PhD Candidate in Trustworthy Agentic Artificial Intelligence

Ntnu; Ålesund; On-site; NOK 490,000 - 670,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

International research environment

Access to maritime data & use cases

Collaboration with industry partners

Job summary

NTNU in Ålesund invites applications for a PhD Candidate in trustworthy agentic artificial intelligence. The project sits at the intersection of AI, autonomy and maritime technology, with access to maritime data and close collaboration with industry partners.

You will develop open-weight model approaches, ensure safety and transparency, and contribute to the Norwegian Maritime AI Center. The position includes coursework and publishing within CPS Lab and allied research groups.

Qualifications

• Master's degree must be earned before starting.
• Strong programming skills in Python and ML frameworks.
• Experience with agentic AI and safety-focused research.

Responsibilities

• Research trustworthy agentic AI using open-weight models.
• Develop methods for reliable and accountable agent behaviour.
• Validate methods with maritime case studies.
• Publish academic works and engage with CPS Lab.
• Collaborate with Maritime AI Centre and industry partners.
• Take courses totaling at least 30 ECTS.

Skills

Python programming

ML frameworks

Agentic AI

LLM agents

Multi-agent systems

Trustworthy AI

Maritime domain

Research publications

Education

Master's degree in CS

Tools

TensorFlow

Job description

The Department of ICT and Natural Sciences has a vacancy for a

PhD Candidate in Trustworthy Agentic Artificial Intelligence

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.

...

About the position

Would you like to work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, autonomy and maritime technology, contributing to AI systems that are safe, transparent and accountable? The Department of ICT and Natural Sciences at NTNU in Ålesund has a vacancy for a PhD Candidate in trustworthy agentic artificial intelligence. The PhD research project is part of the new Norwegian Maritime AI Center , led by NTNU.

Agentic AI systems are moving rapidly from research prototypes into real-world applications. In safety-critical domains such as maritime operations, their adoption depends on whether their behaviour and decisions can be understood, verified, constrained, and audited. This is particularly challenging when using closed, proprietary models, where model weights, training data, and internal representations are inaccessible.

The PhD project will therefore investigate how trustworthy agentic AI systems can be developed using open-weight models. Access to model weights enables the candidate to inspect and adapt the models, investigate their internal representations, apply interpretability and verification methods, fine-tune and align them for specific operational domains, and deploy them locally under full control of sensitive operational data.

A central maritime use case will be condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of ships and maritime systems. Modern vessels generate large amounts of heterogeneous operational data from sensors, machinery, control systems, maintenance records, and other sources. The candidate will investigate how agentic AI can autonomously interact with such data and relevant engineering tools to identify abnormal behaviour, reason about possible faults, assess equipment condition, and support maintenance decisions. For example, an AI agent could combine sensor measurements and historical maintenance information, invoke diagnostic or predictive models, identify evidence of component degradation, and recommend appropriate maintenance actions.

The position offers the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in trustworthy and agentic AI within a growing AI research environment, with access to relevant maritime expertise, data, and use cases and strong links to the Norwegian maritime industry.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

The center shall position the maritime sector for accelerated and successful use of AI. The demand for safe and sustainable maritime activities, as well as the shortage of crew and engineers, are key drivers for change in the maritime sector. At the same time, there is a pull for growth, increased efficiency and profitability, while managing volatility in the markets. Moreover, the sector is critically important for global supply chains and security in a tense geopolitical situation. To demonstrate and prototype maritime AI solutions, the center will address a diverse and impactful set of use cases: Logistics, shipping and business transactions; Ship design and construction; Voyage planning and optimization; Condition monitoring and maintenance; Crew training; Maritime traffic and ship surveillance; Decarbonization and energy management; Autonomous ships and remote control.

The research partners are the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), University of Oslo, Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, Norwegian Mapping Authority, MET and SINTEF Nordvest. There are about 30 user partners from the maritime sector, in addition to hundreds of members of the Maritime Forum, Blue Maritime, Ocean Autonomy, and Maritime CleanTech clusters. The center will be a hub, orchestrating the interfaces with research partners and user partners to facilitate collaboration, knowledge creation, dissemination, innovation, and sharing of knowledge. The Norwegian Maritime AI Center is funded by the Research Council of Norway and the partners for the period 2026-2030. There will be approximately 25 doctoral scholarships and some postdoc positions. More information can be found here: Norwegian Maritime AI Center.

Duties of the position

• Conduct research on trustworthy agentic AI built on open-weight foundation models, including agent architectures, reasoning, planning and tool use, and the efficient adaptation of open models for locally deployed, domain-specific use.
• Develop and evaluate methods that make agent behaviour reliable and accountable, such as uncertainty quantification, interpretability, alignment, monitoring and human oversight, taking into account relevant standards and regulation, including the EU AI Act.
• Validate the developed methods on realistic case studies in maritime and other safety-relevant applications, in collaboration with the Maritime AI Center and industry partners.
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above, including academic publications and popular science dissemination.
• Participate in the research group Cyber-Physical Systems Laboratory (CPS Lab) and Norwegian Maritime AI Centre activities.
• Take courses in relevant technical topics, comprising a minimum of 30 ECTS.
  

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, engineering cybernetics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering, or equivalent. 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.
• Strong programming skills, in particular Python, and practical experience with modern machine learning frameworks.
• Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside Europe must present an official language test report. The acceptable tests are TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL: 600 / writing 4.5 (paper-based) or 92 / writing 22 (internet-based)
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted)
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A.
    
• Experience with agentic AI systems, LLM-based agents, tool use, planning, or multi-agent systems.
• Knowledge of trustworthy AI topics such as interpretability, explainability, uncertainty quantification, robustness, formal verification, safety, privacy or AI governance and regulation.
• Familiarity with maritime, autonomous systems, or other safety-critical application domains.
• Demonstrated research ability, e.g. through publications, thesis work, technical reports or open-source contributions.
• Relevant industry or applied research experience.
  

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently and in a structured way, as well as collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team
• Communicate effectively and present and discuss your research with other professionals
• 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
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues

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 ofmeasures 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 the doctoral work.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Engineering Cybernetics 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 place of service is NTNU in Ålesund.

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.

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 withcurrent legislation . You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Agus Hasan, telephone [phone], email [e-mail].

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Gunn-Helen Hellevik, [e-mail].

Ålesund, known for its unique Art Nouveau architecture and spectacular nature, is a gem on Norway's west coast. The city offers a vibrant cultural life, modern facilities, and a dynamic business environment. With its strategic location by the sea, Ålesund provides a perfect balance between urban living and natural experiences. Here, you will find excellent schools, top-notch healthcare services, and a wide range of recreational activities. Ålesund is an ideal place for both career and family life, with a safe and inclusive community.

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

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 ICT and Natural Sciences

Our campus in Ålesund works in a partnership with industry that is in a class of its own among Norwegian universities. This ensures a practical focus for our study programmes, while they are firmly anchored in modern theory. The Department offers programmes in automation engineering, computer engineering, electric power systems, simulation and visualization. Our research areas include autonomous vessels, robotics, cybernetics, medical technology and health informatics, and artificial intelligence. The Department of ICT and Natural Sciences is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .