PhD Candidate in Building Integration of Solar Cells

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About the job

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NTNU, has a vacancy for a PhD candidate in building integration of solar cells.

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

The PhD candidate position is foreseen to carry out experimental laboratory and field work on building integration of solar cells. This research work will be carried out within the project ”A Toolkit for Sustainable Photovoltaics Integration in the Norwegian Built Environment” (SolKit) funded by the Research Council of Norway and several industrial and other partners.

The primary objective of the SolKit project is to facilitate the widespread adoption of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in the Norwegian built environment. The SolKit project entails overcoming barriers linked to Norwegian conditions while addressing societal needs, economic goals and sustainability challenges. Furthermore, SolKit aims to develop essential knowledge and tools specifically tailored to address the conditions hindering the broad acceptance and deployment of BIPV technologies in Norway.

The foreseen work tasks for the PhD candidate within the SolKit project will include one or several of the following building integration challenges, which will be tailor-made with the actual PhD candidate according to his or her background and interests and the needs of the SolKit project:

Energy performance and weather protection: Explore the dual functionality of electricity generation and weatherproofing in BIPV components, examining diverse solar cell materials, technologies, electrical connections, and sealing systems between BIPV and adjacent non-solar elements. The aim is to assess the influence of Norwegian weather conditions on the energy performance of BIPV components, with a focus on factors like snow and ice coverage, low solar radiation, diffuse solar radiation conditions, and low temperatures. Durability and service life: Assess the resilience of BIPV components concerning climate exposure and ageing under Norwegian conditions. The goal is to examine the performance of BIPV technologies used in Norway, considering degradation and service life in both natural and accelerated ageing conditions. The research will delve into realistic lifetimes for BIPV systems, aiming to provide insights for informed decision-making regarding design, installation, and maintenance in Norway. Robust solutions and next-generation BIPV: Conceptualise innovative and robust BIPV components, drawing insights from the abovementioned topics, to enable smooth integration of solar cells into buildings, tackling the varied challenges posed by Nordic conditions. Emphasis will be placed on weather resilience, simplified electrical connections, and minimized labour during installation and dismantling. Additionally, aspects such as plug-and-play, one-click-on-and-off alternatives, microinverters, and safety measures for autonomous solar cells will be explored. Moreover, the PhD candidate’s work and results will be part of the input to the BIPV tool development in the SolKit project: Tool development: Develop a user-friendly tool, providing stakeholders with information on BIPV systems and offering an overall evaluation of various installations. The tool will provide BIPV key details, such as potential power output, seasonal production profiles, environmental benefits, and investment payback time.

The SolKit project includes several national partners, among them the research organization SINTEF Community. The PhD candidate is expected to collaborate with other PhD students, research scientists and professors in our team and among the project partners. The PhD candidate is foreseen to collaborate and work in the laboratories of NTNU and SINTEF Community, with supervisors from both NTNU and SINTEF Community. In addition, some relevant field work with solar cell integration in existing and new buildings, including interactions with various SolKit partners, may also be expected.

Your immediate leader is professor.

Duties of the position

• Carry out the necessary work tasks, both research work and course studies, in order to obtain the PhD degree
• Contribute to the experimental activities and any relevant component development tasks in the project
• Contribute to relevant simulation and modelling activities in the project

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in one or several of the following fields: Physics, chemistry, materials science, nano materials science and technology, new materials/components development, building physics, building science, building technology, solar radiation, thermal physics, and solar cells, both experimentally and theoretically
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education
• Master students can apply, but the MSc degree must be obtained and documented by 1st of July 2025
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phbygg)
• Experience in laboratory activities
• A general background in materials science and/or building science, both theoretical and experimental
• Good written and oral English language skills
• The PhD candidate must not already hold a PhD, regardless of field
• A project proposal written by you the PhD candidate related to building integration of solar cells according to your ideas (approx. 2 pages)

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• A professionally relevant background in several (i.e. more than one) of the following fields will be considered as an advantage: Physics, chemistry, materials science, nano materials science and technology, new materials/components development, building physics, building science, solar radiation, thermal physics, and solar cells, both experimentally and theoretically
• Background within miscellaneous building physics (building science) and technology aspects, both theoretical and experimental, will be considered as an advantage
• Knowledge and experimental experience within solar cells will be considered as an advantage
• Knowledge and experimental experience within building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) will be considered as an advantage
• Programming skills and/or simulation/modelling background will be considered as positive
• To have demonstrated the ability to write and publish international scientific articles based upon carried out research tasks will be considered as an advantage

Personal characteristics

• Honest, reliable and resilient
• Motivated and enthusiastic about research work
• Able to draw up goals and strive to reach them
• Able to complete started tasks
• Able to work both independently and in teams

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
Employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in [subject area] (Link to website, if applicable) within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include: 

• CV and certificates
• 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
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have 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 proposal related to building integration of solar cells according to your ideas (approx. 2 pages)
• Name and contact information (affiliation, phone number and e-mail address) of three reference persons
• Any publications or other relevant research work

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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. 

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The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of around 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably among 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.

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As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself 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 reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions related to the scientific aspects of the position, please contact professor Bjørn Petter Jelle, telephone +47-92042933. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Tone Måsøval Arntzen, e-mail: tone.m.arntzen@ntnu.no 

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.