PhD Studentship: Source-Independent Protection for Inverter-Dominated Power Networks

Application deadline: 30/11/2026
Research theme: Power and Energy Systems

This 3.5-year PhD project is fully funded; students who are eligible to pay tuition fees at the Home rate are eligible to apply. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£21,805 for 2026/27) and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year. The start date is January 2027.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

This fully funded 3.5-year PhD studentship is open to home students only. It covers home tuition fees and a tax-free annual stipend at the standard UKRI rate.

Renewables, HVDC systems, and battery energy storage systems are increasingly connected to power networks through power electronic converters. These sources, commonly known as inverter-based resources (IBRs), typically contribute limited fault current, and the phase of the injected current is dictated by their control systems, which can vary significantly between manufacturers and grid-code requirements. With synchronous generators and IBRs sharing the network in changing proportions, fault behaviour becomes harder to predict, and relays can no longer rely on the assumptions on which conventional protection was designed.

This PhD project will develop protection methods that remain reliable regardless of generation technology or converter control strategy. The research will involve power system and IBR modelling, protection algorithm development, laboratory prototyping, and validation through real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing on RTDS.

You will join the Power Systems Group at the University of Manchester, which has a strong international reputation in power systems research, with access to state-of-the-art real-time simulation and protection testing facilities. You will receive training in power system protection, have opportunities to publish in leading journals and present at international conferences, and engage with professional bodies such as IEEE, IET, and CIGRE.

Candidates should hold, or expect to obtain, a First Class or Upper Second Class (2:1) UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Power Systems, Power Electronics, Control Engineering, or a closely related discipline. A master's degree in a relevant area is desirable but not essential. Experience in power systems, power electronics, control, electromagnetic transient simulation, or power system protection would be an advantage. Applicants must be eligible for home fee status.

To apply, please email the main supervisor, Dr Di Liu (d.liu@manchester.ac.uk) with your CV, transcripts, and a short paragraph on your motivation for this project.