Research Assistant Energy System Scenarios

To achieve net-zero carbon emission targets by 2050, the Swiss energy system has to transform fundamentally. Scenarios can outline different feasible pathways to accomplish such a transformation and can help to steer required investments into energy infrastructure and to support policymakers in setting effective regulations and policies. Energy system models such as Nexus-e are useful tools to develop such scenarios.

Nexus-e is a tool developed by multiple research groups at the ETH Zurich. It is used in multiple research collaborations with academic and industry partners. In the core Nexus-e team, we use the tool to develop scenarios for the Swiss energy system and analyse the impact of technological, economic, political, regulatory and societal developments. We also support researchers from multiple ETH groups to use Nexus-e in their work. To prepare Nexus-e for the upcoming collaborations, we are currently in the process of making it open-source.

The main objective of your work will be to develop the scenarios for the multiple projects Nexus-e is involved in. You will be an integral part of the Nexus-e team and will have to gather a solid understanding of the model, the database, and our online visualization tool. You will also be responsible for the open-source process.

• Leading the scenario development for multiple projects using Nexus-e
• Conceptualizing and implementing the process to make Nexus-e open-source
• Collecting relevant energy data for the Nexus-e database
• Supporting the development of the Nexus-e codebase (Python, Matlab)
• Being a core member of the Nexus-e team and taking responsibilities for tasks and projects

• You just completed your Master in Energy Science and Technology, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering at ETH Zurich or a similar university.
• You are able to communicate well using English. Some knowledge of German is an advantage.
• You are able to understand and write Python and/or Matlab code
• You are responsible and able to work independently on your tasks.
• You understand the basics of the Swiss energy systems and its current transformation

We offer a research assistant position at ETH Zurich in a high-impact and practical project. Salaries are competitive and paid according to ETH standards. The expected working duration is 12 months with the option to extend to 2 years.