PhD Candidate in Circumventing bird collision risk, an aerodynamic approach

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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.

   

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About the position

This PhD project is connected to FME NorthWind (https://www.northwindresearch.no/), a Norwegian national research centre led by SINTEF Energy Research. FME NorthWind advances research and innovation for the sustainable development of wind energy, with particular emphasis on balancing technological deployment with environmental and societal sustainability. The position is linked to Work Package 5: Sustainable Wind Development, which develops tools and knowledge for reducing environmental and community-related conflicts and supporting robust decision-making under uncertainty.

The successful applicant will work at NTNU in Trondheim. The Department of Mathematical Sciences, NTNU, will host the PhD position. The topic of the PhD fellowship is at the interface of numerical mathematics, fluid mechanics, and ecology. A successful candidate will be offered a three-year position, which could potentially be extended with teaching duties.

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

This PhD position is part of the WP5 Sustainable wind development and related to bird collision risks which is one of the main environmental impacts of onshore and offshore wind turbines on birds. In an offshore setting, many seabird populations are in sharp decline due to climate change and anthropogenic marine activities. There exists yet little knowledge on the extent of collision mortality internationally, due to the difficulty in recording such collision events offshore. Also, existing collision risk models are simplistic in nature and heavily rely on accurate knowledge of avoidance in birds. The PhD will develop an aerodynamic bird collision avoidance model, combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of the flow around wind turbines with the aerodynamic characteristics of flying birds to predict collision risk. This model will be fed by existing empirical data on bird flight behavioural responses to wind turbines from various bird radar studies. This model will allow simulation of birds flying within the turbulent airspace of a wind farm, and prediction of the probability of collision at wind turbines. This will be integrated into a Digital Twin (DT) framework to realize augmented reality to inform stakeholders of future environmental impacts of the planned wind farms.

We offer the opportunity to work in a very inspiring and motivating multidisciplinary research group to achieve the goal which is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate.
• Conducting high-quality research within the scope of the project.
• Contributing to research publications in leading international journals and conferences.
• Participating in international activities such as conferences, workshops and possible research stays abroad.
• Disseminating research results to both scientific and broader audiences.
• The candidate must engage in FME NorthWind activities as required.
• Implementing and testing algorithms in high-performing open-source scientific software.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in Applied/Numerical Mathematics, Physics and/or Ecology with a solid education in numerical methods for solving partial differential equations. Master students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than 2026-09-01.
• You must have a proven ability to apply such models in applied ecological settings.
• 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 (https://www.ntnu.no/studier/phma).
• Applicants must have significant programming experience ideally in C, C++, R and/or Python.
• You must have 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

It is an advantage if you have experience with one or more of the following topics: 

• Experience in ornithology and/or movement ecology.
• Numerical methods for differential equations

It is also an advantage if you have experience with publication-oriented research work and collaboration in international research environments. 

Knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is beneficial but not required.

Personal characteristics

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

• are highly motivated and curious about the above-mentioned research theme.
• can work independently and in a structured manner.
• have strong analytical skills and the ability to engage deeply with complex problems.
• can collaborate constructively with supervisors, colleagues and project partners.
• communicate your ideas and results clearly and are willing to discuss them with others.
• show perseverance and flexibility when facing research challenges.

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities and motivation for the position.  

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
• 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.

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. The department might be able to offer an extension of upto 12 months of career promotion work.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Mathematical Sciences (https://www.ntnu.no/studier/phma) within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme through out 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 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 English or a Scandinavian 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:

• A cover letter where the applicant describes the personal motivation, summarising scientific work, and how the applicant sees her/his background suitable for the position’s focus of research. The cover letter should clearly state the applicant’s experiences for each of the required and preferred selection criteria.
• CV.
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
• 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.
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work.
• Possibly certificates.
• Names and contact information of two or 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 Trond Kvamsdal, Professor at Department of Mathematical Sciences, NTNU, through e-mail: Trond.Kvamsdal@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Lisa Wedershoven, e-mail: lisa.wedershoven@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 03.08.2026.

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.