PhD Candidate in Climate Risk Assessment

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

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.

   

Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0

About the position

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open 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 a Professor.

About the project

The purpose of this project is to identify where in Norway we have road sections that are, and will be in the future, particularly at risk due to extreme weather events. These critical places may be road sections where road maintenance and road protection should be carried out. 

A prevailing perception of risk is that this is a combination of probability and consequence. However, IPCC has a different framework for risk where risk is a combination of hazard, vulnerability and exposure. In the latest report, a fourth component was also added: inadequate response. These four determinants influence the level of risk: if one or more of these four determinants increase – risk increases, but if one or more of these decreases, then risk decreases. Because of climate change, the hazard component, and thus the risk, is increasing.

The four risk determinants vary geographically and can be represented and analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS). The PhD project should develop methods based on spatial indicators used to assess current and future climate risks. The IPCC's risk framework is suitable to be operationalized with spatial indicators so that one can identify where the road sections most at risk are, as well as a profile for why these road sections are at risk – is it because of high values for the hazard indicators and/or a combination of vulnerability/exposure/response indicators? Which road sections will be exposed to risk in the future may be different road sections than those that are at risk today – since the climate of the future will be different, but also because the society of the future will be different. For example, how will future traffic volume be, given population projections made by Statistics Norway and scenarios for future industry structure developed by MENON?

The PhD project will be carried out in collaboration with partners in the Norwegian Centre for Sustainable Climate Change Adaptation (Noradapt) such as SINTEF and Western Norway Research Institute, and the Norwegian Road Administration.

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 groups Geomatics; Road, Rail and Transport; Hydraulic Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in civil engineering, geography or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. 
• 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 faculty's Doctoral Programme - PhD - Faculty of Engineering Science - NTNU
• You must have prominent skills in using GIS software (such as QGIS or ArcGIS Pro) and be comfortable working with large datasets.
• You must be familiar with geoprocessing using Python
• Good theoretical understanding and practical experience using quantitative methods (including projections based on time series data).
• 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 with mobility studies or other infrastructure related problems.
• Experience with climate change related problems such as flooding, landslides and other extreme weather-related issues influencing mobility along road infrastructures.
• Experience with the Norwegian National Road Database (NVDB) or similar road data for other countries.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian or Scandinavian.

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 be strongly motivated 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)

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 PhD in Engineering (Doctoral Programme) 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 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) 
• 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 Jan Ketil Rød (Professor), tel.: +47 73592772 / + 47 99 55 64 32, e-mail: jan.rod@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Ragne Matberg (HR Consultant), e-mail: ragne.matberg@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 29.03.2026

-----------------

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.