Smart Energy Systems AI Engineer

An exciting opportunity has become available to work on a 30-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between the University of Exeter and Hydro Star Europe Ltd. The KTP will develop AI-driven control, optimisation, and forecasting tools that enable Hydrostar’s electrolysis systems to operate efficiently, safely, and economically under variable and unpredictable renewable energy inputs (solar, wind, hybrid systems).

The successful candidate will be employed by the University of Exeter and will spend the majority of their time working at Hydro Star’s operational site in Exeter.

Main purpose of the job:

• To work in collaboration with Industry and Academic Supervisors to successfully deliver the following KTP Project:
  Develop and embed effective control systems to maximise the use of renewable energy in green hydrogen production.
• To actively contribute to the University of Exeter’s research activity through applying latest thinking to industrial challenges
• To transfer the latest academic thinking relative to the project into the company partner

This project aims to transform Hydro Star’s existing hydrogen production techniques using AI-based optimisation and real-time system oversight to enable it to produce hydrogen at a lower environmental and financial cost. The KTP will develop AI-enabled control, optimisation, and forecasting capabilities that allow Hydrostar’s electrolysis systems to operate efficiently, safely, and economically across a wide range of impure water feed stocks and highly variable renewable energy sources.

By combining first-principles modelling with data-driven analytics, the project will support robust operation under dynamic and uncertain operating conditions.

The KTP associate will develop and embed within Hydrostar:

• AI-driven analytics that fuse real-time plant data with system models to anticipate short- and medium-term renewable power availability, network constraints, and operational flexibility — enabling proactive rather than reactive control decisions.
• Advanced control strategies implemented on cutting-edge instrumentation, field devices, and control hardware (including the potential for custom-developed components), enabling dynamic optimisation of production, and resilient operation under rapidly changing conditions.

As a result of this KTP project, Hydro Star will be able to bring the cost of production down, making green hydrogen closer to price parity with natural gas, reducing the price-related barriers-to-adoption for Hydro Star’s prospective clients and enabling wider adoption of Green Hydrogen Production and Storage systems.

Hydrostar is an Exeter-based company developing advanced electrolysis technologies to enable practical, low-carbon hydrogen production. Our systems are modular, scalable, and engineered for real-world conditions, supporting applications from on-site industrial hydrogen generation to distributed energy systems. By combining electrochemical innovation with intelligent system design, Hydrostar aims to reduce the cost and complexity of green hydrogen and accelerate the transition to a net-zero energy system.

Green hydrogen, produced via water electrolysis using electricity from renewable sources, is increasingly recognised as a foundational element of future low-carbon energy systems. In recent years, the sector has undergone accelerated expansion, reflecting growing political, industrial, and financial commitment. Unlike hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, green hydrogen emits no carbon dioxide during production, offering a clean and sustainable energy vector for sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as heavy industry, shipping, and long-haul transport.