PhD Candidate in Rock Engineering for New Hydropower Plants - IV-52/26

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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.

   

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About the position

The PhD position is for a three-year period with possibility of one-year extension for teaching assistance at the Department of Geosciences (IGV) of NTNU. The PhD fellow will be a part of a team working on the NRC funded project called “FME RenewHydro”, which has started from January 2025 at NTNU. The candidate will closely work with Engineering geology and rock mechanics research group and RenewHydro Project team and will report to Professor Krishna Kanta Panthi who will supervise the PhD fellow.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

The New Hydropower Plants - Design and Construction (RP1.1) Project under FME RenewHydro is dedicated to the development of improved design for future hydropower plants. The project aims to reduce construction costs, environmental impacts, technical risks, improve operational capabilities and ensure functional design that will facilitate long term operation and maintenance with minimum environmental impacts for intakes and outlets, tunnel systems, powerhouse arrangements and pump-turbine submergence. 

The work shall be interdisciplinary and review existing design methods for tunnel system and powerhouse cavern and investigate design methods to ascertain minimum required rock stresses (engineering geology), challenge necessary submergence (mechanical/civil), develop new powerhouse arrangements with respect to size and engineering geological perspectives (civil/ engineering geology), tailrace tunnel system arrangements and outlet structures (hydraulic/environmental/ engineering geology), fish friendly pumping intakes (civil/engineering geology/hydraulic/environmental). By considering all aspects, optimized designs and best practice are sought to be found. The new technical design and solutions shall be discussed in workshops with industry experts and ranked according to consensus-based ranking criteria. The scientific results shall be presented in international conferences and published in recognized international journals.

Duties of the position

• Complete doctoral education within the fixed period
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic journal publications, conference publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group “Engineering Geology and Rock Mechanics” and FME RenewHydro (https://www.ntnu.edu/renewhydro)
• Participate in international activities such as conferences 
• Contribution in teaching and MSc co-supervision within rock engineering and tunneling

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in rock engineering, engineering geology and should have good knowledge of the design of hydropower underground structures. 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 no later than 31st of August 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 with a grade having more than 80 percentage. 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 Program of Faculty of Engineering PhD in Engineering (Doctoral Programme) 3 years - Trondheim - NTNU
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English equivalent to IELTS score of 7 or equivalent with TOEFL scores of above 94. 
• English test results are not mandatory for candidates that have obtained MSc degree from NTNU with written MSc thesis in English language.

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

• Full-filled academic criteria
• Very good knowledge base in unlined/shotcrete lined high pressure water tunnels, underground caverns, hydraulic flow in tunnels etc. 
• Documentation of research qualities and motivation to research
• Relevant background to carry out the research in assigned field
• Competent in the use of programs such as QGIS, numerical modeling programs like FLAC 3D, UDEC, 3DEC, RS2, RS3, PYTHON etc.
• Excellent written and oral English language. Excellent presentation skills. Knowledge in Norwegian will give additional advantage

Personal characteristics

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

• High motivation in research and learning curiosity in the research field
• Ready to work both independently and in the team
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity 
• 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
• 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. (delete if not applicable)

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 doctoral work with possible one year extension if candidate is asked to contribute in teaching assistantship and co-supervision of MSc fellows. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD program in Engineering within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral program throughout 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 or Norwegian language. 

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:

• Academic certificates, transcripts, and diplomas for both Bachelor and Master degrees
• Documentation about proficiency in English Language
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) not exceeding four pages
• Two pages long research proposal in the research topic
• Published article(s) or other relevant research work (if any)
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)
• 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 Professor Krishna Kanta Panthi, email: krishna.panthi@ntnu.no. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Eli Meistad, Senior Adviser HR, email: eli.meistad@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 10.04.2026

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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.