LIX, Ecole Polytechnique and Ergelis Industrial Ph.D. Fellowship (These CIFRE) ----------------------------------------- Ergelis (www.ergelis.com) is going to sponsor an industrial Ph.D. fellowship of the length of three years offered by LIX, Ecole Polytechnique (www.lix.polytechnique.fr). The Ph.D. topic is: "Optimization of thermal energy usage in buildings: modelling and solution algorithms". There are many decisions to take when heating and cooling buildings. Some are continuous (e.g. gradual opening of ventilation shafts), some are integral (e.g. switching engines on and off). Since the equations governing heat behaviour are nonlinear, the problem of taking these decisions in an optimal way will be modelled as a Mixed Integer NonLinear Programming problem (MINLP). As this is an industrially sponsored PhD, it stresses both the theoretical and the practical side of this problem. Research will be conducted on modelling this problem and finding innovative solution methods. These will be implemented in the existing integrated software at production level. The key qualities and requirements are: creativity, knowledge of operations research techniques, ability to work (sometimes under pressure) within a small industrial team, excellent hands-on practical knowledge of C/C++ under Linux environment. The successful candidate is going to carry out most of his/her Ph.D. work at Ergelis headquarters (south-west of Paris on the RER B line). The working environment is dynamic and informal, but it is industrial and not academic. Normal working hours are to be expected (with some flexibility). Time allocation for attending relevant conferences, courses and/or summer school is possible. The salary is going to be roughly equivalent to an entry-level salary for a technical job in industry (considerably higher than a normal Ph.D. salary in France), that is around 2000 euro/months (gross). The net amount will depend on the many intricacies of the French tax system, but on average the candidate should expect 1600 euros/month net of contributions and income tax. Some negotiation is possible, and there may be some pay rises during the three-year work engagement. The candidate is going to be supervised industrially as part of Ergelis' working team, and academically by Ecole Polytechnique faculty (Ph. Baptiste, L. Liberti). Ergelis is located at Gif-sur-Yvette; the Ecole Polytechnique is located near Lozere. Both are in the south-west greater parisian area, on the Paris fast metropolitan railway line RER B). The average cost of renting a single room in Paris is between 300 and 500 euros/month, whereas a studio flat averages 500-800 euros/month. The working language at Ergelis is French. Although knowledge of the French language is not a requirement, it is expected that the candidate should learn French as soon as possible after having started the Ph.D. Please send a CV in English or French and a short motivational letter, both in PDF format, to: Dr. Leo Liberti (leoliberti @ gmail.com, http://www.lix.polytechnique.fr/~liberti)