Postdoctoral Fellow in Experimental physics/Fluid mechanics

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About the position

We are announcing a 3-year position as a Postdoctoral Fellow as part of the ERC project WaTurSheD, for experimental work in the one-of-a-kind water channel facility at NTNU Trondheim, Norway. The candidate should have an excellent record in a relevant area of experimental physics; fluid mechanics expertise is a definite advantage (see selection criteria below).

The experiments will be unique in combining tailored waves, turbulence and mean flow simultaneously. This is a rare opportunity for an excellent candidate with experimental background to work in a highly active, ambitious, multinational research team in a stimulating environment. 

You will work in the group led by Professor Simen Å. Ellingsen.

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. The starting date is flexible, but can be no later than December 2025.

About the project 

The project WaTurSheD, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), concerns the triple interactions of waves, turbulence and shear currents (WTC) and how they mix waters beneath a water surface. How heat and gas are mixed into the ocean is crucial to ocean and climate modelling, but the underlying physics are not well understood, something the project will address; thus the research is a scientifically exciting study of fundamental fluid mechanics, and important to our future. 

You will be responsible for an extensive laboratory campaign in the Large Water Channel (Jooss et al. 2020, J. Fluid Mech. 911, A4), in close collaboration with several other postdocs and PhD students. 

The applicant should include a brief research proposal of no more than one page (see below). As preparation, the applicant could peruse this recent publication: Smeltzer et al 2023, J. Fluid Mech. 962, R1.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department. For an overview of what your application must contain, please see the paragraph “About the application” below.

Duties of the position

• Planning, preparing and executing state-of-the-art experiments,
• Some management and supervision tasks in the research group, including preparation of article manuscripts,
• Contribute positively to the working environment in the Ellingsen research group, including social activities,
• Contribute collaboratively to the research of the Ellingsen group in order that different sub-projects can benefit from the group’s diverse skills,
• Lead and manage experimental campaigns including managing sub-groups of researchers within the team,
• Some minor departmental and teaching tasks.

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD, in a directly relevant field, usually (but not limited to) physics, mechanical engineering, or applied mathematics. Even if you have not yet defended your dissertation, your application will be assessed if you can document that the PhD degree will in all probability be obtained early enough that the position can be taken up by December 2025. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position. 
• Excellent English language skills, including documented skill in independent scientific writing (e.g., article manuscripts). A responsibility of the position will be to help bring manuscripts within the research group up to a publishable standard.
• A strong international publication record in highly reputable journals, with emphasis on quality over quantity.
   

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.

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

• Candidates with extensive experimental research experience in a relevant branch of the physical sciences at a level publishable in high quality international journals are strongly preferred. Other expertise can be considered, but it must then be argued clearly how the candidate will contribute to the overall goals of the WaTurSheD project (please follow above links to find official project descriptions).
• Experience with experimental fluid mechanics is a clear advantage, in particular turbulent flows and particle-image velocimetry (PIV) and/or free-surface flows (including waves). However, an excellent candidate with a strong general experimental physics background can often learn quickly – the ability to adapt to new fields should be argued and documented. 
• Previous knowledge of turbulence and/or surface waves is an advantage, as is experience with laser-based and/or optical flow measurement. 
• Experience with building and/or developing laboratory set-ups is particularly valuable. 
• A background in curiosity-driven fundamental research is preferred over applied/industrial engineering research.

Mechanical engineering remains a male-dominated subject field, so female applicants are particularly encouraged (or other non-male gender).

NOTE: a background in computational fluid mechanics with standard software (e.g. ANSYS, OpenFOAM) is not particularly relevant and does not itself qualify for the position. 

Personal characteristics

• enthusiastic and driven
• efficient while diligent
• inventive, able to find creative solutions to problems
• a team player and generous collaborator
• tolerant and flexible in a highly diverse environment

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities. Due to the extended responsibilities within the research group, statements from references will be important, and the interview stage will be done carefully, possibly involving two rounds of interviews depending on the applicants.

We offer 

• world class laboratory facilities and equipment;
• exciting and stimulating tasks in an internationally excellent academic environment;
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues;
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund;
• employee benefits.

The city of Trondheim has a population of 200 000. It is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene and is known as the tech capital of Norway. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is among the best of its kind in the world. Professional, subsidized day-care for children is easily available, as is children`s education (including two international schools). Trondheim has low crime rates, clean air quality, and offers great opportunities for enjoying nature, culture and family-life.

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.

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 withinand beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives. Conversely, the applicant must be ready to work in such a diverse environment and collaborate effectively with colleagues regardless of their gender, nationality, sexual orientation or cultural background. 

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 3 years. 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.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important to keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and to adapt to them. 

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 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 (it is not necessary to attach the actual article if it is published with open access and is properly referenced with, e.g., a DOI link). 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.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career trajectory it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account.

 

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

• CV and certificates
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees 
  • in English; provide an official/professional translation if necessary. 
  • If you have not yet completed your Ph.D, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or that your PhD thesis has been submitted
  • for transcripts from countries outside Norway, please include an official explanation of grades for international comparison (often provided by the awarding University).
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be particularly considered in the assessment (up to 5 items)
• A research plan, maximum 1 page (see below)
• Name and contact information of three references

The research plan should outline a 3-year experimental project to study the fluid mechanics of the upper ocean. Clearly, applicants will have differing degrees of specialised knowledge, which will be taken into account. The plan need not conform with the actual project, but should show an understanding of planning and executing a laboratory campaign to study WTC properties in a lab where waves, turbulence and currents can each be tailored individually, from first steps to publishable data representations.

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken outside of Norway, 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 NOKUT, 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.

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 Simen Å. Ellingsen at e-mail: simen.a.ellingsen@ntnu.no. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant, Renate Fjellheim, at e-mail: 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: 20.04.2025

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