Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW is one of Switzerland’s largest multidisciplinary universities of applied sciences, with over 13,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff.
The School of Management and Law – with its internationally recognized Bachelor's and Master's degree programs as well as cooperative PhD programs, a needs-oriented and well-established continuing education program, and innovative research and development projects – is one of Switzerland's leading business schools. The SML is the first business school of a Swiss university of applied sciences to meet the high standards of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), making it one of the top 800 business schools worldwide.
The Centre of Energy and the Environment (CEE) was founded in 2017 with a research focus on energy economics and policy as well as electricity market design. CEE is part of the Swiss Competence Centre for Research in Energy, Society and Transition (SCCER CREST).
As part of this project, you will:
- Review the literature and findings from recent projects in Switzerland and neighbouring countries regarding optimal tariff design and flexibility incentives
- Analyse drivers of grid expansion based on the expansion plans for a concrete distribution grid and potentially further data sources
- Derive suggestions for the optimal design of flexibility incentives for different consumer groups and test these through interviews and online surveys
- Derive concrete policy recommendations and analyse the required regulatory changes
- Estimate the impact of your recommendations in terms of network cost savings, and impacts on the profitability of different technologies
We are looking for a candidate who is eager to conduct a methodologically rigorous research, which translates into a real impact. We expect high academic qualifications of a Master in economics, industrial engineering or related fields, with at least 30% of ECTS credits in economics and an graduation mark of at least 5.0 (Swiss grades) or 2.5 (German/Austrian grades) or equivalent. Experience with the electricity sector and grid analysis is an important plus. Excellent command of English and good knowledge of German is required. Further details on requirements for admission to the doctoral program at Uni Basel can be found at https://wwz.unibas.ch/de/phd/