Energy Security Researcher - Cascading effects

About Group R&D and the Energy Security and Resilience research programme
Group Research and Development (GRD) performs strategic and applied research to develop the knowledge, methods and technologies required for DNV’s future assurance services. The Energy Security and Resilience research program focuses on assurance of critical energy infrastructure by developing practical and transparent methods for assessing security risk, vulnerabilities, system dependencies and resilience. The programme combines energy-system knowledge with security research, risk analysis, data science and societal perspectives, and validates new approaches through case studies, prototypes and collaboration with industry, authorities and academia.

Are you interested in how loss of electricity supply propagates through interconnected infrastructure and society, and in using data and AI to model these cascading effects?

As a Researcher in energy security, you will develop methods and digital tools for assessing cascading effects from loss of electricity supply. The role combines knowledge of power generation and grid operation with dependency modelling, open-source information and AI-supported analysis. The objective is to identify how outages propagate to end users, critical societal functions, infrastructure systems and industrial activities, and to translate this knowledge into future DNV assurance services for assessing energy-system resilience and societal consequences.

Your main responsibilities include:

• Develop a consistent method for assessing direct and cascading effects from partial or complete loss of electricity supply
• Identify and model dependencies between power supply, end users, critical societal functions, infrastructure systems and industrial activities
• Use open-source information and AI-supported methods to collect, classify and link information on assets, services, dependencies, backup arrangements and consequence pathways
• Combine power-system, geographical and societal data in transparent models that account for outage duration, geographical extent, timing and recovery
• Develop and validate prototypes through case studies, historical incidents, exercises and expert input
• Document data sources, assumptions, uncertainty, model limitations and validation results
• Translate research results into concepts and requirements for future DNV assurance services
• Communicate methods and results through reports, publications, presentations and demonstrators

Many of our projects involve collaboration with operators of critical infrastructure and may require access to sensitive information or facilities. Relevant background checks will be conducted, and eligibility for security clearance in Norway may be required.

• The opportunity to shape future DNV assurance services at the intersection of power systems, data science and societal resilience
• Applied research in close collaboration with energy companies, infrastructure operators, authorities and academic partners
• The opportunity to develop and test digital methods and decision-support tools
• An interdisciplinary and international research environment
• Flexible working arrangements and opportunities for professional development

Our ideal candidate

• A MSc or PhD in electrical power engineering, energy systems, systems engineering, cybernetics, data science or another relevant discipline
• Solid knowledge of power generation and grid operation, including how loss of supply affects system operation and end users is an advantage
• Documented experience with dependency analysis, network modelling, consequence modelling, simulation or system-of-systems analysis
• Strong programming and data-analysis skills, together with practical experience using AI or natural language processing to structure and analyse open-source information
• Experience integrating technical, geographical and societal data into transparent models. GIS, knowledge graphs or power-system resilience analysis is an advantage
  

Your personal qualities

• Systems-oriented and analytical, with the ability to identify dependencies and consequence pathways across sectors
• Able to structure incomplete information into transparent, traceable and explainable models
• Collaborative and able to work across power-system, data-science, risk and societal-resilience disciplines
• Clear written and verbal communicator in English; Norwegian language skills are an advantage
  

Security and compliance with statutory requirements in the countries in which we operate is essential for DNV. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates as part of the offer process, in accordance with applicable country-specific laws and practices.