where we foster an open, inclusive, and collaborative working environment. Our work environment is defined by its friendly and supportive atmosphere, with regular gatherings such as professional meetings within the research group, weekly colloquia, shared lunches, and “Friday coffee” sessions to end the week. These formal and informal events offer opportunities to share ideas, celebrate milestones, and build relationships. PhD candidates also organize social activities open to everyone interested, fostering a welcoming and inclusive community. Your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department. About the project High-frequency wide-bandgap (SiC/GaN) semiconductor technologies are enabling significant improvements in efficiency, power density, and switching performance for next-generation power conversion systems. However, fully realizing these advantages requires overcoming coupled challenges in device switching behaviour, converter design, electromagnetic interference, thermal management, and long-term reliability. This PhD project will investigate advanced high-frequency power conversion technologies through analytical modelling, multi-domain optimization, hardware development, and experimental validation. The research will explore the interaction between wide-bandgap semiconductor devices, converter architectures, and system-level constraints to develop high-performance power conversion solutions. The developed concepts will be experimentally validated using a laboratory-scale prototype representing a selected electrified energy application, such as electric propulsion or another high-performance energy conversion system The PhD candidate will investigate one or more of the following areas: • High-frequency converter architectures, modulation techniques, and advanced switching strategies • Wide-bandgap semiconductor devices (SiC/GaN), switching behaviour, and gate-drive optimization • Electromagnetic compatibility, electro-thermal modelling, and reliability-oriented design methodologies The research will contribute to new converter concepts, high-power-density design approaches, and improved understanding of wide-bandgap semiconductor operation, enabling more efficient and reliable future electric propulsion, renewable energy, and industrial drive systems. The PhD main supervisor is Associate Professor Subhadra Tiwari at the Department of Electric Energy, NTNU. Duties of the position - Carry out research of high quality within the framework described above. - Academic publications and popular science dissemination. - Participate in activities in the research group Power Electronics and Electrical Machines (PEM) - Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions. - Complete academic training consisting of coursework corresponding to a minimum of 30 ECTS. Career-enhancing work, which is in addition to the research project and doctoral education, may be offered to a candidate who demonstrates clear motivation and ability for such work, and if the Department determines there is a need. Examples of career-enhancing work include, but are not limited to, contributing to teaching, laboratory and exercise teaching, supervision, and examination work within the employee's areas of competence. Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment. Required selection criteria - You must have a relevant Master's degree in power electronics. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. - You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale . If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education, i.e., by having relevant work experience and/or published/publishable scientific papers. - You must meet the requirements for admission to the Faculty's Doctoral Programme . - You must have English language skills, both written and spoken, corresponding to the scale B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Applicants who are not native English speakers are encouraged to document their English language proficiency. This can be done through an approved English language test. One of the following test scores could be documented for this purpose: - TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 79 - 101. - IELTS - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 5.5 - 6.0 - Cambridge English - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 160 - 179. Further assessment of both written and or