PhD Candidate in Environmental Sustainability Analysis of H2-based energy systems

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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, 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.

   

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About the position

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

IndEcol is a well-established interdisciplinary group in the field of environmental sustainability analysis, with scientists contributing to IPCC and IPBES reports, participation to multiple national and European projects, and publications featured in high-ranked scientific journals. 

Hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels are expected to play a substantial role as energy carriers and storage systems in the decarbonization of the energy and industry sectors. With increasing shares of renewable energy sources in the power mix, electricity generation becomes more dependent on weather variability and hydrogen offers a versatile solution to store excess electricity when weather conditions are more favorable, thereby contributing to increase energy security, reduce electricity prices, and prevent emissions from back-up fossil-based power plants.  When produced from clean renewable sources, hydrogen is a clean fuel to replace fossil-based fuels in applications that are hard to be electrified, such as aviation, shipping, or metallurgical industry (where hydrogen can serve either as a source of heat or as a reducing agent). 

The identification of the conditions that optimize the environmental sustainability of hydrogen systems as energy fuels or storage solutions depend on the local context, specific technologies, and weather patterns, as well as possible synergies with existing electricity systems (production mix and international networks) and industrial processes. More research is needed to advance life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies to embed socio-economic dynamics, changes in background climatic conditions and consolidate indicators to measure contributions to decarbonization of the electricity and transport sector. This PhD project is intended to investigate these aspects and identify positive and negative side-effects of deploying an H2-based economy in Norway and Europe, with an identification of the win-win technological solutions from an environmental perspective. The research will be connected with the research center HydrogenI and Hyschool, which will offer the PhD student opportunities for collaboration with national and international research scientists, public authorities and industries.

Your immediate leader is Prof. Francesco Cherubini.

Duties of the position

• Process-based modelling of hydrogen-based systems, coupled with electricity systems for energy storage or as renewable fuels for the transport and industry sector 
• Data processing, including tasks such as merging electricity datasets and climatic records, and integration of primary data, emission inventories, and impact assessment models
• Life-cycle assessment of H2-based fuels and technologies for climate change mitigation in the transport, energy, and industry sectors, and identify the contribution of hydrogen storage systems to the carbon intensity of electricity
• Publishing in peer-reviewed journals
• Presentation of results at international conferences

Required selection criteria

• You must have a Master degree in Industrial Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Engineering Science, Physical Science, Climate Science, or relevant for the field of this position
• Previous experience with LCA and/or other environmental sustainability analysis methods
• Good understanding of fundamentals in mathematics and statistics 
• Good written and oral English language skills 
• 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.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the Faculty's Doctoral Program

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

If you cannot document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2 upon employment, you must complete Norwegian courses corresponding to at least 15 credits before the end of the employment period. NTNU will facilitate this. 

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) 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

• Previous experience with LCA or other relevant environmental sustainability analysis tools 
• Previous experience with energy statistics and electricity datasets
• Good programming skills in one or several languages (e.g., Python, Matlab)
• Previous experience with process simulation tools
• Good written and oral Norwegian language skills 

Personal characteristics

• Strongly motivated to advance current knowledge on the topic
• Strong analytical capabilities
• You are a good team player while also being able to work independently
• Open to interact in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment
• Good at time management
• Problem-solving skills

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• Favorable terms 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.

The Department of Energy and Technology (EPT) has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female Research Assistants, PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the academic careers of female employees, 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 continue to build on our international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events. 

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 536 200 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 or 4 years. A possible 4th year is pending to needs for duty work. If learning Norwegian (level A2 corresponding to at least 15 credits) is to be completed before the end of the employment period, the employment period can be extended by 10 weeks. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Engineering within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout 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 academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

In order for us to evaluate your application, it must include the following: 

• In addition to the cover letter, candidates are required to submit a one-page sketch on how their education and work experience match the required and preferred criteria, as well as the main duties of the PhD position (research plan)
• CV and certificates
• Transcripts and diplomas for both Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• A copy of the 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
• Recommendation letters form 2 referees, in addition to the name and contact information of three referees
• You must complete the answers to all questions of the mandatory survey on the application webpage to be assessed

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, another Scandinavian language or 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. 

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 works 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).

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 be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

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 have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Francesco Cherubini, email: francesco.cherubini@ntnu.no, telephone +47 73598942.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant Julie Lund, e-mail: julie.lund@ntnu.no

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

Application deadline: 25.02.2025

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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.