Ph.D. Candidate in Reinforcement Learning for Project Scheduling Problems

1000scholars; Gjøvik; On-site; NOK 522,000 - 638,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentor programme as a new employee

Free Norwegian language training

Open and inclusive working environment

Job summary

NTNU’s Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering invites applications for a PhD Candidate in Reinforcement Learning for RCPSP. The candidate will pursue a doctorate while contributing to research in digitalization of circular construction and collaborate with HEU-CIRCULess and related groups.

The appointment offers a 3-year doctoral program with a competitive NOK 580,000 annual gross salary and mentorship. Admitted candidates join an active, international research community at NTNU.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science and technology, corresponding to a five-year Norwegian course with 120 credits at master's level.
• Master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than Nov 1, 2026.
• Experience in reinforcement learning, GNN, etc.

Responsibilities

• Develop learning-based algorithms for deterministic scheduling optimization with aim to beat state-of-the-art approaches.
• Extend the framework to scheduling under uncertainty in dynamic environments.
• Assess scalability, generalization, robustness, and computational performance.
• Disseminate research outcomes with publications in high-quality journals.
• Complete the doctoral education and pursue research within Civil Engineering and Geomatics.

Skills

Reinforcement learning

GNN

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science & Technology

Job description

Ph.D. Candidate in Reinforcement Learning for Project Scheduling Problems

The Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering has a vacancy for a

This is NTNU

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.

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.

The position will specifically focus on Reinforcement Learning for Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP). The Ph.D. candidate will be a member of the group of Civil Engineering and Geomatics at NTNU and will tightly cooperate with other Ph.D./post-docs in projects (such as HEU-CIRCULess) and research groups at the department. The Ph.D. position will offer opportunities to develop high-quality research within the field of digitalization of circular construction.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Develop learning-based algorithms or methods for deterministic scheduling optimization problems with the aim of achieving competitive performance against state-of-the-art approaches.
• Extend the developed framework to scheduling under uncertainty. Investigate how the proposed learning-based methods can be extended to uncertain and dynamic project environments.
• Improve the scalability of learning-based scheduling methods and evaluate generalization, robustness, and computational performance.
• Disseminate research outcomes. Publications in relevant high quality peer-reviewed journals are needed.
• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group Civil Engineering and Geomatics Research group Civil Engineering and Geomatics - NTNU

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant master’s degree in Computer Science and technology, computer system 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 students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than Nov.1 2026.
• Experience in reinforcement learning, GNN, etc.
• 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 https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phiv
• Applicants must have fluent skills in both written and oral English. Non-English native speaker applicants who do not have master in Europe must provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following tests can be used as such documentation: TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are: TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test); IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted); CAE/CPE: grade B or A.
• In extraordinary circumstances, formal documentation of language skills can be relinquished. In such cases, the candidate’s language skills will be assessed in a personal interview.

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Academic publication in relevant field.
• Experience in programming skills, and artificial intelligence.

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently
• The applicant must be motivated to work closely with teams and external partners
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
• Show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject

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
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

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.

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 580 000,-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 Engineering https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phiv 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 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 bein conflict with the criteria