PhD Candidates in Sustainable Energy Efficiency for Waterborne Transport

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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.

About the job

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

Would you like to work together with researchers and industry to develop energy-efficient waterborne transport, helping Europe to meet the ambitious emission reduction targets in the “Fit for 55”-strategy? Then this job is for you! We have a vacancy for two PhD Candidates within sustainable energy efficiency areas for waterborne transport at the Department of Marine Technology.

We are seeking highly motivated PhD candidates to contribute to a sustainable maritime industry by exploring and evaluating energy efficiency technologies (EETs) and developing decision-support tools for their effective implementation. The successful candidate will work closely with a multidisciplinary team to research, develop and implement innovative solutions to accelerate the transition to sustainable maritime industry. The proposed position is linked to the project FLEETfor55 (State-of-the-art sustainable energy efficiency technologies roadmap for waterborne transport towards the fit-for-55 guidance compliance) funded under the EC’s HORIZON-CL5-2024-D5-01-12 initiative.

Your immediate leader is the Head of the Department.

Duties of the position

• Take courses in the relevant technical topics for the project, comprising a minimum of 30 credits.
• Practice scientific communication by writing articles and attending conferences with other scientists and PhD candidates.
• As part of the project to which the position is connected: 
  • Generate, collect, and analyse data for EETs.  
  • Work with the project partners and contribute to the data collection, evaluation and development of decision-support systems for holistic sustainability assessment.
  • Conduct desktop studies to assess EET feasibility in specific scenarios and design and integrate EETs into maritime systems.
  • Contribute to the development and deployment of a digital platform for EET evaluation.
  • Development of tools for decision-support systems.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in naval architecture, marine engineering, electrical engineering, cybernetics or a related field.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented by 31.12.2024
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phiv)

• Very good English skills (both written and spoken)

  Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside Europe must present an official language test report. The acceptable tests are TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:

  • TOEFL: 600 / writing 4.5 (paper-based) or 92 / writing 22 (internet-based)
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted)
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A.

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) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• Strong knowledge in energy systems, sustainability, and maritime engineering.
• Proficiency in energy system modeling tools, and simulation and data-driven assessment.
• Experience with digital platform for decision-making.
• Knowledge of maritime regulations, standards, and safety guidelines.
• Documented work experience from industry.

Academic results, publications, relevant specialization, work or research experience, personal qualifications, and motivations for making an impact on EETs will be considered when evaluating the applicants.

Personal characteristics

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Flexible and reliable, with ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team.
• Eager to travel to cooperate in industry and other research partners.
• Open to feedback and input from others as well as able to respect, collaborate, and negotiate with others.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years. 

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period. 

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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 NTNU. 

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include: 

• CV and certificates. 
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have 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.
• A cover letter explaining your motivation and qualifications for the position. 
• A research proposal aligned with the position's objectives including a brief background and the state-of-the-art, research questions, methodologies, and anticipated outcomes. 
• Contact information for three referees. 
• Documents indicating research or professional background relevant to the position (publications, project report, etc.).

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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. 

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The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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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As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself 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 reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Sverre Steen, telephone +47-93406429, email: sverre.steen@ntnu.no and Professor Dong Trong Nguyen, telephone +47-91702345, email dong.t.nguyen@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Marit Gjersvold, marit.gjersvold@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.