Postdoctoral Researcher in Hydraulic and Hydropower Structure Engineering

About the job

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

We have a vacancy for a two-year position as a Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.

The work will be conducted within the Hydraulic Research Group at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering https://www.ntnu.edu/ibm/hydraulic-engineering . The Department runs one of Europe's largest hydraulic laboratories, the NTNU Hydrotechnical Laboratory (NTNU HL), where physical experiments on watercourses, hydraulic and hydropower structures are carried out as part of research projects, teaching or commercial projects.  

The postdoctoral position is devoted to research in the field of hydraulic and hydropower structure engineering. The research may involve both field studies and experimental work on in the hydraulic laboratory at NTNU.

The application must include a (maximum one-page) research plan. The candidate will also be involved in strategic work and new applications for research.

You will report to the Head of the Hydraulic Research Group.

Duties of the position

• Work according to commonly agreed research plan
• Planning and conducting experimental hydraulic research as well as field work
• Writing scientific publications
• Contributing to writing reports and applications for funding of research projects
• Supervision of Master’s thesis students participating in the experimental research
• Contributing to meetings with research partners

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in Hydraulic Engineering. If you can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position
• Skills and experience in designing and executing hydraulic research in the laboratory
• Experience from experimental work in a hydraulic laboratory
• Able to participate in and carry out field work
• Documented experience with scientific publishing
• Programming skills, for example using Matlab or similar
• Professionally relevant background in hydraulic engineering or hydropower engineering
• Applicants must have excellent English language skills, written and spoken

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

• Experience from design of hydropower and other hydraulic structures
• Experience in project management
• Demonstrated skill in securing grants or strong potential to secure external research funding or commercial projects
• Good written and oral Norwegian language skills

Personal characteristics

• Structured, targeted and solution-oriented
• A team player with ability to work with an interdisciplinary team
• Self-driven with a strong ability to work independently
• Good communicating skills

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

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 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.  

Please note that the candidate holding the announced position is expected to work with critical national objects and infrastructure in Norway. Candidates with the potential of not fulfilling requirement for security clearance, access clearance and authorization as described in the Act Relating to National Security, cannot be considered for the position.

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.

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
• Description of experimental work experience
• Research plan comprising experimental work – maximum one A4 page
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 5 works)
• List of all academic works
• Name and contact information of 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 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.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Fjola Gudrun Sigtryggsdottir, telephone 73598388, email [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Hege Johansen, 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. 

Application deadline: 26.02.2023 

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 Civil and Environmental Engineering

We conduct research and teaching in civil and transportation engineering, technical planning, structural engineering, water and wastewater engineering and hydraulic engineering. Graduates from our programmes become employees – in both the public and private sectors – with a sustainability mindset combined with competitive knowledge and skills. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Deadline 26th February 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service S.P Andersens veg 5