Aalborg University (AAU) invites applications for a fully funded three-year PhD Stipend in Energy-Efficient Agentic AI: Measuring When AI Is Worth Its Energy. Based at the Department of Computer Science within the Technical Faculty of IT and Design, this position focuses on assessing and mitigating the energy expenditure of agentic AI systems.
Overview Table
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Designation | PhD Fellow / PhD Stipend |
| Host Institution | Aalborg University (AAU) |
| Department | Department of Computer Science (DEIS / DSSS Group) |
| Project Title | Energy, Sovereignty and the Responsible Use of Agentic AI |
| Research Area | Computer Science, Energy-Efficient Computing, Agentic AI, Empirical Software Engineering |
| Location | Aalborg, Denmark |
| Duration | 3 Years (Full-time) |
| Starting Date | 1 March 2027 (or shortly thereafter) |
| Application Deadline | 5 December 2026 |
Designation
The successful candidate will be appointed as a PhD Fellow (PhD Stipend) under the Danish collective agreement (AC collective agreement) at the Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design.
Research Area
The research is situated within Energy-Efficient Computing, Agentic AI, and Sustainable Software Engineering. Specific inquiry areas include:
- Quantifying the energy consumption of agentic AI workflows per successfully finished task across frontier and open-weight models.
- Analyzing energy distribution across planning, tool execution, retries, and failed operations.
- Comparing runtime multi-step agent invocations against single-generation deterministic software solutions to identify energy break-even thresholds.
- Investigating energy-reduction strategies including prompt caching, model routing, cascades, and model distillation.
- Developing telemetry- and FLOP-based estimation methods for API-bound models and correlating them with local bare-metal hardware measurements.
Scholarship Description
Funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) under its thematic AI initiative, this position forms the engineering core of the collaborative project Energy, Sovereignty and the Responsible Use of Agentic AI. The doctoral researcher works alongside a paired PhD student at Aalborg University Business School who examines organizational AI governance.
Key privileges and responsibilities include:
- Conducting empirical benchwork on on-premise GPU/CPU clusters, power-measurement testbeds (such as Intel RAPL and rack-level meters), and AAU’s CLAAUDIA cloud/HPC infrastructure.
- Adhering to open-science practices by releasing measurement test harnesses, benchmarks, and pre-registered study protocols to open communities.
- Completing 30 ECTS of doctoral coursework and gaining teaching or dissemination experience.
- Undertaking an external research stay (preferably 3 to 6 months) at an international research institution.
- Presenting research findings at top software engineering and green computing venues (e.g., ICSE, FSE, HotCarbon, MSR).
Location
The position is physically located at the Department of Computer Science, Selma Lagerløfs Vej, Aalborg, Denmark.
Eligibility / Qualification Requirements
To be considered, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Academic Degree: A completed Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
- Technical Skills: Proficient programming abilities (e.g., Python), familiarity with Linux environments, and an aptitude for experimental systems research.
- Desirable Experience: Prior work with LLMs, agent frameworks, empirical software engineering, distributed systems, energy benchmarking, or GPU/HPC computing is an advantage.
- Language Proficiency: Strong written and oral English communication skills. Applicants without an English-medium Master’s degree must demonstrate proficiency via valid official tests:
- IELTS (academic): Minimum score of 7.0
- TOEFL (iBT): Minimum score of 100
- TOEFL (PBT): Minimum score of 600
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted electronically via Aalborg University’s online recruitment system. The submission package must include:
- Cover Letter: Motivation statement detailing your qualifications in relation to the project.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV): Detailing academic history, technical background, and relevant experience.
- Diplomas and Transcripts: Certified copies of both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree certificates including grade transcripts.
- Project Description: A one-page research statement highlighting your vision and methodological approach to the project topics.
- List of Written Work (Optional): Master’s thesis, publications, or technical reports.
- References (Optional): Contact details or reference letters from two academic or professional referees.
- Language Documentation: Proof of English language test scores if applicable.
Last Date for Apply
The deadline for submitting online applications is 5 December 2026 (23:59 CET).
Apply Link
To submit your application and view the original job posting, visit the Aalborg University Application Portal.
