PhD Candidate in Scalable Data-Driven Control for Energy-Flexibility Smart Buildings

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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 interested in pursuing a doctorate and developing a career in research and higher education? As a PhD candidate with us, you will work toward your doctoral degree while gaining valuable research experience and transferable skills that open opportunities both within and beyond academia.

About the project

Buildings represent about 40% of energy use in Europe. They can contribute to the flexibility of energy systems by shifting their energy use over time, for example, by providing services to electricity or district heating networks through so-called demand response (DR). One key objective is to reduce energy consumption during peak periods in the energy system while maintaining acceptable comfort conditions for occupants. In cold climates, space heating represents a dominant energy load. Advanced control strategies can adjust this load by temporarily modifying indoor temperature setpoints over time. Although automated demand response (ADR) has been widely investigated in simulation studies (“virtual experiments”), there are still relatively few examples where customized ADR solutions have been implemented and tested in real buildings over extended periods. Important challenges remain before such solutions can be deployed at scale. For example, measurement data in buildings may be limited or poorly structured and lack proper contextualization or standardization. In addition, buildings are not always constructed or operated exactly as originally designed. Real-world conditions may also involve more complex physical phenomena than those represented in simulations, such as heating system dynamics or occupant behavior. Finally, existing legacy building automation systems may not be well-suited to support advanced control strategies.

This PhD is part of the EDISON project led by SINTEF Community and with key industry partners. It aims to develop a scalable ADR framework (or technical pathway) that can address these practical limitations and demonstrate it in a real building. The final objective is to provide a well-documented workflow for scalable ADR implementation, supported by experimental validation in a real-world case study. Unlike most research limited to simulations, this PhD will deploy and validate control strategies in real buildings over long periods.

The supervision team is Prof. Laurent Georges (main supervisor) and John Clauss, PhD, researcher at SINTEF Community (co-supervisor).

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Complete the PhD training consisting of courses (minimum 30 ECTS credits). 
• Carry out research of excellent quality within the framework described above.
• Define and develop a scalable ADR setup suited for typical hydronic heating and ventilation systems in non-residential buildings. 
• Test the new control in real buildings and monitor the performance of the controller.
• Document in detail the performance of the control setup and summarize the lessons learned through publications in international scientific conferences and in at least three peer-reviewed journals.
• Participate actively in the EDISON project in direct connection with SINTEF and industry partners.
• Participate in international research collaborations with leading experts in the field (like IEA EBC Annex), with contacts and collaborations established as needed during the project.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master’s degree in control, building, or HVAC engineering. A Master's in applied mathematics can also be relevant if there is a strong focus on data-driven modeling, machine learning, and control. In any case, a documented background or experience in control is required. 
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are 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 doctoral program of the Faculty of Engineering.
• Excellent background in programming (ex. Python/Julia/Matlab).
• Excellent written and oral English. 

 

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and the regulations for the Act relating to universities and university colleges (Universities and University Colleges Act) for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Knowledge or previous experience with building automation is a plus.
• Previous experience and strong interest in control and data-driven modelling. For instance, a previous experience with model predictive control, reinforcement learning, or automatic demand response (ADR), ideally applied to buildings (either using simulations or real cases).
• Knowledge or previous experience with database management, modelling, or engineering is a plus.
• Previous experience in scientific writing (such as a journal article or conference paper). 
• Knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is considered an advantage. 

Personal characteristics

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

• Able to work in a team and follow instructions.
• Creative, pragmatic, and solution-oriented.
• Work independently, able to organize the research work, and take initiative.
• Work in a structured way, set goals, and make plans to achieve them.
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Eager to disseminate knowledge, both nationally and internationally. 

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
• Mentor program 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.

The Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT) has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female Research Assistants, PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the academic careers of female employees, and is also made visible to our student body, to encourage them to consider an academic path. As part of the EPT Women in Science initiative we continue to build on our international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events.

 

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.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD program in Engineering within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral program throughout the period of employment.

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 Norwegian/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 cover letter 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:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
• CV and possibly certificates.
• A cover letter where your motivation to follow a PhD education, your interest, and your background for this specific PhD topic should be clearly explained (maximum 500 words)
• 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.
• 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). This is a mandatory input in the application. Project outlines mainly created using an AI-powered chatbot or other generative AI tools will not be considered valid. 
• Name and contact information of three referees.
• If you have publications or other relevant research work, for each of them, describe your own contribution to the paper and the contributions/impact on the field.

If all, or parts, of your education have 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 
Professor Laurent Georges, telephone 73592484 , email laurent.georges@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact
HR Consultant Martha Aftret Karlsvik, e-mail: hr@ept.ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 28.04.2026
 

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For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim has a population of 200 000. It is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene and is known as the tech capital of Norway. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is among the best of its kind in the world. Professional, subsidized day-care for children is easily available, as is children`s education (including two international schools). Trondheim has low crime rates, clean air quality, and offers great opportunities for enjoying nature, culture and family-life.