The candidate should possibly be highly interested in the research topic, enthusiastic to work in a multi-disciplinary team but also inclined to solve problems independently, ambitious and not afraid to share any ideas. In addition, the candidate should have the problem-solving capability, be hungry for new knowledge and be willing to overcome her/his limits. The candidate should have the ability to organise and plan work, schedule tasks and meet deadlines.At the same time, a master degree in a technical-scientific area is required, such as Energy, Civil or Environmental engineering. Good knowledge of energy systems modelling, energy demand analysis, energy production systems, renewable energy sources, cutting-edge energy technologies, smart energy grids and communities, energy storage, energy economics and energy policies are strongly recommended. The following technical skills are advisable: software tools for energy systems analysis (e.G. EnergyPLAN) and geographical information systems (e.G. QGIS), and programming language for calculation, statistical analysis and graphics (e.G. R, Python or Matlab).

The development of the proposed research project needs a wide range of knowledge comprising urban energy planning, sustainable energy resources evaluation, energy system modelling, statistical energy data analysis, optimization algorithms, smart energy district implementation, climate change projection, and econometrics. Therefore, the candidate will collaborate with a multidisciplinary group of professors and researchers including the Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Economics and Management and Faculty of Computer Science of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. In addition, the candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with the extensive network of partnerships, which comprises for instance the Department of Planning of the Aalborg University. The candidate will be involved in the activities of the presented above research group for the sustainable development of smart and renewable-based urban energy systems aimed at talking about climate change. The alpine context will be deeply analysed in order to properly figure out the most suitable energy resources, technologies and solutions. The main findings will be shared with local public administrations to support the decision-making process of urban energy planning and policy definition.