PhD scholarship in Development of High Temperature Heat Pumps with Thermal Energy Storage

DTU Construct is seeking a doctoral candidate for a fully funded PhD position in the Thermal Energy Section of the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. This role is part of the HeatMinds Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network, which focuses on developing industrial high-temperature heat pumps and thermal energy storage systems.

Role Overview
Your research will focus on developing new "Carnot Battery" technologies—systems combining high-temperature heat pumps with thermal energy storage (such as molten salts and dual-media packed beds). The goal is to create cost-effective, high-performance hybrid configurations that provide clean process heat and electricity market flexibility.

Main Tasks

• Design and develop new architectures using natural working fluids and thermal energy storage, optimized for efficiency, cost, and fast response to price signals.
• Perform multi-objective optimization and dynamic system analysis of various layouts.
• Validate results through experiments and data comparison during industrial secondments to drive real-world innovations (e.g., patents).
• Publish findings in international journals, present at conferences, and participate in network training and outreach.

Requirements

• A two-year master's degree (120 ECTS) or an equivalent academic level.
• A solid background in engineering thermodynamics, heat transfer, and energy technologies (conversion or storage systems).
• Familiarity with modeling and numerical simulations (e.g., from a master's thesis or student projects).
• Programming skills, preferably in Python, Matlab, Modelica, or similar.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• MSCA Eligibility: You must not already hold a doctoral degree. You must not have resided or carried out main activities in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 36 months preceding recruitment.

Work Conditions and Benefits

• Contract: 3-year full-time position starting approximately April 1, 2027.
• Salary: Based on the Marie S. Curie compensation scheme. Minimum base salary of DKK 30,264.08 plus a PhD supplement of DKK 1,580.90.
• Additional Benefits: Pension contribution of 18.07% and potential for family allowance.
• Environment: International, goal-oriented research environment with industrial secondments and access to network training and summer schools.