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Sustainable Energy Technologies and Strategies Joint Doctorate (SETS EMJD) – (Ph.D.)
Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid
ICAI School of Engineering - Comillas Pontifical University| Application Deadline: | Deadline is expired. see provider site for further updates | ||
| Annual Tuition Fee: | ≈ € 7,200 - | ||
| Location: | Madrid / Spain / View location on map ▾ Hide location on map ▴ | ||
| Duration: | 48 months | Start Date: | September |
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| Languages: | English | ||
Location of Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid
The Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate in Sustainable Energy Technologies and Strategies (SETS) is an international programme offered by six of the most renowned universities in this field of knowledge.
The doctorate copes with the challenge to lead the technological transition required by today’s world, where a compromise must be reached between energy and sustainability. Some of the research topics of the programme are future energy networks, regulation and economics of energy systems in future European scenarios and sustainable development.
SETS Joint Doctorate is the only Ph.D. programme on energy and sustainability awarded the Erasmus Mundus excellence label by the European Commission. This excellence label has been granted only to twenty two international doctorates in all disciplines and Universities across Europe so far.
The general subject of SETS Joint Doctorate is sustainable energy, technologies and strategies. Research in this area will contribute to addressing the aforementioned European energy strategy needs, taking on the challenge of providing the same level of power while consuming less energy and reducing the dependence on fossil fuels.
Defeating this challenge will entail a renewed European joint effort with a new global approach to energy. The main goal is the education and training of a new generation of researchers and high-level professionals with the knowledge tools and research skills required to contend successfully with these challenges in an international and multidisciplinary research environment.
According to European strategic lines of research and the research interests of the HEIs and industrial partners, every academic year the consortium will define a set of priority lines of research, subject to the approval of the SETS PhD Supervision Board.
Learning outcomes
The core subject of the SETS joint degree is sustainable energy, a cross-sectoral vector, to which the programme adopts a technological and strategic approach, covering applications in a number of areas, from policy to industry, including services and even end consumers.
Students conduct their activities within research groups in projects closely associated with industry needs. As a result, the research findings meet social needs and contribute to student employability. Furthermore, companies, students and HEIs work together within the Supervision Board to better address programme objectives, monitor the quality and applicability of programme results and ensure optimal implementation of programme activities, in keeping with the needs of the industry and society.
Mobility is instrumental to the SETS PhD. Students are involved in different research projects at the HEIs, in which Europe- and world-wide industry participate. This provides them an overview of the energy industry that prepares them to deal with the global challenges facing European energy sector.
After completing the SETS doctorate, students should have developed the following competences and skills:
* a systematic understanding of the energy industry and related sustainability issues;
* a full mastery of the research skills and methods associated with technical, economic and regulatory approaches to the subject;
* the ability to conceive, design, implement and adapt ground-breaking research with scholarly integrity;
* the ability to conduct original research that extends the frontier of knowledge by developing a substantial body of work, some of which merits international refereed publication;
* the ability to critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise new and complex ideas;
* the ability to communicate with peers, the larger scholarly community and society in general about their areas of expertise;
* the potential ability to promote, within academic and professional contexts, technological, economic or policy advancement in a knowledge based society.
Graduates achieving SETS aims will be in a position to initiate successful professional research careers in sustainable energy in higher education institutions, research bodies, the industry or policy-making institutions.
Contents
Structure and ContentsTraining and Research
The programme comprises training activities, research activities and mobility. To follow the program, each doctoral candidate is assigned to a research line (RL) with a supervisor and a specific mobility pathway. Tutors are also assigned to support supervisors when doctoral candidates are away of their home HEI (supervisor HEI). In order to take advantage of all the training and research opportunities of each HEI within the mobility pathways, both activities can be performed in parallel. Training activities consist in at least 60 ECTS credits regarding doctoral courses. All the training activities from doctorates of the HEIs within the consortium are eligible as SETS doctoral courses. Additionally, new courses could be created specifically for the SETS programme. Current training activities counting toward ECTS credits must be agreed between doctoral candidates and supervisors. Training activities must be scheduled to be completed before the end of the 3rd year. Nevertheless, in justified cased courses can be taken also during the 4th. The common language of instruction is English.
The doctoral research will be conducted within a research group of one the degree awarding universities (Comillas, TU Delft or KTH). Students will participate in their group’s activities, which will include collaboration in a specific international project.
Following specific mobility pathways, students will perform their activities in different consortium countries. In this regard, all students will spend at least nine months in another university than their research group university and, in addition, students spending time in the country where they earned their preceding university degree will spend at least six months in a third university.
Courses overview
Training activities consist in at least 60 ECTS credits regarding doctoral courses. All the training activities from doctorates of the HEIs within the consortium are eligible as SETS doctoral courses. Additionally, new courses could be created specifically for the SETS programme. Current training activities counting toward ECTS credits must be agreed between doctoral candidates and supervisors. For the time being, the eligible doctoral courses can be selected from the following links:
* Doctorate Programme in Engineering Systems Modelling (Comillas)
* Doctorate Programme in Power Systems (Comillas)
* TUDelft study Guide
* KTH doctoral courses
Research Lines
The scope of this research lines include:
* Future energy networks: multi-energy carrier systems; security and reliability of energy systems; integration of renewables; integration of electric vehicles; demand side management; active networks; and de-centralized control.
* Regulation and economics of energy systems in future European scenarios: regulatory schemes for promoting energy transition, including new decision-tools for policy makers; regulatory incentives to promote energy efficiency; and new market designs.
* Sustainable development: definition and quantification of economic and sustainability indices for regional grids and microgrids; environmental life-cycle analysis; power system operations and design for sustainability; analysis of government policies designed to promote sustainability, including design and evaluation of international environmental agreements; monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulation.
Each HEI will contribute specifically to these lines of research depending on its expertise, under an interdisciplinary approach based on technology, economics and policy-making. The focus will be on the analysis of sustainable energy technologies and strategies (SETS) in place across the board, contributing to economic growth and sustainable development with the implementation of new approaches and technologies, as well as other research findings.
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Admission Criteria
Candidate selection is responsibility of the SETS Joint Admission Committee in which all the consortium partners are represented.
This section describes the SETS selection procedure and candidate admission criteria.
Candidate selection
The selection procedure comprises a candidate selection and classification and the final selection of students, considering the preferences of the research line leaders. The procedure is arranged in the following steps:
The candidates submit their applications.
* Each candidate submits his/her application form and all the documentation that is required to comply with the admission criteria (see Admission Criteria section).
* Candidates must provide their preferences regarding, on the one hand, priority research lines and, on the order hand, reserve research lines. Each candidate can select and rank as many priority research lines and reserve research lines as they are interested in. At least one priority research line must be chosen.
* The Joint Admission Committee obtains the eligible candidate list.
* Candidates are selected and ranked in a short list (hereinafter eligible candidate list) according to the candidates evaluation criteria.
* The leaders of the research lines select their candidates from the eligible candidate list.
* Research project leaders select their candidates from the eligible candidate list. They can select and sort as many candidates as they are interested in.
* The Joint Admission Committee assigns the candidates to research lines
* The Joint Admission Committee sorts the research lines. Research lines will be ranked from the most demanded to the least demanded as first option by the eligible candidates, and so forth. In any case, priority research lines will be on top of the list.
* Finally, candidates are assigned to research lines according with the leaders preferences and the constrains regarding the number of Category A and B students. The assignment procedure will start with the highest ranked research line and will finish with the lowest ranked research line.
* The results are submitted to the Erasmus Mundus Executive Agency for final approval
* The final resolution is communicated to the candidates, whether if they are granted with the Erasmus Mundus Fellowship, if they are in the Reserve list, or if they are not selected.
Admission criteria
The selection criteria are defined in keeping with the admission requirements in place in the HEIs awarding the joint degree, while at the same time considering the differences in students’ university systems of origin. The criteria cover previous studies and language skills.
Previous studies
The criteria on previous studies include:
* Candidates must have earned the equivalent of 300 ECTS credits, including at least 60 in a master’s degree or equivalent.
* Candidates must hold a degree in engineering.
Student selection will be based on an evaluation of their academic studies, among others. In this regard, the consortium will require students to submit a transcript. The minimum admission requirements will be a master’s (or equivalent) grade point average (GPA) of at least 75 % of the highest grade and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores of at least 450 in verbal reasoning, 4.1 in analytical writing skills, and 700 in quantitative reasoning.
Language skills
Verification of applicants’ language skills is believed to be of cardinal importance. Students must prove that they have a sufficient command of the English language. They will therefore be required to pass the DIALANG European test (which is free of charge. Students last university will be asked to organize the examination, to ensure it is held under controlled conditions.
All this requires is a network connection and a professor able to verify applicants’ identity and the test scores. Where the test cannot be organised at applicants’ last university, the consortium will make arrangements for them to write the exam at their embassy or consulate. The consortium has established level B2 as the minimum for admission. Students may forego this exam if they submit official proof of a similar level of command of the language, for instance: English Proficiency Certificate, a minimum score of 6.5 IELTS or 80 IBT TOEFL (or equivalent).
IMPORTANT: The Joint Admissions Committee will decide whether deviation from one or more of the above selection criteria is justified on a case-by-case basis. Exceptional circumstances may result in conditional admission, in which case final admission and enrolment will be subject to meeting the condition(s).
Erasmus Mundus Fellowship constraints
Eligibility constraints
* Individual EMJD fellowships are awarded exclusively for full-time enrolment in one of the doctoral programmes.
* Individuals who have already benefited from an EMJD fellowship are not eligible for a second grant.
* Doctoral candidates benefiting from an EMJD fellowship cannot benefit from other Community grants while carrying out their Erasmus Mundus doctoral activities.
* Only candidates who have applied to and have been accepted by an EMJD consortium in accordance with its specific doctoral candidate’s application and selection criteria are eligible for a fellowship.
* Candidates can not apply to more than 3 EMJD the same year.
Doctoral candidates holding an Erasmus Mundus fellowship must:
* Commit to participate in the doctoral programme in accordance with the terms defined by the consortium in the Doctoral candidate agreement. Failure to do so could lead to the cancellation of the fellowship;
* Perform their training/research periods in at least two different countries represented in the consortium; for Category B fellowship holders, these two countries must be different from the country in which the doctoral candidate has obtained his/her last university degree;
* Spend most of the doctorate period in the European countries represented in the consortium or among the associated partners. However, if the EMJD consortium includes Third-Country partners and/or associated members:
* Category A fellowship holders can spend a training/research/ fieldwork period of a maximum duration of one semester (or 6 months, cumulative or consecutive) in these countries; periods in excess of this duration may not be covered by the EMJD fellowship;
* Category B fellowship holders can spend up to one year (cumulative or consecutive) of their doctorate activities in these countries; periods in excess of this duration may not be covered by the EMJD fellowship.
Without prejudice to high academic standards, in order to ensure geographical diversity among the doctoral candidates, no more than two doctoral candidates with the same nationality should be awarded an EMJD fellowship. If consortia wish to diverge from this criterion, prior permission to do so must be obtained from the Agency.
Additional Requirements
| Minimal degree required: | Master's degree |
| Minimal amount of work experience | Not specified |
Language Proficiency
| IELTS Band: | 6.5 |
| TOEFL Paper-based: | 550 |
| TOEFL Computer-based: | 213 |
| TOEFL Internet-based: | 80 |
Accreditation
SETS Joint Doctorate was awarded in 2009 with the Erasmus Mundus excellence label by the European Commission. This excellence label has been granted only to 22 doctorates and 126 Masters in all disciplines and Universities across Europe so far.
Faculty
Comillas Pontifical University has implemented projects in line with the EMJD objectives, notably knowledge transfer in the area of electricity reform the world over, especially in Europe and Latin America. The university has also participated actively in the European Union’s Framework Programme (FP) for Research and Technological Development. A detailed review of these projects can be found in the preceding sections. Briefly, the SETS-related projects in which COMILLAS has participated in the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes include: SESSA (Sustainable Energy Specific Support Assessment), VBPC-RES (Virtual Balkan Power Centre for Advance of Renewable Energy Sources in Western Balkans), SOLID-DER (Coordination Action to consolidate RTD activities for large-scale integration of DER into the European electricity market), CESSA (Coordinating Energy Security in Supply Activities), ADDRESS (Active Distribution networks with full integration of Demand and distributed energy RESource) and SUSPLAN (Development of regional and Pan-European guidelines for more efficient integration of renewable energy into future infrastructures). Other DG-TREN projects in which COMILLAS has been involved are: DG-GRID (Enhancement of sustainable electricity supply through improvements of the regulatory framework of the distribution network for DG), RESPOND (Renewable Electricity Supply interactions with conventional Power generation, Networks and demand) and IMPROGRESS (Improvement of the Social Optimal Outcome of Market Integration of DG/RES in European Electricity Markets).
COMILLAS has close working relations with the present EES-UETP partners and European energy research institutes, and partners with MIT in Boston and the University of California at Berkeley via exchange and visiting scholar programmes. In conjunction with TU Delft and Paris-Sud 11, COMILLAS delivers the Erasmus Master Course on Economics and Management of Network Industries, supported by the EC’s Erasmus Mundus Programme. The Florence School of Regulation (FSR), affiliated with the European University Institute, also collaborates in this graduate programme. COMILLAS heads the EES-UETP and has coordinated several ALFA and ALURE networks devoted to the furtherance of electric power system training in Latin American countries. Spanish master’s and PhD courses are regularly offered every academic year. Two on-line courses are provided yearly for regulators and other professionals, one for Latin American countries and the other for Eastern European countries in conjunction with the Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA).
Furthermore, COMILLAS has considerable experience in student training and mobility, having coordinated 11 COMETT programme projects, 17 Socrates Erasums projects and nine Leonardo da Vinci projects (mobility and pilot projects). In all, COMILLAS has overseen mobility arrangements for approximately 4 000 students in academic or job placements in 200 universities and over 700 companies.
COMILLAS also coordinates the Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Economics and Management of Network Industries (EMIN):
The institution has also long been hosting international students. Its International Relations Office provides guidance and support for PhD students in all practical aspects of the programme.
The Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management of Delft University of Technology houses the Delft Research Centre for Next Generation Infrastructures. These centres conduct research on water, electricity, transport and vital communication infrastructures. The Delft Research Centre for Next Generation Infrastructures, with its constituent projects, is one of the many partners of the Next Generation Infrastructures Foundation (NGInfra Foundation), a large international consortium of infrastructure researchers and practitioners. The Foundation is funded partially by a government grant (Bsik) and partially by the partners. Consortium members are already partnering in several research projects.
Currently, COMILLAS, TUDelft and Paris-Sud 11 are engaged in an international research network that is conducting several research projects, funded primarily by the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme or linked to the research institute funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge. Network membership also includes researchers from other institutions such as École des Mines de Paris, University of Louvain, Universitá Bocconi, Florence School of Regulation - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Florence (Italy), Norwegian School of Management, Vienna University of Technology, DIW Berlin, National Technical University of Athens, University of Geneva, Stanford University, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Indian Institute of Technology, or MA National Institute of Technology at Bhopal. This large network of research interests will be transferred to students and reflected in course content.
Faculty student counsellors are available to all TU Delft students, who also have student coaches whom they may consult, in particular with respect to problems in their studies.
KTH
The KTH Royal School of Engineering – Stockholm team is devoted to sustainable energy systems and energy efficiency and has internationally renowned expertise in power dynamic system behaviour (particularly with regard to large scale integration of RES and DG), deregulated electricity markets, power system security and reliability, and application of controllable devices (such as FACTS and HVDC). Its (national and international) MSc and PhD programs are also highly reputed. The team concentrates a good deal of knowledge on power engineering with strong industry links, and hosts the Centre of Competence in Electric Power Engineering (international centre with nine industry partners), supported by Swedish Energy Agency. It is also an experienced conference (Power Tech. 95, PMAPS 06 and wind power workshops) and advanced course organiser. The institute has excellent research and education resources, with well equipped laboratories and computation facilities.
KTH has close working relations with ABB, Svenska Kraftnät, Vattenfall and E.ON in Sweden, and Main Electrical Networks Company Ltd in Estonia. Participation in EU research projects: WILMAR (Wind power Integration in a Liberalized electricity MARket), and DOWNVInD (Distant Offshore Windfarms with No Visual Impact in Deepwater).
KTH has long engaged in high quality training and tutoring. On average, the KTH team involved in the SETS programme supervises three PhD theses and 15 MSc dissertations yearly. The team currently delivers a number of courses forming part of the national and international graduate and post graduate programmes. KTH participates in the EES–UETP consortium and has organised a course on power network stability and control.
Since 1997 the KTH Department of Energy Technology, affiliated with the School of Industrial Engineering and Management, has delivered the programme for an international MSc degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE). The programme is divided into three specialities: sustainable power generation; sustainable energy utilization in the built environment; and solar energy (in conjunction with Dalarna University College at Borlänge). The SEE Program is a partner in the Erasmus Mundus initiative. A new programme has also been created in collaboration with universities in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.
PSUD 11
University Paris-Sud 11 is presently leading or partnering in three important research projects within the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme: SESSA (a European Energy Reform and Regulation Assessment and Benchmark specific action), the forthcoming REFGOUV (a Governance of the General Economic Interest in the European Network Industry integrated project) and DIME (a European Local and Regional Development of an Information and Knowledge based Society and Economy network of excellence). J.M. Glachant and the ADIS Research Centre have led ten major Network Industry research projects (including European Commission DG Tren and DG Research) over the past five years. An international office at the University, with a staff of six, attends to foreign student needs.
JHU
At Johns Hopkins University the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering was established in 1968 but with roots dating to 1937. This department has always been concerned with identifying, understanding, describing and solving environmental problems. Its core mission is to improve the human condition through the development and promotion of sound, sustainable environmental practices, and to educate future generations of environmental leaders. The department's graduate and undergraduate programs in environmental engineering have been consistently ranked among the top ten US universities by available national rankings.
JHU offers different courses related to environmental or sustainability issues. Courses offered in many Homewood departments cover topics related to the environment, with focuses ranging from policy and public health to climate change. The Sustainability Initiative has compiled this preliminary list to aid students and academic advisors in their search for excellent courses that fit the students' interests.
At JHU there are many opportunities to gain experience in the sustainability field through internships, fellowships, and full and part-time employment. Below are listings of current openings and a resource list of environmental organizations and agencies that may have opportunities in the future. As an example, some current employment opportunities are: Clean Energy Program Manager at Maryland Energy Administration, Environmental Fellowship at Environment Maryland, Senior Program Associate at The Alliance to Save Energy
FSR
The Florence School of Regulation (FSR), a partnership between the European University Institute, EUI (through its Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies – RSCAS), and the Council of European Energy Regulators, CEER, works closely with the European Commission.
Its objectives include promoting the informed discussion of key issues; providing state-of-the-art training for practitioners; and conducting analytical studies in the field of regulation. It is a European forum dedicated to economic regulation.
At this time, it focuses primarily on energy, and more specifically on electricity and gas market regulation, and has also begun to work on the regulation of the transport, telecommunications and finance sectors. Its activities include workshops, training programmes and research on an evolving agenda. FSR intends to address other regulated industries in due course.
CEER is a not-for-profit association in which Europe's independent national electricity and gas regulators voluntarily cooperate to protect consumer interests and further the creation of a single, competitive, efficient and sustainable internal market for gas and electricity in Europe. CEER acts as a preparatory body for the European Regulators' Group for Electricity and Gas (ERGEG). The European Commission's formal advisory group of energy regulators, ERGEG, was created by the European Commission in November 2003 to assist it in generating a single-EU electricity and gas market. ERGEG's members are the heads of the national energy regulatory authorities in the 27 EU Member States.
Ask a Question
You can contact Andrés González García (EMIN Coordination Manager) to ask a question about Sustainable Energy Technologies and Strategies Joint Doctorate (SETS EMJD) at Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid.
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