Vacancy Postdoc Researcher on 3D Geoinformation for Energy Data and Flexibility Management for PEDs

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Job description

We are looking for a Postdoc that will work on the topic of 3D geoinformation for energy data and flexibility management for Positive Energy Districts.

The 3-year position is part of the upcoming FlexPED (“Energy Data and Flexibility Management for Positive Energy Districts”) project. The interdisciplinary consortium of this project, consisting of partners from Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Netherlands and Poland, will develop new research methods and implementation strategies to tackle the need for energy flexibility in Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). Solutions based on AI-powered Urban Digital Twins (UDT) will be tested in two demonstrator cities, and will contribute to reduce the fragmentation in term of data gaps, poor interoperability, and silos-based decision making that very often hinder the deployment of coordinated flexibility measures.

The research topics to be addressed in the project are:

• How and to which extent can agent-based energy simulations, powered by AI-driven forecasts within a UDT platform, contribute to accelerating the realisation of PEDs?
• How can standards (e.g. in terms of data models and APIs) support this process, e.g. by streamlining data retrieval, integration and usage?
• How can specific, user-friendly dashboards be developed in order to facilitate the interaction of different stakeholders (e.g. municipal authorities, energy providers, citizens, etc.) with the Urban Digital Twins?

The 3D Geoinformation group at TU Delft will be involved in several tasks dealing with technical aspects aimed at the development of data integration services for energy data management and flexibility in city districts. The main tasks of TU Delft, to be carried out in co-operation with the other project partners, will be:

• Investigation on and analysis of spatial and non-spatial data and requirements of the software tools to be used and integrated in the resulting “FlexPED” software platform to be developed within the project
• Extension/update of the CityGML new Energy Application Domain Extension (ADE) to deal with energy data coming from industrial sites, and further development of the data model to better align with energy-related data from BIM models and standards (e.g. gbXML)
• Development of OGC-compliant APIs to deliver real-time, 3D, and cross-sectoral urban data to the UDT platform in a private and secure manner. This will include, for example, the implementation of the SensorThings API, which will stream real-time AI-generated forecasts into a FROST server.

To support the research work of the TU Delft team, we have opened this 3-year research position in our 3D Geoinformation research group, section Urban Data Science, Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. You are expected to contribute to and lead some of the above tasks.

Research group

The 3D Geoinformation group focuses on the technologies underpinning geographical information systems (GIS), and aims at designing, developing, and implementing better systems to model 3D cities, buildings and landscapes. It is a multidisciplinary group of around 25 people, including computer scientists, geomatics engineers, and geographers; 6 of them are tenured staff (1 professor, 3 associate professors, and 2 assistant professors). The group has a history of successful collaborations with industry and government in the past: its research has led to open source software, standards, and patents for the management of 3D geographic information and Building Information Models.

Job requirements

To be eligible to apply, you should:

• Hold an PhD in geoinformatics/geomatics, computer sciences or engineering (or in a related discipline), ideally with some previous experience also in energy-related topics
• Have experience primarily in data modelling, software development, data integration, management of data mainly from semantic 3D city model (e.g. CityGML) and, secondarily, from BIM (e.g. IFC)
• Have good programming skills, especially in Java, Python, and SQL
• Have a good command of English (oral and written)
• Have an affinity with working in multi-disciplinary teams in an internationally oriented environment.

What we offer

• Duration of contract is 3 years.
• A job of 38-40 hours per week. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

How to apply

You can apply via this webpage

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 16 November 2025 providing the following documents:

• A detailed CV, containing examples that prove your previous work related to the position (projects, experience, software, research, publications)
• A motivation letter (max 1 page) explaining your interest in the research topics to be addressed and describing how you fit in the advertised position
• A list of (up to) 5 publications that best relate to this job offer
• A list of (up to) 5 previous/current projects that best relate to this job offer, with a short summary of the projects and a brief description of your role in them
• Contact details of two references with contact information (recommendation letters from them are not required at this stage)

After a first screening based on the application dossiers, a selection of candidates will be invited to an on-line interview. A short list of (max) 6 candidates will be invited to a second on-line interview. Interviews will take place in the second half of November or beginning of December 2025. The desired starting date of the position is 1 February 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

For additional information about the position, please contact Dr. Giorgio Agugiaro (g.agugiaro@tudelft.nl). For more information about the application procedure, please contact Stephanie Ip, HR advisor, (recruitment-BK@tudelft.nl).