Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Design of Local Flexibility Markets

12 months fixed term

Salford Business School boasts a vibrant international community. We are pioneers in redefining education and its role in shaping the future and world around us. Industry collaborations, knowledge transfer partnerships, research partnerships, international exchanges, student opportunities, outreach activities - these are just some of the ways we connect and work together. We have recently launched our Centre for Sustainable Innovation (CSI) which is a catalyst for collaboration between academia, policymakers and industry, helping empower businesses to overcome new and existing challenges facing them in today’s dynamic business landscape.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to contribute to an externally funded project focused on designing, developing, and implementing innovative local flexibility markets for communities and neighbourhoods in the UK and EU. The project emphasizes the role of grid-edge flexibility such as bidirectional electric vehicles (EVs) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X).

The role:

To design, develop, and implement innovative local flexibility markets, focusing on bidirectional EVs, V2X, and other demand-side potentials. The strategic roles of emerging actors, such as charge point operators (CPOs) and e-mobility service providers (EMSPs), acting as intermediaries between distribution system operators (DSOs) and EV owners, must be thoroughly examined and integrated into the marketplace design. Designed market models will be tested across various pilot sites in the UK and EU. The post-holder will work with and report to the Project Lead and required to develop, lead and deliver research projects and build partnerships and will represent the team in technical discussions and project meetings, ensuring effective collaboration and knowledge exchange. The post-holder will be expected to undertake simulation and data-driven analysis as required by the project.

• To provide support to the Project Lead to deliver the DriVe2X Project.
• To manage research projects and contribute to projects delivered by others in the team as required.
• To manage and undertake data collection and analysis activities as required.
• To develop, build and nurture partnerships with a range of stakeholders.
• To work across disciplines in the development and delivery of projects with internal, external, domestic and international partners.
• To present the findings and to publish research findings in high-quality academic and non-academic outputs
• Perform any other duties as may be required from time to time by the Project Lead. 

We hope you will bring:

• Academic concepts and applications of the microeconomic theory (market structures, competition, strategic interactions, bidding, consumer cooperative and noncooperative behaviour, game theory) plus proficiency in programming (e.g. Python, MATLAB)
• Strong knowledge of sustainable cities and local energy communities, V2G and flexibility markets, policy and market issues relating to local energy communities in the EU and the UK, charging codes and standards for EVs and distributed energy systems
• Experience of undertaking high quality research in an academic environment
• Experience of working with the public and/or private sector
• Project management skills and capability and willingness to undertake administrative tasks. 

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive Salary and excellent pension scheme.
• An impressive 32 days leave, plus bank holidays, additional time off at winter break, and the opportunity to buy even more!
• Flexible Working – we support a culture of flexible and agile working, to help you find the right balance.

Interview: 21/05/2025 onwards

At the University of Salford we are committed to an inclusive approach to promoting equity and diversity.

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