Postdoctoral Fellow in Distributed Acoustic Sensing and 3D Applications

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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

The Centre for Geophysical Forecasting (CGF) at NTNU has a vacancy for a Post doc position in the field of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). CGF is a center for research-driven innovation and is funded by the research council of Norway and industry partners. Our goal is to become a world-leading research and innovation hub for geophysical sciences, creating innovative new products and services in earth sensing and forecasting domains. Novel use of geophysical sensing data is an important part of this research and will be applied here to improve our understanding of the earth’s near surface. The candidate will research in areas with applications to the Energy Transition. The research will be both technically and financially supported by one of our industry partners - Shearwater GeoServices (Shearwater).

The overall research goal for this Post doc position is to gain insights into how distributed acoustic sensing can be used in novel 3D subsurface imaging and seismic analysis applications - with a focus on CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) monitoring and offshore windfarm geotechnical assessments. Up to now most work has been done on passive recording of DAS-data and active source acquisitions have been dominated by vertical seismic profiling in boreholes. More recently seafloor DAS acquisitions have been performed, but only a few experiments so far, with most focusing on traditional reflection-based seismic processing and imaging. With the Post doc position we intend to go beyond conventional reflection-based acquisition and processing, and explore possibilities and limitations for surface or seafloor DAS-acquisition and especially how this can be extended into novel 3D subsurface imaging or characterization tools. The research will include new ways of combining information from passive and active data, as well as investigate state-of-the full-waveform-based approaches to infer subsurface model information from such data.
 

The immediate leader is Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• The candidate will mainly work on innovative research in the field of distributed acoustic sensing and its applications to 3D mapping of the near subsurface.
• The candidate will work at the CGF premises at NTNU in Trondheim as part of our team of leading researchers, interacting closely with industry partners and research institutes, and developing innovative concepts.
• The candidate will present ongoing research at key national and international seminars and conferences.....
   

Required selection criteria

• Candidates must have a relevant background in physics and mathematics with a good grounding in geophysics, remote sensing and data analysis.
• Candidates must have a Master’s degree in geophysics, mathematics signal processing or physics, and a PhD in similar topics.
• Candidates must have good knowledge in seismic imaging and seismic wave propagation.
• Applicants who are not fluent in a Scandinavian language must document a thorough knowledge of English (equivalent to a TOEFL score of 600 or more).

The appointments are to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, PostDoc and research assistant.

If you are in the final stage of your doctorate and can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position.

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

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

• Candidates also need to show a keen interest in multidisciplinary scientific research and innovation.   Some knowledge of various sensing methods will be an advantage.
• Good knowledge in scientific programming is very useful.
• Good experience with the scientific publication process.

Personal characteristics

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education and experience, as well as personal suitability for this position which includes:

• Willingness to learn new fields in a multidisciplinary research environment. Strong implementation skills, including programming knowledge.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Drive to transition research results into innovative products and services.
• Self-motivated, ambitious, resilient, resourceful, result-oriented, and independent.
• Excellent writing skills, capable of synthesizing and expressing complex ideas clearly.   Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.
   

We offer 

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• 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 programmeas a new employee at NTNU 
• Training during working hours and company sports teams 
• Favourableterms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• 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  594 500 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.

Due to the project's timeline and funding, it is expected that the successful candidate will be able to start no later than 01.08.2025. 

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 by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above.
The application must include:

• Transcripts and diplomas for relevant 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. 
• Academic works - published or unpublished.
• Possible recommendation letters.
• Name and contact information of three referees

The successful candidate will be expected to deliver a short research plan describing suggested approaches to the project.

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. Description of the documentation required can 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 Martin Landrø: martin.landro@ntnu.no . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Helene Alnes Vedlog: helene.a.vedlog@ntnu.no

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. 

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: 17.02.2025

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

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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.