The TUM ENERGISE Centre invites highly qualified and motivated candidates from South Africa to apply for a three-year doctoral scholarship in Dynamic Modeling and Stability of South African Transmission Networks.

The TUM ENERGISE Centre is a partnership between the Technical University of Munich and four South African universities: the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Johannesburg, Tshwane University of Technology, and the University of Venda. It promotes interdisciplinary research combining engineering, entrepreneurship, and policy to advance a just energy transition in South Africa. The Center is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Federal Foreign Office (Line A), and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (Line B).

The doctoral research will focus on the stability, control, and congestion challenges arising from the large-scale integration of inverter-based resources into South Africa’s transmission network. The selected doctoral scholar will be supervised by Prof. Reinaldo Tonkoski, Ph.D., Chair of Electric Power Transmission and Distribution (TUM School of Engineering and Design), and co-supervised by a professor at a South African partner university within the ENERGISE tandem model.

The scholarship runs from 1 December 2026 (for a period of 36 months with the possibility of extension) and includes:

• a monthly stipend of EUR 1,300
• research mobility support of EUR 2,000
• research stays between South Africa and Germany
• insurance support

ENERGISE doctoral scholars are expected to: 

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to the work as a doctoral student.
• Participate and contribute to the activities of the TUM ENERGISE Center
• Engage in academic exchange (i.e., visit and collaborate with partner universities)
• Present research at leading international conferences and publish in leading international academic journals (e.g. IEEE Transactions)

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in electrical engineering or a closely related field with a focus on electrical power systems (not older than six years). They must have a solid background in power system modelling, dynamics, and stability analysis; experience with simulation tools (e.g. PowerFactory, PSS®E, PSCAD, MATLAB/Simulink) and programming skills (e.g. Python). Additionally, applicants must also be South African citizens or permanent residents of South Africa. More details about the application requirements can be found in the official announcement.

Qualified women and individuals with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Applications must include a CV, a strong motivation letter highlighting the candidate’s fit with the TUM ENERGISE Center, a research proposal, one to two letters of recommendation, relevant certificates, and a transcript of records.

Application deadline: 30 September 2026

Applications must be submitted through the online application form (Link).

For questions regarding the scholarship, please contact the staff at the TUM Chair of Electric Power Transmission and Distribution (Email: jobs.td.een@ed.tum.de)