PhD Candidate in Empirical Software Engineering

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

Benefits offered by this job

Career guidance and follow-up duringPh

Open and inclusive working environment

Mentor programme as a new employee

Job summary

NTNU's Department of Computer Science invites applications for a PhD Candidate to advance empirical software engineering and continuous software development research in a leading Norwegian environment.

You will conduct empirical studies in Norwegian software companies, contribute to teaching, supervise master students, and collaborate with industry partners. The position supports career development and international collaboration in Trondheim.

Qualifications

• Must meet admission to NTNU's Doctoral Programme.
• Master's degree in computer science or equivalent with a major independent project (≥30 ECTS).
• Strong academic background with average grade equal to B or better on NTNU's scale.
• Professional English language proficiency (written and spoken).
• Attach a 1500-word project outline with research questions and approach.

Responsibilities

• Develop research-based knowledge on continuous software development.
• Carry out empirical studies in Norwegian software companies and publish in recognised journals/conferences.
• Conduct own studies and participate in project teams with master's students.
• Contribute to teaching activities, including lab sessions and supervision.
• Engage in other career-promoting work and collaborations with organisations.

Skills

English proficiency

Team collaboration

Research and analysis

Education

Master's degree in computer science or equivalent

Major independent project (≥30 ECTS)

Job description

About The Position

As agile development scales to larger, more complex organizations, software engineering is being transformed by a set of intertwined changes. Continuous software engineering is converging development and operations to enable frequent releases, while AI is touching every stage of the software lifecycle, bringing agents that work alongside developers. Together, these changes are reshaping team composition and dynamics, as well as enabling shorter feedback loops, while introducing new roles and requiring new skillsets. The purpose of empirical software engineering research is to study these shifts as they unfold, examining real-world practice to generate knowledge that can guide how teams and organisations build quality software. As a PhD Candidate, you will carry out this work within the Software Engineering group at the Department of Computer Science, one of Norway's leading software engineering environments. The group works closely with industry and publishes at leading international venues. Your immediate leader will be the head of unit.

Duties of the position

• Develop research-based knowledge on continuous software development, grounded in empirical studies.
• Carry out empirical studies in Norwegian software companies, with the aim of publishing in recognised journals and conferences.
• Responsible for conducting your own studies and for taking part in project teams together with master's students.
• Contribute to teaching activities, including lab sessions and supervision
• Other career-promoting work agreed with the department, such as work on smaller related research projects or collaboration with organisations in the public and private sectors. Applicants who hold a position outside the university may, by agreement, retain part of that position as career-promoting work.

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 computer science or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis.
• 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 master English as a professional language, both written and orally.
• You must attach a project outline (1500 words) to your application. It should set out your theoretical and methodological approach to the research topic, together with proposed research questions.

Preferred Selection Criteria

Academically relevant background within software engineering or information systems

• Experience from the software industry
• Experience with empirical studies and scientific publishing
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language

Personal characteristics

• A good team player
• A good communicator
• Eager to learn
• Results-oriented
• Work independently

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)

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 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 4 years for the doctoral work in addition to 1 year of career promotion work. (A minimum of three work years of the total term period must be dedicated to doctoral work. For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Computer Science 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 be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

Application deadline

08.10.2026

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.

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 Computer Science

We are the leading academic IT environment in Norway, and offer a wide range of theoretical and applied IT programmes of study at all levels. Our subject areas include hardware, algorithms, visual computing, AI, databases, software engineering, information systems, learning technology, HCI, CSCW, IT operations and applied data processing. The Department has groups in both Trondheim and Gjøvik. The Department of Computer Science is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.

Questions About The Position

Joakim Klemets
Førsteamanuensis
[e-mail]

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR at [e-mail].