Electrified Transportation, Emergency Power, and Microgrid Design for Indigenous, Remote, and Local Communities
Funded PhD position in Building Engineering
Last updated: July 31, 2025, 11 a.m.
Supervisory details
Supervisor: Andreas K Athienitis
Department: Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
University: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Start date: Flexible (Fall 2025 preferred)
PhD Fellowship: 35K CAD per year for 4 years
Project overview
This project looks at how electric vehicles can serve northern and Indigenous communities—not just as transportation, but also as backup power sources. It studies how cold weather affects EVs, and how to improve their design for reliability and longer range. It also looks at new solar panel technology and community-based microgrids that combine clean energy with battery storage. Social impacts—like access, equity, and gender considerations—are an important part of the research.
Role description
- Research and evaluate solar panel integration (roof, facade, windows) for vehicle charging infrastructure in northern and remote communities.
- Investigate and test organic solar cells and transparent PV panels for application in building windows and garages.
- Analyze heat capture potential from solar panels and develop strategies for utilizing heat in building heating systems.
- Design and model integrated solar solutions that support electrified transportation and emergency power needs.
- Collaborate with community stakeholders to tailor solar microgrid and building energy solutions to local needs.
- Contribute to data collection, simulation, and performance assessment of solar energy systems under cold climate and remote conditions.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Engineering, Energy Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Science, or related areas.
- Background in renewable energy engineering, solar energy technology, or related fields, with focus on photovoltaic systems.
- Knowledge of organic solar cells, transparent photovoltaic materials, or advanced solar panel technologies.
- Experience with building-integrated solar systems and their thermal performance in cold or remote environments preferred.
- Skills in energy system modeling, simulation, and analysis for microgrid and building energy integration.
- Ability to engage with community partners and adapt technical solutions to local contexts and needs.
- Strong experimental and analytical skills to design, test, and evaluate solar panel performance and heat recovery systems.
- Fully funded PhD position with a competitive annual stipend, including additional funding for research-related travel, conferences, and collaboration with industry and policy partners.
- Hands-on experience working with advanced solar energy technologies, including building-integrated photovoltaics and innovative solar panels suited for cold and remote environments.
- Opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary research, combining solar energy integration with electrified transportation and microgrid design tailored to Indigenous and remote communities.
- Structured mentorship from experienced researchers and collaboration within a multidisciplinary team dedicated to sustainable energy solutions.
- Strong support for publishing research in leading journals and presenting at international conferences.
- Access to a vibrant research ecosystem at Concordia University in Montreal, internationally recognized for leadership in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure innovation.
Please combine the following documents into a single PDF file.
- Letter of intent strongly aligned with the project and the research domain of the professor
- Academic CV
- Transcripts
- Names and contact information of 3 referees
- Publications if any
- Any other documents that might benefit your file
If you are already in Canada, or if you’re a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident, please highlight this in your communications.
Send your PDF file to volt-age.recruitment@concordia.ca with the subject E-Transportation_Your name.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Questions/contact
For all questions, please contact Alisa Makusheva at alisa.makusheva@concordia.ca.
