PhD Candidate in spectroscopic ocean colour remote sensing

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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 within the Phytoplankton Ecology and Ocean Colour research group (Associate professor Pauliina Salmi) of the Marine Sciences division of NTNU’s Department of Biology, you will work in an interdisciplinary team of marine biologists and cybernetics engineers 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.

The immediate leader for the position will be the Head of Department of Biology.

About the project

The goal for this position is to complete a doctoral degree in Biology at NTNU on the topic of spectroscopic remote sensing of ocean colour. The candidate will work with existing observations, from platforms as distant as satellites down to the water’s surface, to characterize how subtle spectral patterns can reveal the health and dynamics of planktonic ecosystems. The candidate will also have the opportunity to collect more data to further test the power of their methodological developments. The PhD project will be associated with the HYPSO -satellite programme of NTNU and international collaboration with the Earth and Planetary Research Group (University of Stirling, Scotland) and Finnish Environment Institute (Finland). The work is also linked to activities of the Freshwater Research Group of NTNU, and the thematic research area of Observation Pyramid. Therefore, there is an opportunity to work together with a larger group of researchers.

The desired starting date is as soon as possible, and no later than 1.11.2026.

Duties of the position

 

• Complete doctoral education in four years’ time, including one year of teaching and 6 months of course work
• Write 2-3 academic publications or manuscripts for peer-reviewed scientific journal
• Write and defend a PhD thesis
• Participate actively in the Phytoplankton Ecology and SmallSatLab research groups
• Attend international activities such as conferences
• Contribute to relevant courses, such as BI3070 Enabling Technologies in Marine Science
• (optional) supervision of master’s students on topics that support the PhD candidate’s research

Required selection criteria

 

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in natural, environmental or computational sciences, such as remote sensing, marine biology, aquatic sciences 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.
• 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 Ph.d.-programmet i biologi - NTNU
• Good oral and written presentation 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 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 in remote sensing with satellites
• Experience in Python, Julia, or similar programming language
• Experience in hyperspectral imaging, spectroscopy, and/or signal processing
• Experience in bio-optics -related laboratory work and field work in marine environment

Personal characteristics

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

• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

 

• An exciting job with current satellite technology and marine science
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

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 with the possibility off up to one year of career development activites.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Ph.d.-programmet i biology - NTNU within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme 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 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:

• Cover letter (max 2 pages) including a brief statement of research interest in the position context.
• 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.
•  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.

Associate Professor Pauliina Salmi, pauliina.salmi@ntnu.no  (main supervisor and project leader, Department of Biology) 

Researcher Joe Garrett, joseph.garrett@ntnu.no (co-supervisor, Department of Engineering Cybernetics)

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact 

Senior Executive Officer Maja Caroline Haaker

Application deadline: 10.05.2026

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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.