PhD Position: Engineering Trustworthy Energy Data Spaces for Heat Transition Planning
How can heterogeneous energy data be shared securely and efficiently to accelerate the heat transition?
The transition to sustainable heating requires close collaboration between municipalities, distribution system operators (DSOs), households and other stakeholders. Effective planning depends on the ability to share and combine data from diverse sources, including building characteristics, energy infrastructure, flexibility resources and operational measurements. However, these data are often fragmented across organizations and difficult to exchange due to interoperability challenges, privacy concerns, governance requirements and heterogeneous information systems.
As a PhD candidate, you will engineer the next generation of energy data orchestration solutions for heat transition planning. Building on emerging data space principles, your research will investigate how energy data can be shared securely, interoperably, and efficiently across distributed stakeholders while preserving privacy and supporting future energy applications. Rather than simply implementing existing data space reference architectures, you will develop novel methods, architectural patterns, and engineering approaches that enable trusted data sharing across complex energy ecosystems.
The project
You will join the newly funded NWO (Dutch Research Council) KIC project Sharing the Warmth, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Wageningen University, TU Delft, Hogeschool Utrecht, CWI, Dutch municipalities, DSOs and other societal/industry partners. The project brings together expertise in energy informatics, software engineering, data science, governance and social sciences to develop trusted data-sharing solutions for the heat transition.
Within the project, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with other PhD candidates and a postdoctoral researcher working on complementary topics including decision-making under data-sharing constraints, privacy-preserving data sharing, governance and citizen participation. You will also have access to real-world use cases and operational datasets through our network of municipalities, DSOs and industrial/societal partners.
Your research
Your research will investigate how energy data spaces can be engineered to support data-sharing for sustainable heat transition planning. You will explore questions such as:
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How can heterogeneous data from municipalities, DSOs, households, and other stakeholders be represented and orchestrated to support interoperable data sharing?
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How can trustworthy energy data spaces be designed to balance interoperability, scalability, privacy, performance and transparency for different stakeholders?
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How can privacy-preserving mechanisms and AI-assisted data engineering support secure and efficient data sharing while fostering trust and responsible data use?
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How can data orchestration and interoperability solutions better support the information needs and decision-making practices of municipalities, DSOs, and citizens?
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Which architectural patterns and data orchestration mechanisms best support future energy applications and evolving data ecosystems?
Depending on the research direction, you may employ techniques from software architecture, distributed systems, data engineering, semantic interoperability, privacy-preserving data analytics, artificial intelligence or related fields.
Your duties and responsibilities in this 4-year project include:
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analysing data requirements, heterogeneous data sources, and interoperability challenges for heat transition planning;
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designing and implementing trustworthy data orchestration mechanisms based on energy data space principles;
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developing methods for semantic interoperability, data integration, and API-based data exchange across systems involved;
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integrating and evaluating privacy-preserving technologies and AI-assisted data engineering techniques within energy data spaces;
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collaborating with municipalities, DSOs, households, and industry partners to ensure that data-sharing solutions address real-world user needs and stakeholder requirements;
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evaluating the proposed data orchestration solutions through technical validation and real-world case studies with municipalities, DSOs, and other project partners;
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publishing your research in leading international journals and presenting your work at international conferences.
You will work here
This PhD position is embedded in the Information Technology Group at Wageningen University. You will collaborate closely with researchers, societal and industry partners within the NWO (Dutch Research Council) funded research project Sharing the Warmth, led by Dr. Tarek Alskaif.
Intended start date: November 2026.
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a successfully completed MSc degree in a discipline relevant to the PhD project (e.g., computer science, software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, electrical engineering, information systems, or a related field);
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a strong interest in engineering data spaces/data sharing solutions for future energy systems, particularly in data spaces, distributed systems, interoperability, and data orchestration;
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knowledge of software engineering, distributed systems, data engineering, semantic technologies, artificial intelligence, or privacy-preserving data analytics (experience in one or more is a plus);
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strong scientific programming skills in Python or Java (experience with APIs, databases, cloud technologies, or software development frameworks is a plus);
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excellent communication skills in English.
For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. It is necessary to submit an internationally recognized Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.
You are:
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curious and motivated to tackle challenging research problems;
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interested in working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment involving academic, industrial, and public-sector partners;
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able to work both independently and collaboratively;
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eager to learn new methods and broaden your research expertise;
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motivated to publish in leading international scientific journals and conferences;
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committed to open science and reproducible research;
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organized, proactive, and able to communicate complex ideas clearly.
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
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Partially paid parental leave;
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working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
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there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
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a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
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excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3,059.- per month rising to € 3,881.- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.
We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment.
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.
For more information about the position, please contact Dr. Tarek Alskaif, Associate Professor, via email: [email protected].
Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Jouke van Oostenbrugge, Corporate Recruiter, via email: [email protected].
Ready to apply?
Click on the application button next to the vacancy on our website. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.
You can apply up to and including Monday September 14th, 2026. The interviews are scheduled for September-October 2026.
To apply, please upload the following documents:
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Complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages);
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Motivation letter (max. 1 page);
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Bachelor study transcript.
Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:
PhD Position: Engineering Trustworthy Energy Data Spaces for Heat Transition Planning – Fill out form
Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process.
Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.
