PhD candidate in environmental energy system analysis for zero emission metal production

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.

   

About the job

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

This PhD is a part of FME ZeMe, a large national center for zero emission metal production with partners from industry and research actors. FME ZeMe will develop the fundamental knowledge and technologies for the Norwegian metallurgical industry to become climate neutral in 2050.

The focus of the position is to better understand energy transition and climate mitigation pathways for metal production, their resource limitations and associated environmental impacts. The work includes prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) and scenario modelling of main energy carriers and metallurgic reductants. It considers hydrogen, electrification, large-scale biomass, and the role of carbon capture (CCS) and energy efficiency within the industry. 

Energy is a strategic research area of NTNU. There are large opportunities for the position to collaborate towards other initiatives within FME ZeMe and energy research at NTNU. The position is located in the Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol), a pioneer in the development and application of industrial ecology methods, as well as the use of large data sets and scientific computing in sustainability analysis. More information can be found at https://www.ntnu.edu/indecol 

Your immediate leader is Associate Professor Johan Berg Pettersen at Industrial Ecology Programme and Department of Energy and Process Engineering. Professor Magnus Korpås at Dept. of electric energy is co-supervising the candidate. 

Duties of the position

• Conduct prospective life cycle assessment of relevant energy flows to aluminium and ferroalloy production.
• Develop a scenario model for energy transition in the metal production industry in Norway towards year 2050.
• Communication and collaboration with partners in FME ZeMe, relevant initiatives in NTNU and other stakeholders 
• Disseminate research findings in scholarly journals and international conferences

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in engineering, material science or industrial ecology 
• 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's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented by the starting date
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program 
• Proven analytical and computational capabilities, in courses and or/thesis deliverables 
• Proven written and oral English communication skills

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

• Completed course in life cycle assessment and competence in prospective LCA
• Courses in other methods from the field of industrial ecology or climate modelling, such as material flows analysis, scenario modelling, impact assessment, integrated assessment modelling.
• Background in energy engineering or metallurgy 
• Competences in python programming

Personal characteristics

• Self-motivated and curious about science
• Able to work in detail, while also sees the big picture. 
• Interest in sharing and discussing research findings with other.

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 Engineering 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.

The position is subject to external funding by the Norwegian Research Council.

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, or documentation it will be evaluated by the starting date of the position.
• 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
• Name and contact information of three reference persons
• If you have 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

Working at NTNU

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. 

EPT has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Assistants and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the careers of female PhD Candidates, Postdocs and Research Assistants, and is also made visible to our student body to encourage them to consider an academic path. As part of the EPT Women in Science initiative we are building an international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events.

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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 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.

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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 about the position, please contact Associate Professor Johan Berg Pettersen, (+47) 938 09 682, email: johan.berg.pettersen@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Cathrine Kyung Ja Kravik, e-mail: cathrine.k.j.kravik@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.  

Application deadline: 15.12.2024.