PhD Candidate in information fusion and data assimilation for ocean space utilization

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); Trondheim; On-site; NOK 551,000 - 560,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Open and inclusive working environment

Career guidance during PhD

International collaboration

Job summary

NTNU in Trondheim invites applications for a PhD Candidate position within the Arctic Ocean 2050 project conducted with DNV and Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center. The aim is to develop risk-informed data fusion and data assimilation methods to understand the Arctic Ocean as an integrated system.

You will complete a doctoral education while contributing to high-impact research, publish results, and participate in international collaborations.

Qualifications

• Master's degree with grade equal to B or better (NTNU scale) or equivalent.
• Strong academic record with Master’s degree documented before start.
• Admission to NTNU’s Doctoral Programme must be satisfied.
• Excellent English (oral and written) skills.

Responsibilities

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate.
• Carry out high-quality research within the project framework.
• Publish academic papers and disseminate results to wider audiences.
• Participate in research groups Arctic Hive Mind and Risk, Safety and Asset Management.
• Engage in international activities such as conferences or research stays.
• Contribute to career-promoting activities and networks.

Skills

Control engineering

Data fusion

Data assimilation

Machine learning

Python programming

Norwegian language

Education

Master's degree (five-year program)

Tools

Python

PyTorch

Job description

About The Position

Would you like to work together with researchers and industry to create risk-informed data-fusion and data assimilation approaches to support utilization of the ocean space at high latitudes? In that way you will contribute to safer and more efficient human use of the ocean. That is a great challenge in the ongoing quest for making future human activities sustainable. Are you also interested in environmental data, AI-powered analytics, applied mathematics and physics? Then this job is for you!

About The Position

Would you also be interested in environmental data, AI-powered analytics, applied mathematics and physics? Then this job is for you!
The goal is to complete a doctoral education while working on a collaborative research project Arctic Ocean 2050 together with DNV and Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center. The vision is to develop technology for deeper understanding of the Arctic Ocean as one interconnected system.
Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open 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 Department.

About The Project

Arctic Ocean 2050 brings together the full width of the Norwegian research community in a joint, interdisciplinary research program. Arctic Ocean 2050 will provide fundamental and applicable knowledge and skills that are urgently needed.

Duties of the position

• 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 groups Arctic Hive Mind and Risk, Safety and Asset Management
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Other career-promoting work (strategic network building, etc.)

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required Selection Criteria

• You must have a relevant professionally relevant background in marine technology, remote sensing, physics or applied mathematics, and data science. 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.
• 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
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English

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 NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred Selection Criteria

• Knowledge/experience with control engineering, information fusion and/or data assimilation, marine technology
• Knowledge of and hands-on experience with machine learning and/or statistical data analysis
• Strong foundation in mathematics
• Strong programming skills in Python (Python Data Stack, PyTorch, etc.).
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian language

Personal characteristics

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

• Show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject
• Work independently in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity

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
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

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.

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 550 800,- 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 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.

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 and diplomas upon request.

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.
• 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

PLEASE NOTE: 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 do not meet the requirements for the necessary security clearance, access clearance and authorization as described in the National Security Act, and the Act on the Implementation of International Sanctions (Sanctions Act) cannot be considered (e.g., candidates from, among others, Russia, Iran, North Korea, China). Relevant countries are listed as examples and as such the list is not exhaustive (as a result of any changes in the world situation, other countries may be added at short notice).

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 work 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).

Application deadline

28.09.2026

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