Research Fellow (Grid-forming (GFM) & Grid-following (GFL) Inverter Control & Microgrid Stability)

Interested applicants are invited to apply directly at the NUS Career Portal. Please note your application will only be processed if you apply via NUS Career Portal.

NUS Career Portal link - https://careers.nus.edu.sg/job/Research-Fellow-%28Grid-forming-%28GFM%29-&-Grid-following-%28GFL%29-Inverter-Control-&-Microgrid-Stability%29/34873-en_GB/?st=F54DF762D79EAD366CFB003241270619E46C2F0D

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Job Description

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), invites applications for a Research Fellow in grid-forming (GFM) and grid-following (GFL) inverter control and microgrid stability.

The position is part of a multi-institutional, industry-led project under the Energy Grid 3.0 grant call that develops distributed inertia and fast frequency response from inverter-based resources, industrial loads and electric-vehicle aggregators for a low-inertia Singapore grid.

The Research Fellow will drive the NUS work package on inter-inverter stability guarantees for GFM and GFL inverter controls, taking the technology from analysis and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation to campus microgrid demonstration.

Key responsibilities:
• Develop small-signal models of multi-inverter microgrids and distribution networks that capture line electromagnetic dynamics, power-measurement filters and varying R/X ratios, and use them to assess the stability of heterogeneous GFM/GFL inverter fleets.
• Design provably stable virtual inertia and droop-control architectures, including phase-lead power-measurement filter compensation that maintains stability across droop gains and network topologies without hardware modification.
• Develop a unified multi-timescale (small-signal, frequency and voltage stability) framework to determine the required GFM-to-GFL capacity share, and seamless GFM–GFL mode-switching strategies (pre-synchronisation, reference ramping and post-switch stabilisation).
• Implement and validate controllers on the NUS RTDS-based multi-inverter HIL platform (MCU-based control programmed in C) and the kW-scale laboratory microgrid; specify, procure and commission 5 kW commercial inverters and test against IEEE 1547, IEC TR 63401 and related standards.
• Support deployment and field testing on a sub-MW campus microgrid with battery energy storage and solar PV in coordination with industry and institutional partners, advancing the technology from TRL 3 to TRL 7.
• Publish in leading journals and conferences, contribute to invention disclosures, prepare technical reports and milestone deliverables, and help supervise PhD and undergraduate students.

Qualifications

• PhD in Electrical Engineering or a closely related field, specialising in power systems, power electronics or control.
• Proven track record in modelling and control of grid-connected inverters, including grid-forming/grid-following control, droop and virtual synchronous machine control, PLL dynamics and small-signal (eigenvalue) stability analysis.
• Hands-on experience with real-time simulation and HIL testing (e.g. RTDS, OPAL-RT, Typhoon HIL) and with EMT simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, PSCAD/EMTDC or CloudPSS.
• Experimental experience with power-converter hardware and embedded control (e.g. DSP/MCU programming in C), including safe operation of kW-scale laboratory setups.
• Publication record in reputable journals (e.g. IEEE Transactions) commensurate with experience.
• Familiarity with grid codes and interconnection standards (IEEE 1547, IEEE 2800, IEC TR 63401) and industrial communication protocols (Modbus, SunSpec, OPC UA) is an advantage.
• Able to work independently and within a multi-partner team that includes industry; good written and oral communication skills.
• Open to Fixed Term Contract.