Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Twins and Smart Planning in Norwegian Yards

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At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

     

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About the position

A large number of engineer-to-order ships, platform modules, and steel substructures for offshore wind farms is expected to be built over the next decades, creating significant opportunities for the Norwegian Yard industry. To compete internationally, yards must improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. Digital twins have been successfully used in manufacturing to improve efficiency. In the yard industry, the use of digital twins has primarily been from a product perspective. There is a lack of knowledge on how digital twins can support smart planning of the people, equipment, and infrastructure at the yards.

The postdoctoral position will address this gap by investigating how digital twins can applied for planning and by developing a reference model for smart digital twin-based planning in the Norwegian yard industry.  With sufficient data collected from various sources at the yard, digital twins can be generated and applied across yard operations. These models provide a basis for smart planning and can significantly enhance visibility of resources, materials, and activities. The research will identify digital‑twin use cases that strengthen decision‑making and collaboration to enhance operational efficiency

You will join the Production Management Research Group at NTNU, which focuses on the design and planning of production and logistics systems. The research will be carried out together with industry in the TWinYards research project. As part of a leading research community, you will investigate how digital twins can reshape planning and operations in Norwegian yards. 

Are you ready to take your research career to the next level? The purpose of a postdoctoral position is to build up a researcher profile that qualifies for a position as associate professor. We offer an exciting 3-year postdoctoral position that gives you the opportunity to develop a strong profile as researcher. You will also gain valuable experience that might be relevant for your further career. 

Apply for this position to become part of our research environment and take the next step in your career with us.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department. 

About the project 

The position is funded by the research project “TWinYards - Scaling up for offshore wind at Norwegian yards: Efficient operations through digital twins and artificial intelligence”. Webpage: TWinYards – Scaling up for offshore wind at Norwegian yards: Efficient operations through digital twins and artificial intelligence - Prosjektbanken Project Manager is Professor Erlend Alfnes. Partners are NTNU,  Aker Solutions, Brunvoll, Ulstein, SINTEF, and Cardiff University.

Duties of the position

• Contribute to the overall research objectives of the TWinYards project, including joint research tasks and collaborative activities together with the Norwegian companies Ulstein, Brunvoll, and Aker Solutions 
• Publish the result in recognised scientific journals and present them at international conferences
• Apply qualitative methodologies, such as case studies and literature reviews, to gain insight into the characteristics and challenges of the engineer-to-order shipbuilding industry, and develop demonstrators and knowledge on planning and coordination of resources within and across projects. 
• Apply quantitative methodologies, such as simulation and analytical modelling, to develop decision support for efficient planning and coordination of outfitting and logistics activities at yards, to study the interactions in such industrial systems and analyze the domain of solutions, such as to create managerial insights and guidelines for practitioners
• Contribute to the supervision of doctoral candidates and master students
• Contribute to some courses provided by Production Management group, in particular with lectures, seminars and developing new educational materials for Smart Logistics and Planning in Norwegian Yards
• Participate in the research group Production Management Production Management - MTP - NTNU 
• Write grant applications and provide progress reports to funding agencies 

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a doctoral degree in Industrial Engineering, Logistics Engineering, Production Management, Supply Chain Management, or Project management
• If you are in the final phase of your doctorate and can document that the thesis has been submitted or that the defense date has been confirmed, your application can be considered even if you have not defended. NOTE: Documentation of the obtained doctorate must be presented before you can take up the position.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English
• Experience in using a combination of qualitative methodologies, such as case studies and design science, and quantitative methodologies, such as simulation and advanced analytics, within the fields of operations and supply chain management 
• You must submit a 3-5 pages research plan in line with the description of the position (objective, scope and methodologies) with high relevance, rigorousness and impact

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

If you do not already have educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as associate professor in Norway, NTNU will arrange for you to acquire such competence during the employment period. In such cases, you will also be assigned relevant teaching as part of the career-promoting work.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and Regulations concerning the degrees of philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)for general criteria for the position.

As a result of the new Act relating to universities and university colleges with associated regulations of 01/08/2024, NTNU has, during a transitional period (for decisions on employment in recruitment positions before 1 August 2025), chosen to use the terms of employment in the old regulations of 31 January 2006 no. 102 on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, scientific assistant and specialist candidate

Preferred selection criteria

• Scandinavian language skills
• Previous experience from industry or research in engineer-to-order manufacturing

Personal characteristics

Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you

• Work independently as well as in teams
• Have good communication skills and ability to work in close contact with industry
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals and with partners in TWinYards
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject 
• Are modest, open to feedback and input from others as well as able to respect, collaborate, and negotiate with others

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer 

• An exciting job with an important social mission
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment 
• Career guidance throughout the postdoctoral program and together with you we will prepare a career plan, which containsthe skills and knowledge you will acquire
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues 
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a Postdoctoral Fellow 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

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 633 400,- 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.

The position is conditional on external funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important to keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and to 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.

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, the Export Control 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).

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-,Master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or confirmation that your PhD thesis has been submitted. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• CV
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting,you can attach a draft of the thesis. 
• Research plan; 5-7 pages, where you show your capability to structure a 3-years research study with clear motivation, objectives, research questions, methodologies, expected results and dissemination plan. The research plan should refer to state-of-the-art research relevant for engineer-to-order operations. The combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies should be emphasized and motivated.
• Academic works - published or unpublished
• Possible recommendation letters
• Name and contact information of three referees

 

If all or parts of your education hasbeen taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation requiredcan 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 works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

If you have had leave or another break in your career, it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account and that the amount of your research may be reduced as a result.

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

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and is committed to follow evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment DORA and the obligations in 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 list of applicants, 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 have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Erlend Alfnes, e-mail: erlend.alfnes@ntnu.no. 

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

If you find this position interesting, and in accordance 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.

Application deadline: 14.04.2026

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.