PhD Candidate in Particle Engineering

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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

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.
 

The Particle Engineering Centre at the Department of Chemical Engineering has a vacancy for a PhD student with Assoc. Prof. Sulalit Bandyopadhyay. Thematics of the position is within nanoparticle design and characterization. The appointment has a duration of 3 years starting from summer/fall of 2026.
 

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

Multiple myeloma is a cancer characterized by hyperproliferation of antibody-producing cells in the bone marrow. Despite recent advances in treatments and patient survival, treatment resistance inevitably develops, and multiple myeloma remains incurable. Novel approaches to provide an accurate prognosis, guide treatment choices and develop new medications are all urgently needed.
 

In this interdisciplinary and collaborative project, we will develop new nanoparticle-based cell enrichment approaches to effectively isolate circulating multiple myeloma cells from patient blood samples and characterize them using optical profiling. 
 

This PhD candidate will develop magnetic polymeric nanoparticles using a scalable and robust technique, namely flash nanoprecipitation. These will be further functionalized to enable isolation of circulating multiple myeloma cells from the blood. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with the group of Assoc. Prof. Kai Sandvold at the Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Science, NTNU as well as the clinical academic group for multiple myeloma research at NTNU and St. Olav’s University Hospital. The position is funded by the Norwegian Research Council.
 

Duties of the position

• The research work will involve:
  • Synthesis and control of properties of nanoparticles using bottom-up approaches
  • Synthesis of polymer-based nanoparticles using nanoprecipitation
  • Characterization using state-of-the art infrastructure at Department of Chemical Engineering and NTNU Nanolab.
  • Functionalization of nanoparticles for rare tumour cell extraction.
• The PhD candidate will be an integral part of the Particle Engineering Centre. The candidate is expected to participate actively in various centre-related activities, including mentoring and co-supervision of master/bachelor students. More information about the centre can be found here.
• The candidate is expected to be flexible regarding short-term or long-term international research stays.
• Travelling to conferences, meetings, workshops may be expected as part of the position.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, Nanotechnology or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. Master students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than August 2026.
• 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 maybe 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 strong experimental background in synthesis and functionalization of nanoparticles via bottom-up approaches or synthesis and functionalization of polymer-based nanoparticles.  
• You must have proven experience in characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, spectroscopy, light scattering, etc. 
• You must be able to demonstrate a solid background in data and/or statistical analysis.
• You should have the willingness to design and build equipment and scientific instruments.
• You should possess good written and oral English language skills.

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 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

• Knowledge in mathematical modelling or simulations especially in investigating particle formation mechanisms.
• Knowledge and/or previous experience in biomedical applications such as biosensing, diagnostics, imaging and/or drug delivery

Personal characteristics

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

• Are positive, creative, result oriented and enthusiastic.
• Seek new challenges at work.
• Have keen interest working in interdisciplinary teams.
• Communicate information and results with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing.
   

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 employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in [subject area] (link to possible website)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 funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

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 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 summary of your Master thesis (one A4 page)
• A motivation/cover letter (maximum 2 A4 pages, Times New Roman or similar Font 11, Single spacing) addressing your interests, qualifications for this position and how this position will develop you for the future
• CV, including potential publications or other relevant research work 
• 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
• 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 Assoc. Prof Sulalit Bandyopadhyay, +4745071041, sulalit.bandyopadhyay@ntnu.no 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Lise Skorstad, lise.skorstad@ntnu.no 

Application deadline: 07.04.2026

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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.