PhD Candidate for Developing Efficient Search Engines

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Trondheim; On-site; NOK 520,000 - 560,000; Full time

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Job summary

NTNU is seeking a PhD Candidate in the Databases and Search group within the Department of Computer Science. The role aims to develop efficient search engines, including new retrieval models and processing techniques, under a supervisor in the Data and AI unit.

The successful candidate will engage in high-impact research, publish in top conferences, and contribute to teaching assistant duties. Strong programming skills and a solid Master’s background are required, with English proficiency

Qualifications

• Master's degree in CS and Mathematics with a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS).
• Strong programming skills in Java/C++/C and excellent data processing understanding.
• Excellent written and oral English required.

Responsibilities

• Publish in top-tier conferences such as SIGIR, SIGMOD, VLDB, and TheWebConf.
• Participate in Databases and Search group activities and collaborations.
• Assist the primary supervisor with teaching assistant duties in databases, data mining, and information retrieval.

Skills

Java

C++

C

Data processing

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science and Mathematics

Job description

About The Position

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

We have a vacancy for a PhD Candidate in Databases and Search group for developing efficient search engines at the Department of Computer Science. The position is funded by Department of Computer Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The department is an active and dynamic environment for cutting edge research in all areas of computer science ranging from artificial intelligence to theoretical computer science. The department also hosts several high impact research groups that cover competencies relevant to the Norwegian industry such as the NorwAI and OpenAI laboratories. The topic of the doctoral research will on development of efficient and scalable search engines. This entails design of new retrieval models, efficient query processing, and use of modern hardware capabilities. Key skills that we are looking in the candidate are: excellent programming skills (preferably in Java, C++, or C), and good understanding of efficient data processing.

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.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence unit.

Duties of the position

• Academic publications in top-tier conferences such as SIGIR, SIGMOD, VLDB, and TheWebConf.
• Participate in the research group activities of Databases and Search..
• Assisting the primary supervisor in teaching assistantship duties related to Databases, Data Mining, and Information Retrieval.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required Selection Criteria

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the IE faculty's Doctoral Programme (https://www.ntnu.edu/ie/research/phd/), see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in Computer Science and Mathematics, or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis.
• Master students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than 01-Jan-2027.
• You must have a strong and relevant 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 academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• You must have a professionally relevant background in the area of Computer Science. Excellent programming skills are required. In addition to this, research oriented Master thesis in databases, information retrieval, data mining, or algorithms is expected.
• Excellent written and oral English language skills are required.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred Selection Criteria

• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian equivalent level or acquire them during the course of the doctoral programme.

Personal characteristics

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

• Demonstrate creative problem solving skills and is able work independently.
• Is highly motivated to publish in top academic conferences and journals in the area of Databases and Information Retrieval.
• Is keen on pursuing an research and an academic career.

Strong 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