PhD scholarship in Development and Implementation of an Autonomous Decision Support System for Optimized Maintenance in Wind Turbine Infrastructure - DTU Wind

If you are aspiring to shape the future of industrial R&D or academia - especially in the context of renewable energy and intelligent systems - this PhD position may be the opportunity you’ve been seeking. Join us to tackle some of the most intriguing and impactful challenges in the domain of wind energy, digitalization, and autonomous decision-making.

We are looking for a passionate, curious, and driven individual, committed to accelerating the green transition by advancing autonomous solutions for wind power operations. You thrive on solving complex problems, ask bold and meaningful questions, and possess the determination to pursue innovative solutions in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

DTU Wind and Energy Systems, in collaboration with Vestas - the world’s leading offshore wind OEM—invites applications for a fully funded PhD position on the “Development and Implementation of an Autonomous Decision Support System for Optimized Maintenance in Wind Turbine Infrastructure.” This position is part of the IntelliWind (Intelligent Systems for Autonomous Wind Power Plant Operations) project, a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA DN) funded by the European Union.

As a Doctoral Candidate in IntelliWind, you will benefit from advanced, interdisciplinary training across leading European universities and industrial partners. You will be part of a cohort of 16 international PhD researchers, gaining access to dedicated training events, coding bootcamps, hackathons, and transferable skills workshops as part of the MSCA Doctoral Network programme.

Based at DTU Wind’s campus in Risø, just 30 minutes from Copenhagen, you will evolve within a dynamic, inclusive, and collaborative research environment, immersed in both academic excellence and real-world industry relevance.

You should have a strong academic background in engineering, applied mathematics, or computer science, combined with a clear interest in scientific programming, machine learning, and data analytics. Ideally, you are motivated to work on the development of intelligent systems that support autonomous operations in wind power plants. Your ability to combine technical skills with a systems-level perspective will be key to contributing to more efficient and sustainable maintenance strategies for renewable energy infrastructure.

Responsibilities and qualifications
To be considered for this position, you must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or an equivalent academic qualification at the same level.

We expect candidates to have demonstrated experience or strong interest in the following areas:

• Scientific programming using Python
• Data analytics and machine learning techniques
• Wind energy systems, operations, or related topics

In addition, you should be able to work efficiently as part of a collaborative research team and take responsibility for your individual research objectives.

As this position is funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA DN) programme, applicants must also meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Not already hold a doctoral degree (i.e., you must not have been awarded a PhD at the time of recruitment).
• Comply with the MSCA mobility rule: you must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the recruitment date.

Project Responsibilities
As a Doctoral Candidate in the IntelliWind network, your primary research tasks will include:

• Designing and implementing a versatile, modular autonomous decision support system (DSS) to improve operations and maintenance (O&M) practices for wind turbines, with a focus on fault types that degrade turbine and plant-level power performance.
• Identifying key signals or performance indicators related to asset health and degradation modes.
• Evaluating suitable sensor technologies and data sources for acquiring relevant metrics.
• Developing tools and algorithms to automatically analyse sensor data, assess asset condition, and correlate with operational and environmental factors.

This research will be conducted in close collaboration with academic and industrial partners. In particular, the project includes secondments at:

• Vestas Wind Systems (Denmark), providing industry exposure and access to real-world data and systems.
• University of Granada (Spain), supporting academic collaboration and complementary supervision

These secondments are essential components of the training and will contribute to the interdisciplinary and intersectoral nature of your PhD.

Approval and Enrolment 
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education. 

We offer you the opportunity to be a part of IntelliWind, which will not only facilitate sixteen Doctoral Candidates in reaching a high level of technical and project-specific excellence but will also provide you with many opportunities for developing skills that are transferable to a broader landscape of opportunities. You will have the opportunity to visit industry and other academic institutions within the consortium. After completing the program, you will have a thorough understanding of the process from research via innovation to industry implementation and a strong career-defining network.  

The IntelliWind Doctoral Network provides training for a new creative, entrepreneurial, innovative, and resilient industry-oriented academic generation ready to face current and future challenges towards reducing the role of humans in the decision process and the need for direct human interventions in the wind power plant operations and maintenance activities. The trained Doctoral Candidates will be able to convert knowledge and ideas into new products, and services for economic and social benefit. 

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Senior Researcher Nikolay Dimitrov, tel.: +45 61396328, nkdi@dtu.dk 

You can read more about DTU Wind at https://wind.dtu.dk/  

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU. 

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 15 July 2025 (23:59 Danish time). 

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

DTU Wind is about taking the technology to the next level. About creating an impact for people and society through research and innovation. About collaborating with the entire energy sector to develop the most effective technology on the planet. Our research spans the full spectrum of wind and energy systems. From investigating nanoscale structures to macro-scale atmospheric flow; from designing the turbines of tomorrow to the digital energy solutions of the future; from developing electric power systems to exploring more democratic processes for project planning.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.