Postdoctoral Fellow in Renewable Energy

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About the position

NTNU’s Thematic Research Area, TSO Energy, has a vacancy as a Postdoctoral Fellow. The position will be hosted by the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, and it is funded by NTNU. The research is both theoretical and experimental on renewable energy, and it is mainly focused on hydropower technology. However, the market, environmental impact and social acceptance is also part of the research.

Are you ready to take your research career to the next level? We offer an exciting 3-year position as a Postdoctoral Fellow that gives you the opportunity to develop a strong profile as researcher. You will also gain valuable experience that might be relevant for your further career. The purpose of this kind of position is for the employee to build up a researcher profile and competence that qualifies the person to apply for a position as associate professor. The position may also provide other competence with relevance for the candidate’s further career. Become part of our research environment and take the next step in your career with us.

The position reports to Professor Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering.

About the project 

The goal of the project is to develop sustainable university collaboration between LMIC and NTNU in the field of renewable energy sources, starting with the hydropower sector. This includes the development of procedures for sustainable fish migration solutions tailored to local conditions in river hydropower plants in the Himalayas and procedures for sediment management in hydropower plants. At the same time, a strong emphasis is placed on ensuring community acceptance through local anchoring and dialogue with local communities. The project involves an extensive network of partners both in Nepal and Norway. In Nepal, this includes Kathmandu University, Tribhuvan University, HydroLab Pvt Ltd, and the Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu. From the Norwegian side, contributors include organizations such as NINA, the Norwegian Environment Agency, NORAD, NVE, and FME RenewHydro.

Duties of the position

• Carry out research of good quality
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group RenewHydro and TSO Energy
• Apply for research funding and write applications and report on progress to funding sources 
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions 
• Mentoring students, helping them with their research projects, and advising on methodology and academic writing 

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background applied in physics, mechanical engineering, fluid mechanics or equivalent education
• You must have completed a doctoral degree, or be in the final phase of your doctorate. If you are in the final phase of your doctorate and can document that the thesis has been submitted or that the defense date has been confirmed, your application can be considered even if you have not defended. NOTE: Documentation of the obtained doctorate must be presented before you can take up the position. 
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English

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

If you do not already have educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as associate professor in Norway, NTNU will arrange for you to acquire such competence during the employment period. In such cases, you will also be assigned relevant teaching as part of the career-promoting work.

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 philosophiaedoctor (ph.d.) and philosophiaedoctor (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 from the evaluation and analysis of numerical and measurement data from hydropower technology.
• Experience from laboratory work and/or prototype experiments on hydropower technology.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian language.

Personal characteristics

Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you

• Work independently 
• Work structured, set goals and make plans to achieve them 
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals 
• Engage and contribute constructively with feedback 
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity  
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject 
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions  
• Are flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Personal qualities like a positive and friendly attitude, emphasis and contributing to a sustainable social environment will also be valued. 

We offer 

• 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 contains the skills and knowledge you will acquire
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues 
• Training during working hours and company sports teams
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Please also read about our employee benefits
   

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. 

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.

The Department of Energy and Process Engineering (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

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 615 700 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 minimum 3 years depending on whether there is a need to include Norwegian courses and/or courses within educational competence.

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.

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. 

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.

For us to evaluate your application, it must include the following:  

• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's-, Master's- and PhD 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.
• Academic works - published or unpublished (up to 10 items)
• Possible recommendation letters
• Name and contact information of three 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. 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 Professor Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug at ole.g.dahlhaug@ntnu.no. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant Renate Fjellheim at renate.fjellheim@ntnu.no. 

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: 23.03.2025

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