PhD position in climate change mitigation in the Aviation sector

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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 job

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

The Industrial Ecology Program (IndEcol), Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has an opening for a PhD position on Climate Change Mitigation in the Aviation Sector.

The position will be part of the broader work in the Norwegian Centre for Energy Transition Strategies (FME NTRANs) on climate change mitigation in the transport sector. The objective of the research is to identify climate change mitigation strategies in the interface between the aviation and energy sectors.

The research will extend to the existing AviTEAM modeling framework which combines engineering models, combined with ADS-B data to investigate mitigation options for the sector. Key tasks for the PhD position involve applications of the existing framework and advancement in the interface towards integrated assessment and energy system models for scenario analysis. The selected candidate will join a team of interdisciplinary researchers working on bridging engineering sciences with life cycle assessment and climate sciences. The duration of the position is 3-4 yrs.

Your immediate leader is Professor Anders Hammer Strømman.

Duties of the position

• Advance the AviTeam model and its interface towards energy and integrated assessment models.

• Apply the AviTeam models for national, regional, or global climate change mitigation scenarios for the aviation sector, including both technological advancements as well as demand side measures.

Required selection criteria

• The main qualification requirement is that you have completed a Master’s degree in Climate Sciences, Integrated Assessment Modelling, Industrial Ecology, Energy or Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Physics, or equivalent.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed 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 program.
• Good programming skills in one or several languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB, Fortran, C++): Applicants are required to provide a sample code they have programmed, preferably in Python. The Applicant maintains the Intellectual Property Rights of the code provided. NTNU will not make any use of the code beyond assessing the programming skill level of the applicant for the sole purpose of this hiring process. The code will only be shared among those involved in the assessment of the candidate.
• Competence in mathematical modeling and languages for simulation or optimization of climate, energy, or transport systems (e.g., Fortran, Python, GAMS, XPress, Matlab).
• Competence in data processing and parsing, as well as data management.
• Strong analytical skills and capabilities.

• Excellent written and oral English language skills.

Strong, well-matured, and well-articulated motivation for working on the topic is required. The candidates must, therefore, in their application, provide a 1-page letter where they describe i) their motivation for doing a Ph.D. in this domain and ii) how they see their competence and capabilities as relevant for the position.

The candidates are expected to be familiar with key relevant publications from the supervisor. Also, the candidates selected for the interview will be asked to demonstrate a good ability to absorb and present material from the research frontier on the matters at hand.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant

Preferred selection criteria

• Competence in one or several of the following frameworks: Integrated Assessment Modelling, Climate or Earth System Modelling, Energy System Models, Life Cycle Assessment, or Dynamic Material Flow Models.
• Experience applying one or some of the above frameworks on subject matters relevant to the aviation sector.
• Experience with version control systems and software development platforms like Git Hub and GitLab
• Experience with High-Performance Computing services.

• Ability to work with large datasets.

Personal characteristics

• The successful candidate will work in a group with other professors and PhDs from different disciplines. The candidate is expected to embrace this setting and be a true team player.
• Self-driven with a strong ability to work independently when required.
• Motivated to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team, with an interest in cross-disciplinary learning.
• In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3-4 years (depending on the qualifications of the candidate).

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering (https://www.ntnu.edu/iv/doctoral-programme) within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding by the Norwegian Research Council.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include:

• CV and certificates
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have 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.
• Name and contact information of three references
• 1 page of motivation for the position including the relevance of your academic background.
• If you have publications or other relevant research work
• An example of code you have developed (in Python, Matlab, C++, Fortran etc.)

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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

EPT has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Assistants and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the careers of female PhD Candidates, Postdocs and Research Assistants, and is also made visible to our student body to encourage them to consider an academic path. As part of the EPT Women in Science initiative we are building an international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events. NTNU aims to increase the proportion of women in its scientific posts. Women are encouraged to apply.

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The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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.

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As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself 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 reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Anders Hammer Strømman, email anders.hammer.stromman@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Cathrine Kyung Ja Kravik, e-mail: cathrine.k.j.kravik@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

Application deadline: 08.05.2024.