Postdoctoral Fellow in the Use of Solar Energy in Nordic Climate

About the position 

At the Department of Electric Power Engineering (IEL), there is a vacancy for a postdoctoral fellow.

The position is funded by NTNU's strategic research area “NTNU Energy” , and in addition to research activities involves a number of administrative tasks connected to “NTNU Energy Team Solar” . The postdoctoral fellow will be involved in the work of coordinating and dissemination of the research activities within solar energy at NTNU.

NTNU Energy Team Solar's research activities currently take place at several faculties and departments at NTNU, and include the following areas:

Duties of the position

The postdoctoral position is a qualification position where the main goal is qualification for work in scientific positions. The research activity in the position will be interdisciplinary and will involve collaboration between two or more of NTNU Energy Team Solar's participating institutes. The overall goal for this position is to investigate how Nordic conditions affect production from photovoltaic systems. Compared with countries further south, factors such as low temperatures, snow, ice and great variation of solar radiation during the year play a major role and can influence the choice of solar cell technology and how the solar cells are placed/used.

The research content of the position will be determined by the candidate's competence and interests, in collaboration with the relevant institutes that will be involved in the research. For administrative tasks, the postdoctoral fellow will report to the team leader (Steve Völler, https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/steve.voller), who will also be one of the supervisors in the research activity.

Current co-supervisors may include:

Gabriele Lobaccaro , Marisa Di Sabatino , Barbara Matusiak   and Turid Reenaas .

The application must state which of the 5 above mentioned  research areas the applicant is qualified for and/or is interested in working with. Applicants are encouraged to visit Team Solar’s website to read more about the activities at the various departments/the various possible co-supervisors.

The administrative tasks are about relieving the Team Solar leader, i.e. helping to arrange meetings/seminars, coordinating/writing applications for research funding, disseminating the team's activities in research and teaching, updating websites and other platforms used, coordination and co-supervision of Team Solar PhD-candidates/students etc.

Required selection criteria

Applicants must have a PhD in one of the subject areas covered by the departments that are part of NTNU Energy Team Solar, i.e. either in electrical engineering, physics, materials technology, construction and environmental engineering or architecture. PhDs in other areas are only accepted if the applicant can document sufficient work experience in the field of solar energy. Relevant expertise in solar energy/solar cells in at least one of the 5 areas listed above must be documented. Previous experience with interdisciplinary work is an advantage and should be documented.

If you have had leave or other interruption in your career, it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account and that the amount of your research can be reduced as a result. We refer to the Regulations on employment conditions for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, research assistant and specialist candidate for general criteria for the position.

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

• It is an advantage if the applicant is fluent in Norwegian, Danish or Swedish, at a high enough level to be able to conduct oral communication work in Norwegian, Danish or Swedish, and in writing in Norwegian. For those who do not have Norwegian, Danish or Swedish as their mother tongue, language courses/skills must be documented.
• Creativity and innovation in research

Personal characteristics

Emphasis will be placed on:

• Good collaboration skills
• Ability to work interdisciplinary/with several supervisors
• Ability to work across traditional disciplines and easily get in touch with other researchers
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position
• Ability to support both the team leader and the team's administrative work

We offer 

Salary and conditions

The employment period is for 2 years.

In the position as postdoctoral fellow code 1352, you will normally be paid with a gross NOK 553 500 per years depending on qualifications and seniority. 2% statutory contribution to the Government Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.

The employment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the Government Employees Act, and legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services.

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

About the application 

Publications and other scientific work that you want to be taken into account in the assessment must be included in the application. We point out that applications are only assessed on the basis of the information available at the end of the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experiences meet the criteria described above.

The application must contain:

• Application letter in which the motivation for applying for the position is described
• Research plan for the postdoc position (3-5 pages)
• CV
• Diplomas, certificates and associated transcripts (both bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees)
• Certificates for language skills in English and if applicable in Scandinavian languages
•  Publications and/or other relevant research work
• Name and contact information for three references

Joint work will be taken into account. If in joint work it is difficult to identify your efforts, you must enclose a short account of their participation.

When assessing the best qualified candidate, we place emphasis on education, experience and personal suitability, as well as your motivation for the position. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

NTNU undertakes to follow evaluation criteria for research quality in accordance with The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information 

Working at NTNU 

NTNU's personnel policy emphasizes gender equality and diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender, functional ability or cultural background. NTNU wants to increase the proportion of women in its scientific positions and has a number of tools  to promote gender 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. 

According to the Public Administration Act, name, age, job title and municipality of residence can be published even if you have requested not to be listed on the applicant list.

The Department of Electric Power Engineering works closely with key players in the Norwegian electricity supply, which is a critical infrastructure. A comprehensive risk assessment of the candidates' research interests and potential activities linked to national threat assessments will therefore also form the basis for the final selection of candidates.

If you have questions about the position, you can contact Associate Professor Steve Völler .

The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no.

Application deadline: 22.07.22

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 Electric Power Engineering

The Department of Electric Power Engineering is one of the seven departments at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Our department is Norway’s leading in the field, and our vision is to be at the centre of the digital, green shift. We have excellent collaboration with business and industry as well as other universities and research organizations internationally. This gives us outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary research with high relevance for the society, addressing industrial needs and global challenges.

Deadline 22nd July 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Campus Gløshaugen