PhD Candidate in Drone Detection and Interception Solutions

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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, 8,6000 employees and 44,000 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KHQjc4ndas&t=41s

About the position

Drones are increasingly considered as a security threat to society, including civilian critical infrastructure. Counter-drone systems must monitor the airspace as an integral part of a multi-layered air defence system, with functionality for detection, tracking and mitigating drone threats. Defending critical infrastructure such as railroads, bridges, power plants, power lines, airports, harbours, water supplies and more is challenging in a large country with complex geography and harsh climate. The PhD project will therefore research counter unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) concepts and contribute to develop and test solutions that are specially targeting Norwegian needs.

The UAV-lab at NTNU has been one of the prime research environments for advanced aerial drone operations with 15 years of experience developing technology for drone autonomy and beyond-line-of-sight operations. The project will give you an opportunity to do work and research from theory, via simulation, to practice using and/or researching drone detection systems, interceptor drones and other technologies driven by advanced sensors, data communication systems, and artificial intelligence depending on skill, preference and prioritizations. In addition to the work at the UAV-lab you will collaborate with interdisciplinary team of PhD candidates on two other faculties.

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

The position is part of the project “Managing drone threats to critical infrastructure” as one of four PhD candidates.

A resilient society depends on safe and robust critical infrastructure, including the ability to withstand drone attacks. The war in Europe and hybrid threats have shown that such systems can be deliberately targeted using low-cost, commercially available technology, and the Government’s drone strategy identifies reducing vulnerability to hostile use of drones as the greatest and most urgent challenge. As threats and technology evolve rapidly, new uses of drones must be met quickly with adapted countermeasures.

The project aims to contribute to a more resilient society by developing knowledge and technological solutions to understand, manage and respond to drone threats and attacks against critical infrastructure.

The project is part of a larger effort of four projects funded by NTNU on A More Resilient Society.

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 in the project “Managing Drone Threats to Critical Infrastructure”. and collaborate with the other PhD candidates and researchers in the project. 
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions.
• Collaborate with other PhD candidates, researchers and UAV operators at the NTNU UAV-lab.
• Carry out career-enhancing work as part of the project. This can include teaching duties.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in control engineering, cybernetics, aerospace engineering, electronic systems, mechatronics, 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 and no later than 27th of August 2027.
• You must have a strong and relevant 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 academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's Doctoral Program. See Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have knowledge and skills within minimum one of three core topics
  • guidance, navigation control and control, 
  • arial robotics/UAS systems or 
  • sensor, detection and tracking systems.
• You must be able and be motivated to communicate and collaborate in a team with a diverse academic background and complementary skills. This includes academics from other disciplines and non-academics. 

• Motivated to work on both software and hardware and making systems work outside of simulation environments.

  The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position. 

Preferred selection criteria

• You have knowledge and skills within several of the topics 
  • guidance, navigation control and control,
  • arial robotics/UAS systems (or closely related systems),
  • sensor, detection and tracking systems,
  • wireless communication system or
  • relevant electric systems.
• Practical experience with development or use of aerial drone systems, aircraft or air defence systems.
• Having both theoretical and practical (relevant) skills.
• The research activity may lead to using sensitive information or insights into critical infrastructure that is subject to specific security restrictions. Restrictions also include obtaining a formal security clearance. During the employment period candidates must voluntarily submit to an assessment for a security clearance according to the Norwegian Security Act. Non-Norwegian citizens can be granted clearance. However, candidates from non-EEA or non-NATO countries cannot expect to obtain a security clearance.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian equivalent level A2 or higher as this is important when communicating with both project participants, students and with organizations outside of NTNU as part of the work within the project.

Personal characteristics

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

• Work both independently and in teams
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Communicate well in writing and orally
• 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
• Favourable 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. (delete if not applicable)

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be from 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 for 3 years for the doctoral work, in addition to the possibility of up to 1 year of career promotion work for the right candidate. A minimum of three work years of the total term period must be dedicated to doctoral work. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD program in Engineering Cybernetics within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral program 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:(decide on what must be included - remove what does not fit):

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• CV 
• Copy of Master's thesis, if completed. If this is not completed, attach another project report that is relevant for the topic
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page) including what type of C-UAS (sub)system(s) you are most interested in working with / doing research on
• If you have a non-Scandinavian citizenship, provide formal documentation or a self-assessment about your own Norwegian/Scandinavian language skill level.
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates
• Names and contact information of minimum two, ideally, 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 Associate Professor Torleiv H. Bryne, e-mail torleiv.h.bryne@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process itself, please contact HR Consultant Berit Dahl, e-mail: berit.dahl@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 20.11.2026

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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.