PhD Candidate in Composite subsea cable systems for floating offshore wind

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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. 

The focus of the position is research on improving electrical subsea cable systems for floating offshore wind based on material and structural studies. Subsea cables are complicated structures made of many components to provide structural integrity and insulation to the inner electrical cables while being flexible. A key approach is to investigate the use of composites (fiber reinforced plastics) instead of steel for obtaining structural integrity of the cables. The work will be carried out in close cooperation with the industry. 

The position is being part of the project “Cost Effective Subsea Dynamic Cables for Offshore Wind” with the overall aim of supporting the design of innovative, cost-effective, and robust composite-based subsea dynamic cables tailored for offshore wind applications. The project includes altogether three PhD positions, covering cable design, integrity management and digital twin technologies for predictive maintenance, where the first is the topic of the present position. The candidate is expected to cooperate closely with industry and the two other PhD candidates being part of the project.

Your will be supervised by Andreas Echtermeyer.

Duties of the position

• optimization studies applying several design concepts
• stress analysis of cross-section components of the cable
• exploring and optimizing damage tolerance of the cable system
• correlation studies between numerical predictions and results from actual cables
• exploring creative novel solutions by finding suitable materials and construction principles
• familiarize yourself with the technology of electrical subsea cables
• modelling the mechanical and thermal behavior of cables
• taking part in the mandatory PhD research education program
• writing and defending a PhD thesis

Required selection criteria

• you must have a professionally relevant background in mechanical, materials or civil engineering or physics
• 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 1st August 2025
• you must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program
• you need knowledge in finite element analysis and composite structures
• you should have good analytical and modeling skills
• you must have good written and oral English language skills

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

• creep, temperature and rate dependent properties
• thermodynamics, kinetics, heat flow
• fatigue, fracture mechanics, dynamic analysis of structures and buckling
• composite laminate theory, progressive failure analysis
• programming skills, e.g. be familiar with programming in Abaqus and Python

Personal characteristics

• motivated and ambitious
• creative 
• good team player and able to work independently
• proficiency to carry out goal-oriented work
• good oral and written presentations skills

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 daily.

About the application

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

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.
• project proposal showing how you envision the research work for this project
• name and contact information of three referees
• if you have publications or other relevant research work

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 Andreas Echtermeyer, e-mail: andreas.echtermeyer@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant, e-mail: hedda.winnberg@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.