PhD in Modular DC/DC converters for Battery Energy Storage and Fuel Cells for Marine Applications

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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

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? Do you have a background in electric power engineering, and are you interested in power electronics? 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, both in and outside academia. 

The Department of Electric Energy (IEL) at NTNU is seeking a highly motivated candidate for a full-time (100%) PhD position for 3 years as part of the project “Onboard Modular DC/DC Power Electronic Converters for Battery Energy Storage and Fuel Cells in Marine Vessels”. You will join the research group Power Electronic System and Components (PESC) at IEL, where we foster an open, inclusive, and collaborative working environment. 

Our working environment is characterized by its friendly and supportive atmosphere, with regular gatherings such as professional meetings within the research group, shared lunches, and “Friday coffee” sessions to wrap up the week. These formal and informal occasions provide opportunities to exchange ideas, celebrate milestones, and strengthen connections. PhD candidates also arrange social activities, open to everyone who wishes to join, creating a welcoming and inclusive community.

Your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department.

About the project

The mission of FME Maritime Energy Transition (MarTrans) is to accelerate the energy transition of the maritime sector through cutting-edge research, innovation, and value chain collaboration. This PhD project is a part of Research Area 2 (RA) and WP 2.1. 

The maritime sector accounts today for 9% of Norway's GHG emissions and 12% of global transport emissions. However, the urgently required decarbonization of the maritime transport sector imposes the need to phase out traditional fossil fuel powered propulsion. A way forward to address this challenge is to increase the degree of onboard electrification including electrification of propulsion. Such approach will necessitate the integration of modern energy carriers onboard, as for example battery energy storage systems and fuel cells, leading to a more environmentally friendly operation of the vessels. Integration of batteries and fuel cells with the vessel’s onboard DC distribution grid (1-1.5 kV or even MV) require power electronics, which enable power and voltage control. Designing high-efficiency and low-footprint power electronics is of outermost importance for maritime applications. To achieve these design constraints both Silicon (e.g., IGBTs) and wide bandgap (WBG) (e.g., Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN)) power semiconductors will be utilized. 

The PhD candidate will develop compact, cost-effective and high-efficiency modular and galvanically isolated DC/DC power electronic converters employing WBG power semiconductors for interconnecting batteries and fuel cells with the vessel’s onboard DC distribution grid. A particular focus of the project will be on delivering optimized converter designs in terms of voltage, power, specific topologies, their control methods and suitable power semiconductors technology.

The PhD candidate will work in the 300 MNOK Centre for Environment-Friendly Energy Research (FME) “Maritime Energy Transition (MarTrans)”, which is funded by the Research Council of Norway and industry.

Duties of the position

• Carry out research of high quality within the framework described above.
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination.
• Participate in activities in the research group Power Electronic Systems and Components (PESC).
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions.
• Complete academic training consisting of coursework corresponding to a minimum of 30 ECTS.

6 months of career-enhancing work may be offered to the PhD candidate with clear motivation and ability for such work. This type of work comes in addition to the research project and doctoral education and provides valuable experience for future careers in academia or other sectors. Examples of career-promoting work can be, but are not limited to, teaching in courses relevant to power electronics and motor drives, supervision, and examination work within the candidate's area of competence. 

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background within power electronics or equivalent. 
• You must have a Master's degree in power electronics. 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 Faculty's Doctoral Programme.
• You must have English language skills, both written and spoken, corresponding to the scale B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Applicants who are not native English speakers are encouraged to document their English language proficiency. This can be done through an approved English language test. One of the following test scores could be documented for this purpose:
  • TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 79 - 101.
  • IELTS - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 5.5 - 6.0.
  • Cambridge English - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 160 - 179.

Further assessment of both written and oral English language skills and the ability to communicate fluently will be conducted in the continued selection process and during any interviews for all applicants.

If you cannot document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2 upon employment, NTNU offers the opportunity to take Norwegian courses corresponding to at least 15 credits. NTNU will facilitate this. 

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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 Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) 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 laboratory development in power electronics would be desired.
• Scientific publications will be merited.
• Experience with programming tools (e.g., Python, Matlab, C/C++) will be merited.
• Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish language skills, both written and oral, corresponding to the scale B2.
• English language skills, both written and spoken, corresponding to the scale C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). See which scores are equivalent to the C1 level here.

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently and structured, set goals, and make plans to achieve them 
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals 
• Engage and contribute constructively with feedback 
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity   
• Show curiosity and have a strong motivation for the subject, and have interest and commitment to teaching and supervising students    
• 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
• 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
• Training during working hours and company sports at NTNU
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)  

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

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 the possibility of an additional 6 months of employment in connection with career-enhancing work. 

The option of career-enhancing work may be offered to a candidate with clear motivation and ability for such work. This will be clarified with the candidate during and after any interview. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Electric Power Engineering within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme 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 academic 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: 

• A cover letter where the applicant describes personal motivation, summarizing scientific work, and how the applicant sees her/his background as suitable (400 words/1 page).
• 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, including references). This proposal will be neither final nor binding for the project.
• CV.
• If you have testimonials of work experience, submit them.
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees. If you have not yet completed your Master's thesis, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the submission of the Master's thesis, or confirmation that your Master's thesis has been submitted.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are requested to send a diploma supplement or a similar document, which describes in detail the study programme and grading system. See also specific documentation requirements for education obtained outside of Norway, applicable to certain regions/countries, here. 
• A copy of the Master's thesis. If you recently submitted your Master's thesis, you are encouraged to attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position. 
• If you have publications or other relevant research work, submit them.
• You are encouraged to include documentation of English language proficiency if you are not a native speaker of English. 
• Name and contact information of three 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 works 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 Dimosthenis Peftitsis by email at dimosthenis.peftitsis@ntnu.no or Professor Roy Nilsen by email at roy.nilsen@ntnu.no. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Sven Robert Storø by email at sven.r.storo@ntnu.no or Bodil Wold by email at bodil.wold@ntnu.no. 

Application deadline: 18.08.2025

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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.