Postdoctoral Fellow in Hydropower Technology

About the position 

The Norwegian Research Centre for Hydropower Technology, HydroCen, has a vacancy for a Postdoctoral Fellow. HydroCen is hosted by the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, and it is funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian hydropower industry. The research is both theoretical and experimental and it is mainly focused on hydropower technology. However, the market, environmental impact and social acceptance is also part of the research.

The candidate will work on surveillance and optimization of Pelton turbines for future flexible operation. It involves both numerical and experimental work in the laboratory. The work will be part of work package 2 in HydroCen. More information can be found here .

The Pelton turbine will be used to develop monitoring methods and verify numerical analyses. Visual investigations of the flow in Pelton turbines will be carried out in the Waterpower Laboratory. High-speed camera has been used to visualize the flow in a Pelton turbine and measurement techniques were developed through earlier studies in the Waterpower Laboratory at NTNU. Further work is needed in order to verify numerical analyses of the flow inside the Pelton turbine runner. The technique will also be used to monitor sediment erosion in the Pelton turbine. This requires in-depth studies on how to interpret visual images from eroded surfaces in the Pelton turbine runner. The goal is to develop a machine learning algorithm that will compare images from the turbine up to images of a new turbine, and thus estimate its condition. With such a system, maintenance can be planned in relation to the actual wear and efficiency loss on the turbine, as well as for minimizing downtime and optimizing maintenance time.

The position reports to Professor Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug  at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering.

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD 
• You must have a professionally relevant background in applied physics, mathematics,  computer science, or equivalent education
• Programming skills in LabView, MATLAB, Python, or similar
• Strong theoretical background in mathematics and physics
• Experience with Image recognition and/or machine learning algorithms
• Good written and oral English language skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant   

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience from numerical analysis
• Experience from programming design and opimization algorithms
• Experience from laboratory and/or prototype experiments on hydro turbines

Personal characteristics

• Strongly motivated and ambitious
• You are structured, targeted and solution oriented
• Are motivated to work interdisciplinary
• The successful candidate should be creative and actively contribute in the team he/she will be part of
• Have good dissemination skills
• Contributing to a sustainable social environment will also be valued.

We offer 

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 545 300 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 2 years.  

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 fully funded by the Norwegian Research Centre for Hydropowe Technology, HydroCen.

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

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 applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.  

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include: 

• CV, certificates and diplomas 
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees.  
• A copy of the master's thesis or draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position
• Brief project proposal (1 page maximum)
• Name and address of three referees 
• If you have: publications or other relevant research work

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

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief 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 

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background.  

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.  

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. 

Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants. 

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug telephone +47 918 97 603, email [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR-consultant Renate Fjellheim, e-mail: [email protected] . 

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI) .  

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number IV - 239/21when applying.  

Application deadline: 02.01.202

NTNU

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 Energy and Process Engineering

We conduct research and teaching covering the entire energy chain, from resources to the end-user. We look at how energy is produced and used by humans and machines in a sustainable way with regard to health, climate change and the resource base. The Department of Energy and Process Engineering  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Deadline 2nd January 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Fixed Term
Place of service Gløshaugen