PhD Candidate in Antagonistic threats-aware Digital Twins in product lifecycle

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About the position

The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering has a vacancy for PhD Candidate in Antagonistic threats-aware Digital Twins in product lifecycle. This is a 3-years position linked to the D-CRISP project. The candidate is to research, develop and demonstrate a methodology for building and integrating digital twins along product lifecycles to support detection and mitigation of potential antagonistic threats. 

A question You will be focusing on is “How to use digital twins to detect potential intrusions and prevent disruptions during a product lifecycle?”

You will join an international community of PhD candidates working for the project in Norway, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania. You will have research visits and potentially also a dual degree with the selected project partners’ institutions.

Research areas will cover some of the following themes:

• Digital Twins and Internet of Things throughout product lifecycle
• Human Digital Twins; Industry 4.0 and 5.0.
• System engineering and socio-technical systems
• AI-supported adaptive continuous learning
• Industrial cybersecurity, supply chain security
• Semantic modelling of industrial artefacts, knowledge representation and automated reasoning

Your supervisor will be Associate Professor Andrei Lobov.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

Please also check another position in the D-CRISP project on PhD Candidate in Digital Twins for food safety.

About the project

The D-CRISP project sees the solution for preventing and mitigating antagonistic threats in developing an integrated solution for digital twins from different domains (such as production, power grids, public infrastructure and spaces, logistics chains). One has to have a holistic picture based on digital twins for involved processes. The digital twins shall become “eyes” to contemplate the situation from various perspectives and thus rapidly detect anomalies. Such a vision raises many research questions.

In the modern, data- and software-intensive world, in order to maintain further responsible and responsive development of our societies, the D-CRISP project is to develop a solution based on intensive, real-time use of digital models that come from different problem domains helping to detect anomalies and prevent catastrophic outcomes.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education 
• Contribute to research, development and demonstration of a methodology for building and integrating digital twins along product lifecycles
• Carry out research of good quality in collaboration with the D-CRISP project partners
• Disseminate results in academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group of Knowledge-based engineering and knowledge-driven systems at the department.
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and research stays at foreign educational institutions, i.e. the relevant partners.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• Master's degree or equivalent academic background within production engineering, industrial ICT or industrial engineering.
• Master students graduating in spring 2026 are eligible to apply.
• Good skills in mathematics, programming, also in production engineering or product development.
• Your master's degree must correspond to a five-year Norwegian master’s education, 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 of Engineering doctoral programme: PhD in Engineering 
• Very good English skills, both written and oral

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

• Strong skills in programming languages and software-engineering paradigms, e.g. Python; OOA/OOD/OOP.
• Knowledge of or experience with semantic modeling, knowledge representation and automated reasoning.
• Knowledge of or experience with knowledge-based engineering and system engineering.
• Knowledge of or experience with some of AI frameworks and corresponding APIs.
• Knowledge of or experience with ISA95 “automation pyramid”, relevant industrial protocols and information systems ERP/MES/SCADA/PLM.
• Knowledge of or experience with cyber-physical systems and Internet of Things solutions.

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity 
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• 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
• 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 employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Engineering 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 – the D-CRISP project.

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 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:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• CV 
• 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) on the subject of Antagonistic threats-aware Digital Twins in product lifecycle.
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates
• 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 Associate Professor Andrei Lobov, telephone: +47 45 91 34 55, e-mail: andrei.lobov@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Senior Consultant Hedda Winnberg, e-mail: hedda.winnberg@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 31.01.2026

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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.