Postdoctoral Researcher in Techno-institutional Design of Community PV

Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

The Urban Energy Systems Laboratory (UESL) pioneers strategies, solutions, and methods to support the development of sustainable, resilient, and equitable urban energy systems. Our work combines technology and policy with systems thinking and practical implementation, always grounded in real-world urban challenges. Within the framework of the Horizon Europe SOCIAREM project (SOlar Open Community Instruments for All Residents in Europe and the Mediterranean region), we are seeking a motivated and experienced postdoctoral researcher to investigate the techno-institutional design of community PV systems. SOCIAREM aims to accelerate the adoption and improve the profitability of photovoltaic systems within renewable energy communities by overcoming existing barriers through innovative, implementable solutions that integrate collective and self-consumption schemes.

Your tasks

The focus of this postdoctoral position lies in demonstrating the real-time optimization of community PV systems, e-mobility, and edge data center integration at the Swiss pilot site hosted at Empa’s NEST demonstrator. The role involves coordinating the deployment and validation of advanced planning and energy management solutions that enhance self-consumption by intelligently controlling PV systems, batteries, electric vehicle charging, heat pumps, and thermal storage. Beyond the technical implementation, the candidate will contribute to the development of regulatory frameworks, business models, and social analyses that enable broader adoption of community PV. This interdisciplinary position bridges engineering, policy, and user-centric perspectives, and includes stakeholder engagement through workshops and training activities. The candidate is expected to translate research ideas into practical solutions in close collaboration with our interdisciplinary team and external academic and industry partners. Responsibilities also include supporting master's and PhD students, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and participating in international conferences.

Your profile

You are a highly motivated and dedicated candidate with a PhD in Engineering, Energy Systems, or a related field. You bring interdisciplinary expertise in energy transitions, with a solid understanding of photovoltaics, renewable energy integration, multi-energy systems, and energy conversion and storage technologies. You have strong skills in programming, modelling, and data analysis. Experience in formulating and solving mathematical optimization problems, as well as working on real-world demonstrators, is an asset. Proficiency in English is required; good comprehension and oral communication skills in German are desirable.

Our offer

We offer a multifaceted and challenging position in a modern research environment with excellent infrastructure. The position is offered initally for two years, with possibility of extension. The ideal starting date is October 2025, or upon mutual agreement.

We live a culture of inclusion and respect. We welcome all people who are interested in innovative, sustainable and meaningful activities - that's what counts.

We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation, CV, certificates, diplomas and contact details of two reference persons. Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e-mail and by post will not be considered.

Patricia Nitzsche , Stv. Leiterin Human Resources / Dep. Head Human Resources