PhD Candidate in Quantifying the Benefits of Wayside Detection for Railway Infrastructure

Albert Lau; Trondheim; On-site; NOK 522,000 - 638,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentor programme

SPK pension

Norwegian language training

Inclusive workplace

Job summary

NTNU is inviting applications for a PhD Candidate to advance TrainGate research, linking detections with maintenance data and building quantitative methods for decision support in railway operations. You join an applied research environment with railway-sector partners.

The role involves coursework, data collection, method development, publication, and teaching duties totaling one year over four years, under the supervision of the Head of Department.

Qualifications

• Must have admission to NTNU's Doctoral Programme in Engineering.
• Master's degree in civil/railway/related field is required.
• Master's degree must be documented before start if applicant is currently enrolled.
• Strong English language skills are essential.
• Good programming and data-analysis skills (Python/MATLAB/R) are required.
• Knowledge in railway engineering, infrastructure maintenance, sensor data analysis, ML, LCC, risk analysis or OR is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Complete the doctoral education, including at least 30 ECTS of coursework, and obtain a doctoral degree.
• Collect, structure and assess sensor, operational, maintenance, incident and cost data.
• Develop and validate statistical, causal and/or machine-learning methods for decision support.
• Publish and communicate results and participate in relevant research activities.
• Perform teaching and related duties totaling one year during the four-year contract.

Skills

English proficiency

Programming skills

Academic background

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree in civil/railway/related field

Admission to PhD Engineering program

Tools

Python

MATLAB

R

Job description

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with atechnical-scientific profile and a focusin 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.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KHQjc4ndas&t=41s

About the position

As a PhD Candidate with us, you will help turn early railway fault detection into better maintenance decisions and more reliable operations. You will work in an applied research environment with railway-sector partners.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

TrainGate uses trackside inspection portals to monitor passing trains at operating speed. Images, acoustic and vibration signals, and identification data are combined to detect and track defects in wheels, brakes, pantographs and other components.

The PhD candidate will link TrainGate detections and early warnings with maintenance, incident, operational and cost data and develop quantitative methods to estimate effects on infrastructure degradation, maintenance needs, operational risk, punctuality and costs.

The aim is to develop and validate a practical, transparent benefit-assessment tool for selected TrainGate cases. It will compare detection and intervention scenarios and support maintenance decisions, investment assessments and implementation, subject to available data and partner agreements.

The project is funded by the Norwegian Railway Directorate.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education, including at least 30 ECTS of coursework, and obtain a doctoral degree
• Collect, structure and assess relevant sensor, operational, maintenance, incident and cost data
• Develop and validate statistical, causal and/or machine-learning methods and turn the results into useful decision support
• Publish and communicate results and participate in relevant research and international activities
• Perform teaching and related departmental duties corresponding to a total of one year during the four-year employment period

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 in Engineering,see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in civil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, railway engineering, transport engineering, computer science, data science, statistics, mathematical sciences, industrial economics, operations research, or another relevant Master's degree in a closely related field
• 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.
• You must have excellent written and oral English skills
• You must have good programming and data-analysis skills, for example in Python, MATLAB, R or equivalent
• You must have relevant knowledge or experience in one or more of the following: railway engineering, infrastructure maintenance, rolling stock, condition monitoring, sensor data analysis, statistical modelling, machine learning, life-cycle cost analysis, risk analysis or operations research

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Education or experience combining engineering or transport with data-driven and quantitative methods
• Experience with railway-sector data, condition monitoring, maintenance planning, asset management, life-cycle cost or cost-benefit analysis
• Experience with scientific publication, reproducible analysis, field measurements or experimental research
• Knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently and in a structured way
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with academic and industry partners
• Show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject
• Assess data and evidence, compare perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions
• Work constructively under pressure and adapt when plans or conditions change

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 four (4) years in a 100% position. The period includes teaching and related departmental duties corresponding to a total of one year.

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 bein 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 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.
• A research plan of no more than 10 pages, including references and appendices
• Relevant academic works, published or unpublished, if applicable
• Names and contact information of three referees

If generative AI was used to prepare the research plan or other application materials, identify the tool or tools and briefly explain how they were used. You remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and content of all submitted material.

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 a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

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 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 Associate Professor Albert Lau, email [e-mail]

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Adviser Tone Måsøval Arntzen, email [e-mail]

Application deadline: 31.10.2026

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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, 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.