PhD Candidate in AI-Supported Decision-Making for Asset Management of Public Building Portfolios

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.

   

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About the position

Are you motivated to pursue a doctorate while working on real-world challenges in public asset management and decision-making? As a PhD Candidate in this position, you will work towards your doctoral degree while gaining valuable experience in applying artificial intelligence and data-driven methods to complex decision-support processes.

The project focuses on developing AI-supported approaches to improve how large public building portfolios are evaluated and managed. You will work with real use cases and contribute to research that aims to make decision processes more consistent, transparent, and evidence-based.

You will collaborate with a broad network of internal and external partners, including practitioners, domain experts, and researchers. This provides a unique opportunity to combine academic research with practical application in a highly relevant societal context.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

The PhD project is part of a broader effort to develop AI-supported decision frameworks for public asset management, with a focus on improving evaluation, prioritization, and long-term planning of building portfolios. The work will explore how AI can support more consistent and data-informed assessments while maintaining a human-in-the-loop approach where expert judgment remains central.

The project is a collaboration between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NTNU, SINTEF Digital, and the Department of Engineering Cybernetics. It is conducted in close collaboration with Statsbygg and other relevant public building owners and authorities.

The research is embedded in the Norwegian Center on AI for Decisions (aiD), ensuring strong interdisciplinary collaboration between academia, research institutes, and public sector partners.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out high-quality research within AI-supported decision-making for asset management
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the aiD research network and relevant national research and applied practice environments
• Contribute to research and knowledge exchange activities in the research group Building Process at the department
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays abroad
• Contribute to teaching and supervision activities if required

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant master’s degree in facility or asset management, property and real estate, engineering, economics, computer science, data science, or a related field. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. 
• 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 - PhD - Faculty of Engineering Science - NTNU
• Good written and oral communication skills in English 

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 for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience or strong interest in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or data-driven decision support systems
• Knowledge of asset management, infrastructure planning, or public sector decision processes, preferably in a Norwegian or Scandinavian context
• Relevant work experience in asset or facility management, infrastructure planning, or related fields is an advantage. Experience with data-driven methods or analytical tools is a plus
• Familiarity with explainable AI or human-in-the-loop systems is beneficial
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level B2-C.

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently, take initiative and be proactive
• Are structured and able to plan and execute research tasks
• Are curious and motivated to explore complex problems
• Can analyze data and draw well-founded conclusions
• Communicate research clearly with both academic and non-academic audiences
• Contribute constructively to collaboration with others
• Are flexible and able to adapt research direction when needed
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity 

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

Evaluate and remove/add what is relevant for the position.

• 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. (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 the doctoral work.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme PhD in Engineering (Doctoral Programme) 3 years - Trondheim - NTNU within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme through out 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 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 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:

• 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 Savis Gohari, 94484660, Savis.gohari@ntnu.no. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Ragne Matberg (HR Consultant), email: ragne.matberg@ntnu.no

Application deadline: 31.07.2026

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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.