Postdoctoral Fellow in Artificial Intelligence

About the position 

We have a vacancy for a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Computer Science at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

The SFI NorwAI is a research-based innovation Center for AI Innovation hosted at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. Here, we are joining forces with 15 partners from industry, universities, and research institutes. Research areas cover competences that the Norwegian industry needs to develop cutting-edge theories, methods, and technology, for efficient, effective and responsible exploitation of data-driven AI in innovative industrial solutions. Being part of a project like SFI NorwAI will give you a unique arena for collaboration and networking, also across disciplines and with industry. 

The postdoctoral fellowship will be a core part of the research efforts in the center, and we look for a highly motivated, self-driven candidate that would like to conduct AI research to build a profile for an academic career. The topic of the postdoctoral fellowship is open to the topics we work on in the center and we invite candidates to propose a suitable research topic that links to at least one of our work packages (https://www.ntnu.edu/norwai/research ). The fellow should aim at high-level publications in the broader field of AI and name potential publication venues in the application.

A list of possible, but not limited, research topics are:

• Geometric Deep Learning and Graph Representation Learning
• Machine learning on dynamic graphs
• Personalization 
• Developing Machine Learning methods for time series and streaming data
• Image recognition

Your immediate leader is the leader of NorwAI research center. 

Duties of the position

• Conduct research in collaboration with NorwAI partners
• Supervise master’s thesis and co-supervise Ph.D. students
• Contribute to the research and social environment of NorwAI

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree in Computer Science or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in Computer Science.
• You must have a professionally relevant background in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or Big Data.
• Publications in top venue scientific conferences or journals.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D Candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate.

Preferred selection criteria

• Publication(s) in high level conferences or journals linked to the research area you propose to work 
• Excellent written and oral English skills 
• Experience in initiating research collaborations and writing research proposals

Personal characteristics

• Excellent ability to interact, also independently, with external organizations
• Excellent ability to understand and mediate cross-disciplinary challenges
• Demonstrated ability to quickly acquire knowledge in new topics
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as in a team-based environment
• Passion for uncovering new knowledge and explaining it to others

We offer 

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 563 500 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 years without teaching duties or 4 years with teaching. 

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.

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 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 fulfill the criteria specified 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. 
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 5 items).
• Research plan that addresses the research topics listed above. Please ensure to include a motivation, the relevance of the proposed research work, how it is linked to at least one of our work packages (https://www.ntnu.edu/norwai/research ), and objective for the fellowship.
• Name and contact information of three references.

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 

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

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

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. 

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.

IIf you have any questions about the position, please contact Kerstin Bach, email [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR, e-mail: [email protected] .

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. 

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) . 

Application deadline: 31.08.22 

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 Computer Science 

We are the leading academic IT environment in Norway, and offer a wide range of theoretical and applied IT programmes of study at all levels. Our subject areas include hardware, algorithms, visual computing, AI, databases, software engineering, information systems, learning technology, HCI, CSCW, IT operations and applied data processing. The Department has groups in both Trondheim and Gjøvik. The Department of Computer Science  is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering  .

Deadline 31st August 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Campus Gløshaugen