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PhD Residency, Utility-Scale Power Electronics (Winter 2026)

Google X· Tapestry (Google)
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Mountain View, CA$109k - $150kinternshipPosted 1mo ago

About the role

Six-month full-time PhD residency focused on advanced inverter control for utility-scale power electronics to enhance grid stability, resilience, and controllability.

Responsibilities

  • Design and develop advanced control algorithms for utility-scale inverter systems focused on grid stability and resilience.
  • Create and validate mode-shifting inverter control strategies that enable transitions between grid-following and grid-forming modes for single and three-phase inverters.
  • Design and implement Automatic Gain Control (AGC) approaches that adapt inverter behavior based on real-time grid conditions.
  • Simulate and evaluate control strategies under strong grid, weak grid, and transient scenarios.
  • Translate advanced control concepts into implementation-ready algorithms for future firmware or hardware integration.
  • Collaborate with power systems, software, and product teams to align research with real-world grid applications.
  • Produce technical documentation outlining control design, assumptions, performance tradeoffs, and stability margins.

Qualifications

  • Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, Power Systems, Control Systems, or a closely related field.
  • Strong foundational knowledge of power electronics and utility-scale power systems.
  • Experience with grid-forming, grid-following, or microgrid control strategies.
  • Hands-on experience with TI DSP (C2000) and Code Composer Studio (CCS).
  • Experience designing or analyzing control systems for inverter-based resources (e.g., inverter firmware development with interrupts).
  • Hands-on experience with MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS, and/or equivalent simulation tools.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to reason about system stability and dynamic behavior.
  • Clear written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and collaboration.

Skills

Required:Power electronicsGrid-forming / grid-following controlTI DSP (C2000) / Code Composer StudioInverter control designMATLAB/Simulink, PLECS

Benefits

  • Competitive salary
  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Immersion in a world-class research environment at the intersection of AI and climate tech
  • Competitive residency stipend and housing relocation support for the duration of the program
  • Direct mentorship from industry-leading research scientists and engineers
  • Opportunity to work on moonshot problems with access to Alphabet-scale compute and resources
Last updated Oct 22, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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Welcome to X, Alphabet's Moonshot Factory. We create radical technologies to help solve some of the world’s hardest problems.

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