Research Engineer, Control Systems

The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for a Research Engineer - Control Systems position within the School of Engineering.

This position is grant-funded. We anticipate this to be a one year, benefits-eligible term appointment, dependent on the needs of the department.

The University of St. Thomas embraces diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity for all. Our convictions of dignity, diversity and personal attention call us to embody and champion a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment.  The University is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer (EEO).  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, or other protected characteristic.  We are committed to building a skilled team that represents a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. This commitment is consistent with our mission: Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the University of St. Thomas educates students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good.  A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees, spouses, and dependents upon eligibility
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

JOB SUMMARY

The University of St. Thomas (UST) Center for Microgrid Research is currently looking for a Control Systems Engineer with a strong background in modeling and design of control systems for energy applications. The position will support the Center’s research on reliability, security and resilience of microgrid systems. This includes advanced control system design, modeling and analysis, control architecture design and communication-based control and optimization, system integration and testing. 

The successful candidate will be required to conduct independent research, develop new ideas and contribute to research proposals, engage with faculty, staff, and students, prepare manuscripts for publication, and present their work at conferences.

The work in this position is funded in part by the Department of Defense. Candidates must be able to access controlled unclassified information and export control data without university support. An offer is contingent upon proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and confirmation of one's ability to receive CUI/export control data.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Work with colleagues and external collaborators to develop innovative solutions and technical approaches to modeling and design of advanced control systems in power and energy applications.
• Serve as lead author on project reports, journal articles, conference papers, and presentations.
• Leads technical proposals for developing new projects and business.
• Effectively leads collaborative teams of staff and students.

Minimum Qualifications

• This project is funded by the Department of Defense. Export control laws define US person as US citizen, permanent resident (green card), or refugee/asylee. DoD restrictions on project personnel exist for some, but not all, non-US persons such as citizens from China, Iran, and Russia.
• BS in Electrical Engineering or related field and 5+ years of relevant work experience -OR-
• MS in Electrical Engineering or related field and 3+ years of relevant work experience -OR-
• PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field with 1+ year of relevant experience
• Valid US driver’s license

Preferred Qualifications

• MS in Electrical Engineering or related field with 5 or more years of experience

• PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field with 3 or more years of experience

• Strong technical expertise in control system design (hardware and software) for energy and power system applications

• Demonstrated experience in modeling of energy and power systems (e.g. Matlab, Typhoon.)

• Experience in Hardware-in-the-loop control testing and optimization for distribution systems, including microgrids, utility systems, system operators, etc

• Familiarity with networked control methods, control architecture and distributed control

• Familiarity with Communication systems such as Modbus, DNP3.

• Experience with power systems modeling, control, and dynamic stability analysis

• Plays a successful role as a principal investigator on multiple or complex projects or tasks

• Strong analytical, task management, and communications skills, both oral and written

• Strong project management and leadership skills, with experience leading scoping, scheduling, budgeting, and building effective cross-disciplinary teams

• Demonstrated record of generating new ideas, leading the development of significant new project opportunities and proposals, and building new research and demonstration programs working collaboratively with a broad spectrum of discipline

• Strong professional community engagement with demonstrated leadership roles on relevant technical committees

Candidates should include: (1) CV with list of publications, (2) 1-page cover letter, and (3) contact information for 3-5 references.

Review of applications will start immediately.  

HOW TO APPLY

All interested candidates must apply online at https://www.stthomas.edu/jobs/. Follow the instructions to complete an online application which includes creating or updating an applicant profile, uploading a resume, and completing a job specific application.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, employment with the University of St. Thomas requires consent and successful completion of a background screening.

Official job posting is available at www.stthomas.edu/jobs.

ABOUT US:

The University of St Thomas School of Engineering:

The University of St Thomas School of Engineering (SOE) is a primarily undergraduate teaching institution focusing on engineering education within the context of a liberal arts framework. As part of the largest private university in Minnesota, the School of Engineering comprises nearly 15% of the campus population. The UST School of Engineering offers undergraduate and masters level programs in the areas of Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Software Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil engineering, and Manufacturing Engineering.

The Center for Microgrid Research:

The Center for Microgrid Research is in the midst of an exciting growth phase with more than $25 Million grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DOD), and Minnesota Department of Commerce. In the next year, it is anticipated that the CMR team will grow to more than 10 full-time staff and 15 student researchers. Through the awards, the Center’s infrastructure is expanding in capability and size. The microgrid’s on-site generation capacity is increasing to more than 1.5 MW to feed power to 5 buildings on campus, covering more than 400,000 sq. ft. of space. The expanded microgrid will be made up of 2 smaller microgrids and have 4 points of connection with the local utility resulting in a unique networked-microgrids layout. The research and development infrastructure is growing to include state-of-the-art Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds for controller-HIL, power-HIL, and power-system-HIL. Research findings developed and prototyped on the HIL testbeds will be immediately applied to the real-world microgrid for real-world case studies and experiments. Moreover, the CMR’s industry partnership network is rapidly broadening. As an example, the CMR is a founding member of the Minnesota Cleantech Consortium which includes 3M, Cummins, Xcel Energy, Connexus, Great Plains Institute, and many others.