PhD Fellows

PhD fellow Dorte Skaarup Østergaard

Dorte Skaarup Østergaard (former Larsen) joined the 4DH Research Centre in June 2014 as a PhD Fellow at The Department of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, under the supervision of Professor Svend Svendsen. Dorte was attached to work package 1 (WP1) and the focus of her research was heating of existing buildings with low-temperature district heating.

Dorte holds a Master in Sustainable Energy from the Technical University of Denmark and has been focusing on energy savings in buildings and low-temperature heating during her master studies.

She defended her PhD thesis in November 2018.

PhD fellow Xiaochen Yang

Xiaochen Yang joined the 4DH Research Centre in February 2013 as a PhD Fellow at The Department of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, under the supervision of Professor Svend Svendsen. Xiaochen was attached to work package 1 (WP1) and the focus of her research was on district heating and the supply of hot water at comfort temperatures without legionella.

Xiaochen Yang holds a Master of HVAC in Building Technology, Built Environment and Sustainable Energy Technology from Tianjin University, Tianjin, China, from 2012.

She defended her PhD thesis on 17 June 2016.

PhD fellow Soma Mohammadi

Soma Mohammadi joined the 4DH Research Centre in November 2012 as a PhD fellow at The Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, under the supervision of Associate Professor Carsten Bojesen. Soma was attached to work package 1 (WP1) and the focus of her research was on the district heating distribution components and distribution systems.

Soma Mohammadi received her MSc in Advanced Chemical Process Design from The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, in 2011. The title of her MSc thesis was “Upgrading waste heat for District Heating Networks”.

She defended her PhD thesis in October 2016.

PhD fellow Maksym Kotenko

Maksym Kotenko joined the 4DH Research Centre in Feburary 2015 as a PhD fellow at The Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, under the supervision of Associate Professor Carsten Bojesen. Maksym was attached to work package 1 (WP1) and the focus of his research was on minimization of losses in low-temperature district heating.

Maksym Kotenko received his MSc in Energy and Environmental Technology from Telemark University College, Porsgrunn, Norway, in 2014. The title of his MSc thesis was “Design and Aspen Plus simulation of cyclone separation of calcium carbonate particles

He defended his PhD thesis in 2019.

PhD fellow Rasmus Lund

Rasmus Lund joined the 4DH Research Centre in November 2013 as a PhD fellow at The Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University Copenhagen Campus, under the supervision of Professor Brian Vad Mathiesen. Rasmus was attached to work package 2 (WP2) and the focus of his research was on energy systems modelling and energy scenarios for Denmark.

Rasmus holds a MSc in Sustainable Energy Planning and Management from Aalborg University in 2013. The theme of his Master’s thesis is large-scale integration of wind power by utilization of large-scale thermal storage and heat pumps.

He defended his PhD thesis in May 2017.

PhD fellow Peter Sorknæs

Peter Sorknæs joined the 4DH Research Centre in August 2012 as a PhD fellow at The Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, under the supervision of Professor Henrik Lund and External Associate Professor Anders N. Andersen. Peter was attached to work package 2 (WP2) and the focus of his research was on the daily operation of distributed CHP plants which also participate in electricity system balancing tasks.

Peter Sorknæs received his MSc in Engineering (Planning and the Environment) from Aalborg University in 2010. The title of his MSc thesis was “Electricity market auction settings in a future Danish electricity system with a high penetration of renewable energy sources: A comparison of marginal pricing and pay-as-bid”. From mid-2010 to the start of his PhD, Peter was employed as a consultant at EMD International.

He finished his PhD dissertation "Bidding and operation strategies in future energy markets – The transition of small district heating plants into market-based smart energy systems" in July 2015.

PhD fellow Urban Persson

Urban Persson joined the 4DH Research Centre in 2012 as a PhD fellow at The School of Business and Engineering at Halmstad University/Chalmers University of Technology under the supervision of Professor Sven Werner. Urban was attached to work package 2 (WP2) and the focus of his research was on low-temperature energy sources used for district heating.

Urban was the first within the 4DH project to recieve the PhD degree in January 2015 when he defended his doctoral thesis "District heating in future Europe: Modelling expansion potentials and mapping heat synergy regions".

PhD fellow Xiong Weiming

Xiong Weiming joined the 4DH Research Centre in 2012 as a PhD fellow at The Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy at Tsinghua University under the supervision of Professor Zhang Xiliang. Weiming was attached to work package 2 (WP2) and the focus of his research is on the role of district heating in the Chinese energy system.

Xiong Weiming received his BE in Electricity Engineering from Tsinghua University, China, in 2011. The title of his BE thesis was “Economic analysis of PV and wind power based on REP model”.

PhD fellow Michael Herborn

Michael Herborn joined the 4DH Research Centre in November 2012 as a PhD fellow at The Department of Law, University of Southern Denmark, under the supervision of Professor Bent Ole Gram Mortensen. Michael was attached to work package 3 (WP3) and the focus of his research was on strategic energy planning in Denmark in a municipal and legal context.

Michael Herborn holds a Cand.Jur (LLM) from the University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, from 2012. His undergraduate studies in law were completed at the University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence (Law). He additionally holds a Master of International Business from the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, completed in 2006.

He defended his PhD thesis in September 2017.

PhD fellow Søren Djørup

Søren Djørup joined the 4DH Research Centre in September 2013 as a PhD fellow at The Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, under the supervision of Professor Frede Hvelplund. Søren was attached to work package 3 (WP3) and the focus of his research was on price regulation, tariff models and ownership as elements of strategic energy planning.

Søren Djørup received his MSc in Economics (Cand.Oecon) from Aalborg University in 2013. In addition, he holds a MA in Political Economy from The University of Manchester, completed in 2012.

He defended his PhD thesis in November 2016.

PhD fellow Lars Grundahl

Lars Grundahl joined the 4DH Research Centre in September 2014 as a PhD Fellow at The Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, under the supervision of Professor Bernd Möller. Lars was attached to work package 3 (WP3) and the focus of his research was to use GIS (Geographical Information System) in the development of energy atlases to support spatial heat planning.

Lars Grundahl received his MSc in Sustainable Energy Planning and Management from Aalborg University in 2014. The theme of his Master’s thesis is The Future of District Heating with a focus on low-temperature district heating in new residential areas.

He defended his PhD thesis in December 2017.

PhD fellow Stefan Petrović

Stefan Petrović joined the 4DH Research Centre in November 2012 as a PhD fellow at The Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, under the supervision of Senior Scientist Kenneth Karlsson and co-supervision of Associate Professor Bernd Möller, Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University.  Stefan was attached to work package 3 (WP3) and the focus of his research was combining GIS (Geographical Information Systems) with energy systems modeling.

Stefan Petrović received his MSc in Electrical Power Systems from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, in 2012. The title of his MSc thesis was “Use of software tools for solving linear optimization problems in electrical power systems”.

He defended his PhD thesis in October 2016.