This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0

About the position

Knowledge representation languages (KRL) can help to preserve, access and develop knowledge over time with the support of automated reasoning. Different KRLs and tools were developed that make it possible to build semantic representations that can simplify getting new insights.

Join us to explore how to develop semantically enriched urban services giving better experience to people at different levels of a municipality – households, (residential/industrial) neighborhoods, districts, towns and cities. Let’s investigate how to create and maintain such services and their relevant knowledge over time focusing on air quality and its dynamics at the different levels of a municipality.

Your supervisor will be Associate Professor Andrei Lobov.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

Funded in the framework of the Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnership (DUT Call 2024), the UrbanBREATH is an interdisciplinary project focused on measuring, modeling and mitigating air pollution in urban environments. We combine low-cost sensing, community engagement and data-driven policy recommendations to create healthier cities.

Ensuring clean air is a critical component of urban ecosystems, as urban air quality significantly impacts the health of city residents and surrounding wildlife. This project aims to develop and provide deployment strategies for air quality monitoring system based on different urban stakeholders (residents, landlords, infrastructure owners, utility companies, recycling companies). The main focus of the project is on monitoring and decision-making based on ventilation systems for the corresponding stakeholders. The UrbanBREATH project is to provide integrated IoT-based monitoring solution to assess specifics of each of the stakeholders. The research hypothesis is that the performance of each of the stakeholders can be derived based on evaluation of the air quality and there exists intelligent automation strategies allowing for optimization of air quality with simultaneous reduction of energy consumption and carbon footprint of buildings.

Duties of the position

Complete the doctoral education
Contribute to research, development and demonstration of a methodology for building autonomous and adaptive urban services.
Carry out research of good quality in collaboration with the UrbanBREATH project partners
Disseminate results in academic publications and popular science dissemination
Participate in the research group of Knowledge-based engineering and knowledge-driven systems at the department.
Participate in international activities such as conferences and research stays at foreign educational institutions, i.e. the relevant partners.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

You must have a relevant Master's degree in industrial ICT, Information systems, IoT, HVAC engineering, Sustainable design in construction or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. Master students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than spring 2026.
You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you maybe considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's Doctoral Programme
Good skills in mathematics, programming, and information systems
Very good English skills, both written and oral

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

Strong skills in programming languages and software-engineering paradigms, e.g. Python; OOA/OOD/OOP.
Knowledge of or experience with semantic modeling, knowledge representation and automated reasoning.
Knowledge of or experience with some of AI frameworks and corresponding APIs.
Experience with application processes in the EU and NFR
Skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to:

Work independently
Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
Present and discuss your research with other professionals
Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions
Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

An exciting job with an important mission in society
Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
Working capital that can be used to implement the project
Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)
Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 550 800,-per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.

The employment period is 3 years.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Engineering within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme through out the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include:

Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
CV
Copy of Master's thesis. If you have recently submitted your Master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
Project outline containing proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages)
Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)
Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
Possibly certificates
Names and contact information of three relevant referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint work will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Andrei Lobov, telephone: +47 45 91 34 55, e-mail: andrei.lobov@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Senior Consultant Hedda Winnberg, e-mail: hedda.winnberg@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 15.04.2026

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For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

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