2 PhD positions on Measuring the Future of Power Electronics

About this position

The challenge:

Power electronics are central to renewable-energy systems, electric mobility, industrial electrification and modern power grids. New wide-bandgap semiconductor devices based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) can switch faster and reduce conversion losses, but their performance is increasingly difficult to measure with sufficient bandwidth, accuracy and traceability. When converter efficiencies exceed 99%, even very small measurement errors can obscure the losses that designers need to understand.

Within the EU Chips Joint Undertaking project Moore4Power, the University of Twente will develop new measurement sensors and methods for evaluating advanced power-electronic devices and converters. We are recruiting two PhD researchers who will work as a closely connected team. One position focuses on creating wideband current-sensing technology; the other focuses on sensor characterization and on electrical and calorimetric efficiency measurements.

Choose the research direction that fits you:

PhD 1 on Wideband current sensors has the primary emphasis of: electromagnetic sensor design, modelling, prototyping and experimental validation. The best fit is A candidate interested in high-frequency measurement techniques, sensor hardware development and precision experimentation.

PhD 2 on electrical and calorimetric efficiency measurement has the primary emphasis of: measurement-system design, sensor characterization, uncertainty analysis, converter testing and calorimeter development. The best fit is a candidate interested in measurement science, power conversion, thermal engineering and system-level power electronics evaluation.

PhD 1: Wideband current sensors for fast-switching power electronics

Fast SiC and GaN switching events occur on extremely short timescales. Measuring them demands sensors with exceptional bandwidth and minimal influence on the power circuit. In this PhD project, you will design, build and validate a new generation of wideband current sensors that can reveal switching behaviour and losses that are difficult to observe with today’s instrumentation.

Your research:

Develop current-sensor concepts targeting a bandwidth above 300 MHz and an insertion inductance below 1 nH.

Model the electromagnetic behaviour, parasitic effects, transfer characteristics and limitations of candidate sensor architectures.

Design and fabricate sensor prototypes, including their mechanical integration, shielding, connections and readout interfaces.

Develop experimental methods to determine amplitude response, phase response, time-domain behaviour, linearity and sensitivity to operating conditions.

Characterize and calibrate the sensors in collaboration with VSL, the Dutch National Metrology Institute and a Moore4Power partner.

Demonstrate the sensors in representative SiC and GaN switching circuits and quantify how sensor performance affects switching-loss evaluation.

Publish the scientific results and translate promising concepts into practical measurement solutions for project partners.

PhD 2: Traceable efficiency measurement using electrical and thermal methods

For a converter operating above 99% efficiency, the losses are small compared with the power being processed. Quantifying these losses reliably therefore requires more than a conventional power measurement. In this PhD project, you will create and validate a measurement framework that combines wideband electrical measurements with a next-generation calorimeter.

The result will be a powerful way to understand where losses occur and how confidently they can be measured.

Your research:

Characterize wideband voltage and current sensors in both the frequency and time domains, including amplitude, phase, linearity, dynamic behaviour and environmental influences.

Develop calibration and uncertainty-evaluation methods for using these sensors in electrical power and efficiency measurements.

Apply the measurement system to investigate switching behaviour, switching losses and overall efficiency of SiC- and GaN-based converters developed at the University of Twente and by Moore4Power industrial partners.

Design, build and validate a next-generation calorimeter with a novel thermal measurement approach for accurate loss determination.

Combine and compare electrical and calorimetric results to identify systematic effects, improve confidence in the measurements and establish traceable validation routes.

Optimize the methods for realistic converter operating conditions and communicate practical guidance to academic and industrial users.

Publish the scientific results and demonstrate the methods on relevant power-electronic hardware.

What the two PhD researchers share:

You will form a closely collaborating research team: the sensor concepts from PhD 1 will inform the measurement applications in PhD 2, while the validation needs from PhD 2 will guide sensor requirements and characterization.

You will work at the interface of measurement science and power electronics, with access to expertise and laboratory facilities at the University of Twente and VSL.

You will collaborate intensively with academic and industrial partners across Europe, including regular project meetings, technical exchanges and work visits.

You will have the freedom and responsibility to shape your research direction, develop advanced experimental skills and contribute to solutions with clear scientific and industrial relevance.