PhD Candidate in Control Systems Nuclear Reactors on Ships

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About the position

We invite applications for a PhD research position in nuclear reactor control.
The work will be embedded in the SFI - SAINT project Sustainable, Applied and Industrialized Nuclear Technology, which supports the launch of 2-3 nuclear powered demonstration ships in the early 2030s. Within the SAINT project, you will work in Work package 5.

Controlling a nuclear reactor on a ship presents a fundamentally different challenge from controlling a land-based plant. A shipboard reactor must respond to a continuously varying electrical and propulsion load, driven by weather, sea state, maneuvering demands, and onboard consumers, while maintaining safe and stable operation within tight physical and regulatory constraints. This requires integration between the reactor control system and the ship's power management system, coordinating responses across timescales that range from slow thermal transients to rapid load swings during berthing or heavy seas.

In this position, you will develop and implement modern control strategies for a shipboard nuclear reactor, with a primary focus on the interface between reactor output and the ship's overall power demand. This work will be carried out on a nuclear reactor simulator, with the possibility of validating results on a physical non-nuclear test system. You will design control algorithms that handle the full range of operational states, from steady cruising to rapid load changes and emergency scenarios, and ensure that the reactor and ship-side power systems behave as a coherent, stable whole rather than two independently optimised systems.

The position is part of a broader interdisciplinary effort within SAINT, and you will collaborate with researchers working across nuclear engineering, naval architecture, electrical power systems, and maritime operations. The findings are expected to have direct relevance for reactor vendors, shipbuilders, and the regulatory frameworks being developed for maritime nuclear propulsion

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work 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.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

Naval vessels and polar icebreakers have operated on nuclear power for decades. Nuclear propulsion is emerging as a serious candidate for the decarbonization of deep-sea and high-utilisation vessels in Norway and internationally, offering greater energy independence, higher sustained speeds, and extended range compared to conventional fuel-based propulsion. International bodies are actively establishing the frameworks that will govern the civil use of nuclear propulsion and the foundational engineering knowledge is being established right now.

SAINT (Sustainable, Applied and Industrialized Nuclear Technology) is a research project investigating the use of nuclear propulsion for commercial and specialist maritime vessels and aims at launching 2-3 demonstration ships in the early 2030s. SAINT addresses the technical, safety, and operational challenges that must be resolved before such systems can be responsibly deployed. PhD candidates will be among the people shaping this emergent field. In the intersection of nuclear and maritime engineering qualified engineers and researchers are scarce globally. Candidates who complete a PhD within the SAINT project will be well positioned for careers in nuclear safety, maritime regulation, advanced vessel design, and the emerging commercial nuclear sector.

The project is hosted at the Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering (IHB) at NTNU in Ålesund, a campus with deep roots in maritime engineering and ship design. Around 70 PhD students are at NTNU in Ålesund, roughly 40 of which are in IHB working on ship design, naval control systems and in shipping management. Within the project we are aiming to recruit up to ten PhD students and one or two Post Docs to work in parallel across the core engineering challenges of maritime nuclear propulsion, creating an unusually dense and collaborative internal research environment in which you will collaborate with researchers working across nuclear engineering, naval architecture, electrical power systems, and maritime operations.

The project is carried out in close collaboration with thirty industry partners spanning shipbuilders, reactor vendors, turbine manufacturers, control system developers, classification societies, and maritime operators. A dedicated test center for non-nuclear testing of reactor and turbine systems is under construction, giving SAINT researchers hands-on access to hardware validation at a scale rarely available in academic maritime research.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Cooperate with our industrial partners

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in physics, control engineering, electrical engineering, nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering or a closely related field. 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 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's Doctoral Programme Engineering
• You must have high proficiency in both written and oral English
• We can not accept applications of citizens from countries on the OFAC and EAR lists and countries under US arms embargoes as well as heavy restricted/ITAR proscribed countries.

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 for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Solid understanding of control theory, including classical and modern control design methods
• Experience with modelling and simulation of dynamic systems
• Programming proficiency sufficient for implementing and testing control algorithms
• Experience with nuclear reactor physics and thermal-hydraulics, or reactor simulation tools (e.g. RELAP, TRACE, or MOOSE)
• Knowledge of electrical power systems and power management, particularly in isolated or islanded grids
• Familiarity with marine or offshore power systems and their control architectures
• Knowledge of real-time control systems, embedded systems, or industrial control platforms
• Familiarity with nuclear regulatory frameworks and the safety requirements imposed on instrumentation and control systems

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
• 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.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 580 000,-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.

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:

• 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) 
• 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

PLEASE NOTE: 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). Please note that the person hired will work with critical infrastructure and areas affected by controls on the export of strategic goods, services and technology.

Candidates who do not meet the requirements for the necessary security clearance, access clearance and authorization as described in the National Security Act, and the Act on the Implementation of International Sanctions (Sanctions Act) cannot be considered (e.g., candidates from, among others, Russia, Iran, North Korea, China). Relevant countries are listed as examples and as such the list is not exhaustive (as a result of any changes in the world situation, other countries may be added at short notice).

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 Philip Jacob Ferdinand Pfahl, e-mail: philip.j.f.pfahl@ntnu.no 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact PhD Coordinator Lara Bromann, e-mail: lara.bromann@ntnu.no

Application deadline: 4. October 2026.

Start of contract can be flexible, depending on the situation of the candidate.

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

Ålesund, known for its unique Art Nouveau architecture and spectacular nature, is a gem on Norway's west coast. The city offers a vibrant cultural life, modern facilities, and a dynamic business environment. With its strategic location by the sea, Ålesund provides a perfect balance between urban living and natural experiences. Here, you will find excellent schools, top-notch healthcare services, and a wide range of recreational activities. Ålesund is an ideal place for both career and family life, with a safe and inclusive community.