PhD Candidate in Interaction Design and Learning Technologies

About the job

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

Nowadays, the advances in learning technologies have introduced a new era that builds and extends their impact in learning, teaching and assessment in new and unanticipated ways. In the 21rst century digital world, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) and especially Computer Science (CS) education appears to be more important than ever before, particularly in educating K-12 students and young people. Studying the design, evaluation and implementation of learning systems (combine the use of Learning Analytics, Augmented Reality, 3D printing, and Virtual Robotics solutions among others), dealing with the interaction in real educational settings, is demanding and challenging process. In order to explore the future of learning technologies researchers need to examine the complex interactions and invisible cognitive learning processes as they occur in learning situations using methods and data that will help us to monitor the overall learning experience in more holistic and accurate ways (e.g., multimodal data, AI/ML, other).

The successful candidate is expected to be a member of the Learner-Computer Interaction (LCI) lab.  LCI provides an interdisciplinary playground for researchers and professionals across all areas of learning technologies, psychology, learning sciences and interaction design. 

The group leader of the position is expected to contribute on designing the conditions for engaging learning and tools for supporting learners. The objectives and the research questions of the PhD project will be developed in consultation with the supervisors during the first months of the fellowship.
Your immediate leader is the group leader of information Systems and Software engineering (ISSE). 

Duties of the position

The goal of the PhD projects is to explore learner’s (preferably with a focus on children and young adults) interaction in experiences relevant to CS education, leveraging contemporary and advanced methods. This work will build on an interdisciplinary approach, bridging the domains of learning sciences, interaction design, and learning technology.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual that wants to excel in a research environment. The successful candidate is expected to contribute to relevant projects (funded by the EU, Nationally or other) relevant to the LCI lab and group of collaborators.

Part of the main duties and responsibilities include conducting the following tasks:

• Conduct a literature review.
• Plan and conduct empirical studies.
• Collect and analyze empirical data.
• Write up reports and research articles.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in interaction design and learning technologies.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale.  If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program .
• Excellent written and oral English skills. Applicants must provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following tests can be used as such documentation: TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test).
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted).
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A.
•  In extraordinary circumstances, formal documentation of language skills can be relinquished. In such cases the candidate’s language skills will be assessed in a personal interview.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate  and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Preferred selection criteria

• A solid knowledge on Human-Computer Interaction and Learning Technologies is essential, and a research-oriented master thesis within one of these or related areas is expected.
• Hands-on experience with conducting user studies; collecting, and analyzing data.
• A solid knowledge on quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Experience with design, use and evaluation of emerging technologies for young students.
• Experience with research in child-computer interaction.
• Relevant experience as a research assistant in research projects.
• Published or submitted relevant research work.

Emphasis will be put on personal qualities and potential as a researcher. High importance will also be attached to personal communication and cooperation skills.

Potential successful candidate will be interviewed via digital means or in person in cases that various circumstances allow it.

Personal characteristics

• Excellent analytical skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as in teams.
• Result-oriented.
• Strong motivation to contribute to good working and social environment.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 501 200 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 4 years (with 25 % teaching duties) or 3 years (without teaching duties). 

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Computer Science  within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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 daily.

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 fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include:

• CV and certificates.
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• A short essay (up to 1000 words) describing their view of the main research challenges in interaction design and learning technologies.
• Name and contact information of three referees.
• If you have publications or other relevant research work.
• Any other work which the applicant wishes to be considered should clearly indicate the applicant's contribution.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a or a similar document, which describes in detail the study and grading system and the rights for further studies associated with the obtained degree.

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, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short 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 our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

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 Associate Professor Sofia Papavlasopoulou, 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.  

Application deadline: 30.01.23

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 30th January 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Campus Gløshaugen