PhD Candidate in Advancing Corrosion Science Through AI and High-Throughput Experimentation

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Trondheim; On-site; NOK 522,000 - 638,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentor programme

SPK pension

Norwegian language training

Job summary

NTNU in Trondheim invites applications for a PhD Candidate position to pursue doctoral education while contributing to corrosion research. The project combines AI-driven data extraction from literature with experimental electrochemical setups for rapid screening of corrosion rates, focusing on alloys relevant to carbon capture and storage.

The role includes publishing research, engaging with a newly formed research group, and participating in international activities such as conferences and

Qualifications

• Must meet admission to NTNU’s Doctoral Programme.

Responsibilities

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate.
• Carry out research of good quality within the project framework.
• Publish academic papers and disseminate findings.
• Join the Corrosion and Corrosion Protection research group.
• Participate in international conferences and workshops.

Skills

Strong English communication

Computational modelling

Experimentation

Education

Master's degree in mechanical/industrial engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, or materials science

Tools

No specific tools listed

Job description

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. Joining a newly formed research group will further provide you with the opportunity to become part of a growing team and contribute to an exciting new environment with plenty of new research opportunities.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About The Project

Corrosion represents a major economic burden, costing modern economies roughly 4% of their annual GDP. In Norway, this loss is estimated to be twice the total profits of the entire agricultural sector. Despite this importance, corrosion research remains dominated by case-specific studies and expert-driven intuition. This project aims to close that gap by generating, extracting and measuring corrosion data into a unified knowledge base. On the digital side, the project will employ natural language processing and AI-driven data extraction to automatically harvest corrosion data from the scientific literature. On the experimental side, it will design and refine electrochemical setups for rapid screening of corrosion rates. Given an existing interest for the university, the work will focus particularly on the electrochemical corrosion of alloys relevant to carbon capture and storage applications.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework as described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the newly formed research group of Corrosion and Corrosion Protection
• Participate in international activities such as conferences, workshops and discussions

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required Selection Criteria

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's Doctoral Programme, see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in mechanical and industrial engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, and materials science 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.
• 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.
• Sound interest in either materials science, electrochemistry or the use of artificial intelligence in an engineering context
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English

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

Preferred Selection Criteria

• Good analytical and computational capabilities, through course information or thesis deliverables in the application
• Skilled in either computational modelling or experimentation, paired with the willingness to work on both

Personal characteristics

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

• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Be friendly and open-minded
• 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
• 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 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 through out 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 in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

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 have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Michael Auinger, e-mail: [e-mail].

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Senior Consultant Hedda Winnberg, e-mail: [e-mail].

Application deadline

14.10.2026

The city of Trondheim

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.

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

We educate graduates who can create new products, operate and maintain products, and manage projects. The Department has a variety of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. We conduct wide-ranging research in fields such as technology, energy, product quality and development, and productivity. The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.