About the position

A PhD position in low-rank methods for scientific computing and machine learning is available at the Department of Data Science at the Faculty of Science and Technology .

The PhD position is for a period of 3 years.

Desired start date: within 1st September 2025

Many challenges in physics, engineering, and computer science require significant computational and memory resources, particularly when addressing large and often prohibitively complex matrix or tensor differential equations. This project focuses on efficiently solving such differential equations using dynamical low-rank approximation (DLRA). DLRA leverages low-rank matrix or tensor factorizations to represent solutions and derives time evolution equations for the low-rank factors. Due to the high stiffness of these equations, developing novel numerical methods that respect the geometry of low-rank matrix and tensor manifolds is essential. The resulting algorithms can, for example, be applied to efficiently tackle problems in quantum mechanics and train low-rank neural networks, which frequently achieve excellent performance with a substantially reduced memory footprint.

Possible areas of research include:

Implementation, derivation, and analysis of low-rank integrators for high-dimensional differential equations in applications such as quantum dynamics, radiation therapy, uncertainty quantification, shallow water, or Stokes equations. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the stability and convergence of discretization methods, as well as integrating low-rank approaches with optimal control techniques.
Implementation, derivation, and analysis of low-rank training methods for neural networks. Potential research directions include developing low-rank momentum-based optimizers and exploring their applications to improve zero-shot learning, Hamiltonian networks, and large language models.

You will join the research efforts at the Department of Data Science at NMBU and contribute to its development. As a student in the PhD Programme Science and Technology, you will work towards your doctoral thesis and earn your PhD upon successful defense of your thesis.

Main tasks

The successful candidate is expected to enter a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with a view to completing a doctorate within the PhD contract period.

Competence

Required qualifications

A Master's degree or equivalent in Mathematics, Physics, or Data Science. Foreign degrees must correspond with the admission criteria for the PhD program. Candidates submitting MSs thesis within 30. June 2025 may be considered.
Experience in programming preferably in Python, C, C++, or Julia
Experience in scientific computing, numerical analysis, or numerical optimization
Proficiency in both written and oral English in correspondence with the admission criteria for the PhD program.
Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

A strong Master's thesis, preferably with a connection to the topic of this position.
Good grades in subjects that align with the topic of this position.
Dedication to research, documented by conference presentations, submitted work, or student research projects.

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

Personal qualities:

Enthusiasm for machine learning or scientific computing
Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities
Good social and collaborative skills
Good communicative skills.

The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD programme at NMBU. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD programme description.

Remuneration and further information

We offer:

Salary 532200 NOK per annum. For exceptionally well qualified candidates a higher salary may be considered.
Government pay scale position code 1017 PhD Research Fellow.

Formal regulations

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the Norwegian University of Life Science (NMBU)

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NMBU.

For further information, please contact Dr. Jonas Kusch, Associate Professor of Scientific Computing

E-mail: jonas.kusch@nmbu.no (do not use this e-mail for application, it is only for questions)

Information for PhD applicants and general Information to applicants

Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: 03.03.2025

Please note that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language.

By applying the candidate confirms that information and documentation submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process to the PhD program.

Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged. Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

The application must include:

Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
Curriculum Vitae (with a list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications)
Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with NMBU PhD regulation section 5-2 (3).
Names and contact details for two references
Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.

About The Faculty of Science and Technology

The Faculty of Science and Technology (REALTEK) develops research-based knowledge and educates civil engineers and lecturers needed to reach the UN's sustainability goals. We have approximately 150 employees, 70 PhD students and soon 1500 students. The education and research at REALTEK cover a broad spectrum of disciplines.

This includes data science, mechanics and process engineering, robotics, construction and architecture, industrial economics, environmental physics and renewable energy, geomatics, water and environmental engineering, applied mathematics as well as secondary school teacher education in natural sciences and use of natural resources such as in agriculture, forestry and aquaculture. The workplace is in Ås, 30 km from Oslo.

What is it really like to work at the Faculty of Science and Technology (REALTEK) at NMBU?

- Guided tour of the Faculty of Science and Technology on Vimeo

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