PhD Candidate in Scientific Machine Learning for Ice Run Forecasting

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About the position

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (IBM) has a vacancy for a PhD Candidate in Scientific Machine Learning for Ice Run Dynamics. The position is part of the Marin civil engineering group and the Hydraulic engineering group at the department. 

Join a forward-thinking research environment where data science meets real-world challenges in climate resilience and infrastructure safety. As a PhD candidate in Scientific Machine Learning for Ice Run Dynamics, you’ll be part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team combining engineering, environmental science, and AI to address pressing issues in cold-region infrastructure.

You’ll have the opportunity to develop cutting-edge methods at the intersection of physics and machine learning, contribute to impactful research, and build strong academic and industry networks. Our supportive and inclusive work environment encourages innovation, professional development, and international collaboration.

Your immediate leader will be an associate professor or professor. 

About the project

This PhD project aims to improve the prediction of ice runs - sudden downstream movements of river ice - that pose a threat to civil infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and hydropower installations. Predicting ice run events is highly complex, involving partially understood physical processes, environmental variability, and limited observational data.

The project will explore the use of Scientific Machine Learning (SciML) - an emerging field that integrates data-driven methods with physics-based knowledge - to develop hybrid models that can better capture ice run dynamics. By combining available field data, satellite observations, and governing physical principles, the research will seek to build interpretable, generalizable models that support more accurate forecasting and risk mitigation strategies.

This work contributes not only to climate adaptation and infrastructure resilience in cold regions but also advances methodological development in physics-informed machine learning. The candidate will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team and benefit from access to open environmental datasets, field measurements, and high-performance computing resources.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Conduct independent and collaborative research within the scope of scientific machine learning and ice run dynamics
• Collect, preprocess, and analyze environmental and structural data (e.g., field measurements, satellite data)
• Design and implement machine learning algorithms, including physics-informed or physics-guided models
• Develop and evaluate hybrid modeling frameworks that integrate physical knowledge with data-driven methods
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Participate in relevant workshops, seminars, and research group activities
• Contribute to the broader goals of the research group or project consortium
• Prepare and submit a PhD thesis

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background civil & structural engineering, coastal engineering, hydraulic engineering, ocean engineering, applied mathematics, or equivalent
• You must have at least the basic knowledge and documented experience on solving engineering problems with data-driven method
• You must have a Master's degree in civil and structural engineering, coastal engineering, hydraulic engineering, ocean engineering, applied mathematics 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 program
• You should have a strong theoretical background in mechanics and mathematics
• Excellent written and oral English language skills

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

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

• Strong background and interest in coastal/hydraulic engineering
• Strong background in data-driven methods
• Documented recent (within three years) research experience
• Documented experience in combining physics with data-driven method (e.g., PINN, NO, PINO, etc.)  

Personal characteristics

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

• Strong analytical and mathematical skills 
• Work independently, as well as in a team
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved 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 
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

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
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• 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.

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 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.

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 bein 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 project proposal (1 page) summarizing your interpretation of the problem and your suggestion on how to approach and solve it
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 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 Associate Professor Wenjun Lu and/or Professor Raed Lubbad, email wenjun.lu@ntnu.no and raed.lubbad@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Martine Sulen, email: martine.sulen@ntnu.no .

Application deadline: 01.05.2025

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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.