PhD Candidate within Adaptive Graph Database 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. 

For many important applications, data is represented as graphs, with dynamic relationships between nodes. Examples include the power grid, financial transaction relationships, social networks, and transportation networks. As such, the need for graph database management systems that enable the efficient processing of complex network data is more timely than ever. Interesting research challenges the PhD student might work on include: 

• Indexing methods for dynamic, temporal, and streaming graphs 
• Adaptive storage for static and dynamic graphs 
• Workload-aware self-optimizing graph database systems 

or other interesting topics in the area of graph database systems more or less related to the aforementioned ones.

The work will be performed in cooperation with industry partners in the NorwAI research center. The research outcome is expected to result in high-quality publications in top conferences and journals. 

Your immediate leader is the Head of the DART group.

Duties of the position

The main duties and responsibilities for the position are: 

• Conducting research within dynamic graph analytics in collaboration with the supervisors and other members of the research group. 
• Test and evaluate the solution in simulated and real environments. 
• Disseminate results through publications and presentations. 

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment. 

The main supervisor will be Associate Professor Theodoros Chondrogiannis, and the candidate is also expected to work together with other researchers in his group and industrial partners of NorwAI.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant background in algorithms and/or database systems with a research-oriented master’s thesis. 
• Good programming skills. 
• 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. Master's students in their final year can apply, but the master's degree must be completed by June 2024. 
• 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 PhD programme in Computer Science

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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

• Good understanding of database systems internals (usually acquired by attending a course on advanced databases or database systems implementation) 
• Experience with graph databases (RDF or Property Graphs) 
• Experience in handling streaming data

Personal characteristics

• Be willing to acquire new knowledge quickly, and to use existing knowledge in new ways 
• Be able to conduct independent activities and thinking, but also enjoy working in a teambased environment and be open to potential collaborations 
• Be highly motivated to publish in academic conferences and journals within the area of the position 

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

(Evaluate and remove/add what is relevant for the position.)

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

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 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 years for the doctoral work.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Computer Science within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding.

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.

The appointment is carried out in accordance withthe principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control(legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technologyand 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 application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English. 

Publications and other scientific work must follow 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 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:

• CV including information relevant for the qualifications. 
• 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. 
• A copy of the master's thesis (PDF). If you have not 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. 
• A research interest description (maximum 2 pages) that includes a short presentation of the motivation for a PhD study, suitability for the position and the applicant’s view towards listed research challenges as well as the theoretical and methodological approach to the challenges. 
• Name and contact information of two referees. 
• Scientific publications (if any)

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).

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 Assoc. Prof. Theodoros Chondrogiannis, email theodoros.chondrogiannis@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR at e-mail: HR@IDI.ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 13.04.2025

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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.