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

Are you looking for a PhD opportunity that combines rigorous AI research with high-impact problems in next-generation wireless systems? We are recruiting a talented and motivated PhD student for a Research Council of Norway-funded project in collaboration with NTNU and SINTEF Digital. The research focuses on advanced signal analysis and machine learning methods that enable robust operation and service continuity in future wireless networks under challenging radio conditions.

As a PhD student, you will develop state-of-the-art learning and inference methods to detect and characterize anomalous radio behavior and to design algorithms that remain reliable under practical constraints. Depending on background and interests, the work may involve robust detection under distribution shifts and unseen interference conditions, resilient federated/decentralized (collaborative) learning, and reinforcement learning for adaptive decision-making. A key aim is to connect wireless phenomena to learning robustness by combining physical-layer signal structure and signal-processing insights with trustworthy learning principles.

You will join a dynamic, collaborative team conducting rigorous AI and signal processing research with clear relevance to future wireless systems. The work emphasizes principled modeling, reproducible experimentation with open datasets and simulations, and publication-ready contributions targeting leading venues in machine learning and wireless communications. You will also have opportunities for international collaboration with leading research groups through joint publications, visits, and conference presentations.

Your immediate leader will be the leader of the signal processing group.

Duties of the position

Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
Academic publications and popular science dissemination
Participate in the Signal Processing group
Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

You must have a relevant Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, 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’s students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position.
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 may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
You must meet the requirements for admission to the doctoral programme at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.
You must have a strong mathematical background and a research-oriented Master’s thesis in a relevant field (e.g., signal processing, statistical machine learning, wireless communications, applied mathematics).
You must have solid programming skills and documented experience implementing algorithms and running reproducible experiments in Python and/or MATLAB.

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

Experience with machine learning for signal data and/or wireless systems (e.g., robustness under distribution shift and challenging radio conditions). Familiarity with federated/decentralized learning and/or reinforcement learning under practical constraints is an advantage.
Publication activity (e.g., conference/journal papers, preprints, or open-source contributions) in relevant areas.
Excellent written and oral English skills.

Personal characteristics

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

Communicate research clearly, both orally and in writing, and discuss results with other professionals.
Work independently and take ownership of research problems from idea to publication.
Be scientifically curious and motivated to learn new methods and explore new research directions.
Be persistent and structured, with good planning skills and the ability to meet deadlines.

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
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 the doctoral work, with a possible extension of up to one year of career-promoting work.

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

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 be in 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 Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or 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:

Cover letter describing your background and motivation (maximum 1 page).
CV (including education and relevant working experience) and relevant certificates/ attestations.
Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
Brief research vision for the position (maximum 2 pages).
Names and contact information of three referees.
List of publications and/or other relevant research work (if any).
Documentation of English proficiency (if available).
If available: a copy of the Master's thesis (documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position).

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 Professor Stefan Werner at stefan.werner@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR at e-mail: hr@ies.no

Application deadline: 06.04.2026

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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