Postdoc in EV Charging & Second Life Battery for Urban DC Traction Grids

To alleviate grid congestion, traction grids can provide EV charging for zero-emission construction sites while traction-bus batteries can be repurposed as second-life energy storage for peak shaving.

Job description

The rapid electrification of transport, buildings, and industry is creating unprecedented pressure on urban electricity networks resulting in Grid congestion. In particular, construction sites often require high-power charging in locations where grid connections are unavailable, or capacity constrained. At the same time, many European cities possess extensive DC traction networks for trolleybuses and electric public transport. These networks represent a largely untapped energy asset that could provide local flexibility, support charging infrastructure, and enable new forms of distributed energy storage. Furthermore, growing numbers of electric bus and In-Motion Charging (IMC) batteries are reaching the end of their automotive service life while retaining significant residual capacity suitable for second-life applications.

To address the above challenges, the Postdoctoral Researcher will conduct research on:

• Repurposing end-of-first-life electric bus and IMC batteries as second-life stationary and mobile energy storage systems with focus on battery degradation and cell-to-cell variations
• Analyzing the impact of battery chemistry, aging history, operational profiles, and pack architecture on second-life performance, safety, reliability, and lifetime using a Digital Twin. Developing methodologies for battery diagnostics, state-of-health estimation, assessment, disassembly, reconfiguration, and integration.
• Investigate how traction grids can support high-power charging at construction-sites though optimal sizing of chargers and mobile battery storage systems based on the demand and through energy management strategies under traction and AC grid constraints.
• Contribute to two pilots that demonstrate and validate: a) a Traction-to-Building microgrid integrating PV, second-life batteries, regenerative braking energy, smart energy management; b) mobile charging solutions for zero-emission construction machinery using the trolleybus network as an energy source.

This Postdoc is part of the EU-funded GRID4CITY project, within the Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnerships program call 2025-26. Since TU Delft will be the coordinator of the project, a key responsibility of the Postdoc will to support the coordination of research activities with all EU partners, organizing tasks, meetings, and follow-ups, dissemination of knowledge and working on the pilots in the Netherlands and Poland.

The position offers excellent opportunities to publish in high-impact journals, collaborate with leading European partners, supervise MSc and PhD students, and contribute to the development of innovative battery and charging solutions to accelerate the energy transition to climate-neutral cities.

The research in the Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy is inspired by the technical, scientific, and societal challenges originating from the transition towards a more sustainable society and focuses on four areas:

• DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S)
• Photovoltaic Materials and Devices (PVMD)
• Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG)
• High Voltage Technologies (HVT)

The department’s ESP Laboratory brings together High Voltage testing, DC Grids environment, and large RTDS for real-time simulation of power systems, power electronics research facilities, and an e-mobility lab with focus on electric macines and EV charging that includes a battery testing and characterizing room.

The DC Systems, Energy Conversion and Storage (DCE&S) group is responsible for research and education in the fields of DC systems, electric mobility, battery technology, power electronics, and electromechanics. The group is currently active in applications such as Direct Current distribution and transmission grids and microgrids, electrification of mobility (charging of electric vehicles), and integration of renewable energy sources.

Would you like to know more about the ESE department and the DCE&S group? Visit www.tudelft.nl/ewi/ese

Job requirements

Who are we looking for?

• You have a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering or a related engineering discipline from a well-established university with a proven record for independent researc
• A solid background in batteries, battery management systems, battery SoX modeling, thermal management of batteries, battery lifetime estimation and development of experimental setups.
• Experience with the modeling, simulating and building experimental setups related to one: Batteries SoX, AC and DC Grids, EV charging.
• Excellent English language skills
• Experience with managing large projects with partners, planning and following up of tasks, organizing meetings and budgets is preferred    

Conditions of employment 

• Duration of contract is 12 months with propect of another 23 months. Temporary.
• A job of 36-38 hours per week. 
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP. 
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year. 
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages. 
• Flexible working week. 
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget. 
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses. 
• Partially paid parental leave 
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program. 

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.  . 

Additional information

We offer a pleasant working environment with a dynamic and highly knowledgable team. For more information about this vacancy,  please contact Dr. Gautham Ram at G.R.ChandraMouli@tudelft.nl

For information about the selection procedure, please contact Sharmila Rattansingh, Management assistant at s.rattansingh@tudelft.nl.     

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please submit:

1. Motivation letter addressed that explains your personal motivation in pursuing the Postdoc in general, and this topic in specific. Lay emphasis on how your background (PhD research, work experinence, etc) is an excellent fit to the job requirements. Please do not use Large Language Models (like ChatGPT) for providing a standard/non-personalized letter.
2. Your CV
3. List of 5 of your publications that you deem most fitting to the Postdoc position
4. A list of grades of your qualifying degrees (such as BSc, MSc)

You can address your application to dr. Gautham Ram.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The deadline for applications is 6 Octoer 2026 at 23:59 CET.

Please note that applications will be assessed on a rolling basis and suitable candidates will be invited for interview, so it is recommended not to wait until the deadline with your application. A knowledge security screening may be performed.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis and suitable candidates will be invited for interview, so it is recommended not to wait until the deadline with your application.
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

#EUfunded This is an EU funded project, named GRID4CITY, within the Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnerships program call 2025-26.