Postdoctoral Fellow in Distributed Data Processing and Inference in Emerging IoT and Wireless...

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 42,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here .

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

The successful candidate will be offered a two-year appointment. 

The position reports to the Head of the Department of Electronic Systems.

The workplace will be Trondheim.

The position is linked to the project Resource-aware IoT with Enhanced Intelligence and Security, funded by the Research Council of Norway. The project deals with big data, the internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence as critical enablers of digital transformation. In particular, big data analytics allow us to discover hidden connections between seemingly unrelated things. However, running machine-learning-based analytics on a single central processor is often impractical due to the sheer scale of big data. In addition, in the emerging paradigm of the internet of things (IoT), large volumes of data are constantly gathered by numerous sensors and devices, which are often geographically dispersed or mobile to make matters even more challenging. This makes concentrating the data at a central processing hub unfeasible due to constraints on the energy budgets of the sensors, integrity of data holders, and the capacity of the communication channels. Thus, robust data processing over networks of machines/agents is essential for performing big-data analytics in future IoT-based applications. Consequently, the project's main objectives are developing and analyzing robust resource-efficient machine learning algorithms for inference and decision-making in emerging wireless systems.

The postdoctoral research fellow will have the opportunity to be affiliated with the IoT@NTNU  and the Norwegian Open AI lab and collaborate with research scientists from international partner institutions. The hired candidate is to conduct research with Prof. Stefan Werner and possibly guide other students associated with the team. Preference will be given to candidates who can work independently and have a strong potential to build competence in distributed federated machine learning, privacy-preserving learning, and inference in IoT and wireless systems.

We search for candidates interested in these interdisciplinary tasks, and those with the best qualifications will be invited for an interview. 

The successful candidate is expected to work independently, have a solid mathematical background, and have a Ph.D. in statistical signal processing, wireless communications, statistical machine learning, applied mathematics, statistics, electrical engineering, or related fields. A prerequisite is good command of the English language (spoken and written). An eligible candidate should have submitted the Ph.D. thesis for assessment by the application deadline. In summary:

• 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 Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or another relevant discipline.
• Strong mathematical background.
• Substantial research experience documented with peer-reviewed scientific papers.
• Excellent with verbal and written communication in English.

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.

The preferred candidate has

• A strong interest in learning and performing the tasks of a more senior academic position, i.e., supervising and developing publications with Ph.D. students.
• Relevant background in either distributed machine learning, optimization, wireless communications, applied mathematics, or graph signal processing with applications in IoT/wireless systems.
• Excellent coding skills (MATLAB, Python).

The successful candidates should be

• Creative and innovative 
• Independent and self-motivated
• Able to work in a team

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK  553 500 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 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.

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

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. Therefore, you should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria set out above. 

If you, for any reason, 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:

• Application letter describing your motivation, relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.
• CV, certificates, and diplomas.
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and Ph.D. degrees.
• Complete list of publications.
• Most relevant publications (maximum ten publications).
• Brief research plan for the position (top 2 pages).
• Contact information for three referees.

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 suitability. 

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

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.

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.

If you have any questions about the position, please get in touch with Professor Stefan Werner (email [email protected] ). 

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

If you are invited for an interview, you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to application number 2022/6679 when applying. 

Application deadline: 12.08.22

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 Electronic Systems

The digitalization of Norway is impossible without electronic systems. We are Norway’s leading academic environment in this field, and contribute with our expertise in areas ranging from nanoelectronics, phototonics, signal processing, radio technology and acoustics to satellite technology and autonomous systems. Knowledge of electronic systems is also vital for addressing important challenges in transport, energy, the environment, and health. The Department of Electronic Systems  is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .