PhD Candidate in Hydropower Technology

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You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

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About the position

The Norwegian Research Centre for Renewal of Hydropower Technology, RenewHydro.has a vacancy for aPhDCandidate. HydroCenis hosted by the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, and it is funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian hydropower industry. The research is both theoretical and experimental and it is mainly focusedon hydropower technology. However, the market, environmental impact and social acceptance is also part of the research.

The candidate will work with pump-turbines for future flexible operation. It involves both numerical and experimental work in the Waterpower Laboratory. The work will be part of the research program about the future hydropower plants in the new centre for renewable energy, RenewHydro.More information can be found here: www.ntnu.edu/renewhydro.

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

About the project

The project aim to enhance efficiency and performance through advancement of hydropower technology. This includes hydropower technology through innovative approaches, including turbine, generator and converter design, storage solutions, and operational enhancements. Pump-storage schemes in existing hydropower plants can increase the storage capacity by increased utilization of the reservoir volume. 

The research will focus on how pump-turbines will operate under highly flexible operation, and how they can be utilized during flood periods. However, it will require close collaboration with team members who work with other disciplines such as environmental impact, social acceptance, market, etc. 

 

Duties of the position

• Plan and execute comprehensive, independent research under supervision. 
• Interact and collaborate with researchers and project partners. 
• Communicate results effectively through research journal publications, conference presentations and other forms of communication to a diverse range of audiences. 

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background within mechanical engineering, fluid mechanics or equivalent education. 
• You must have a Master's degree in Engineering or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered 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 Programme.
• Programming skills in LabView, MATLAB, Python, or similar.
• Strong theoretical background in fluid mechanics, mathematics and physics.
• Experience from laboratory work and/or prototype experiments on hydro turbines.
• Good written and oral Norwegian and English language skills.

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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

• Experience from programming design and optimization algorithms.
• Practical experience from working at hydro power plants.

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are: 

• Strongly motivated and ambitious.
• Able to work efficiently in a team.
• Structured, targeted and solution oriented.
• Motivated to work interdisciplinary.
• A candidate who is creative and active and contributes in the team he/she will be part of.
• Good communicator.
• Positive and friendly, and contribute to a sustainable social environment is valued.
• Open-minded and tolerant, able to work in a highly multicultural environment and collaborate equally well regardless of colleagues’ cultural background, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional 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. 

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 permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to  help to 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 years. 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 after completed and documented the Norwegian course.

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.

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 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 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 

The application must include: 

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• CV 
• Copy of 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.
• A brief research proposal and plan, maximum one page.
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work.
• Possibly certificates.
• Names and contact information of three relevant 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, 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 Professor Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug, telephone +47 91897609, email Ole.G.Dahlhaug@ntnu.no. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant Ingrid Wiggen, e-mail: ingrid.wiggen@ntnu.no.

 

Application deadline: 03.04.2025

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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.