The National Industry PhD Program is an Australian Government initiative to enhance workforce mobility among higher degree by research students, and to promote knowledge transfer between academia and industries across all areas. PhD candidates under this program are connected with academic supervisors and industry-based researchers, to co-design innovative, applied research projects. Through their doctoral candidature, students will experience research in both university and industry settings, and undertake specialised training in research translation and commercialisation.

The University of Adelaide and OptiGrid Pty Ltd invite applications for a project under this program, exploring the development of an end-to-end machine learning approach for unified price prediction and battery operation optimisation in the Australian National Electricity Market.

Unified approach for price prediction and battery operation in the Australian National Electricity Market

Project summary

This PhD project will be undertaken in collaboration with Dr Ali Pourmousavi Kani of the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and Dr Owen Lamont, Lead Software Engineer at OptiGrid. The student will co-located at the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Adelaide and OptiGrid office at Lot Fourteen.

 This project will develop an innovative end-to-end machine learning-based solution that directly optimises battery revenue without intermediate price forecasting steps. By unifying price prediction and battery operation in a single framework, this technology aims to maximise returns for energy storage assets, enabling faster deployment of large-scale batteries and accelerating Australia's transition to renewable energy. Integrated into OptiGrid’s market-leading platform, this technology will help unlock the full potential of battery storage in power grids, enabling a 100% renewable power grid.

Program overview

The successful candidate will receive:

• Admission to a PhD program at the University of Adelaide;
• A four-year scholarship package totalling $52,268 per annum (2025 rate, indexed annually), and a tuition fee waiver; 
• Supervision from research specialists at the University of Adelaide and OptiGrid; and
• A specialised training program in research translation and communication.

Upon successful examination of their thesis, the student will be awarded a PhD from the University of Adelaide.

Eligibility Requirements 

This opportunity is open to candidates who can meet the requirements for PhD admission at the University of Adelaide (including English language proficiency in the relevant academic area), and who can demonstrate suitable experience in machine learning and AI, electricity market, and power system operation (through a high-quality Honours or Masters degree). The successful candidate must be able to enrol as a full-time PhD student at the University in the year of the offer. They must remain based in Adelaide, South Australia for the duration of the award.

Students that have previously completed a PhD program are, unfortunately, ineligible for the National Industry PhD Program.

The ideal candidate will also possess the following skills and qualifications:

• Solid foundation in machine learning, particularly reinforcement learning and end-to-end approaches, with a background in electricity markets and power systems engineering. Experience in software development, especially cloud services and data pipelines, is advantageous. 
• Proven expertise in handling large datasets and time-series analysis. Familiarity with electricity market data is a plus.
• Advanced Python programming skills, preferably with experience in machine learning frameworks, data analysis libraries, and cloud computing, particularly AWS.
• Excellent academic record with either First Class Honours degree, or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written English), including strong technical writing capabilities.
• Ability to clearly present complex technical concepts.
• High adaptability and eagerness to learn, ability to quickly grasp multidisciplinary concepts, and self-motivated with strong initiative.
• Passion for applying theoretical knowledge to create tangible impacts in real-world applications.

Application Process 

 To apply, please email the following documents to principal supervisor Dr Ali Pourmousavi Kani (a.pourm@adelaide.edu.au) with the subject line ‘National Industry PhD Program Application’:

• CV
• Cover Letter (of not more than 2 pages) outlining your interest in the PhD project and describing how your background and research area align with the project
• Degree certificates and relevant academic transcripts, with translations of non-English documentation

Enquiries

Dr Ali Pourmousavi Kani

a.pourm@adelaide.edu.au 

General Enquiries:

Email: hdrindustryenq@adelaide.edu.au