PhD Fellow in Weather panel performance & design for protection of arctic outdoor working environment

1 Jun 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Department

Department of Building, Energy and Material Technology

Research Field

Engineering » Maritime engineering
Engineering » Computer engineering
Engineering » Other
Technology » Marine technology

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Norway

Application Deadline

31 Aug 2023 - 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description
Changing Arctic Research School

UiT the Arctic University of Norway started the transdisciplinary research school "Changing Arctic" in August 2022, with PhD candidates and supervisors from all seven university faculties. The research school has a focus on renewable energy, food security, health, and welfare. “Changing Arctic” will collaborate with actors in the private and public sector. The research outcomes will contribute to resilience and transformation in the Arctic and will thus operationalize Sustainable Development Goals.

The training will provide PhD candidates with knowledge, professional and transferable skills, and general competences that enables them to contribute to innovative and sustainable solutions for the Arctic. The research school will arrange courses, seminars, workshops, and excursions, and will organise secondments in private enterprises, NGOs, and public institutions. This is to ensure the relevance of project outcomes and enhance the employability of the PhD graduates. Read more about the research school Changing Arctic | UiT.

The position

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % each year and will consist of teaching and other duties. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.

The workplace is at UiT in Narvik. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer. The
Research School has its kick-off the week of 28.08 - 01.09.2023. The successful applicant's participation is mandatory.

The position’s field of research

While being a member of the research school, you will be employed at the Department of Building, Energy and Material Technology , at the Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology .

Most critical for the operability and maintainability of infrastructure, onshore/offshore facilities, ships and offshore fish farms in the changing arctic climate is the cold environment’s impact on outdoor activity, i.e., health and well-being, outdoor operations, emergency response and evacuation, transportation, etc. Special considerations are often necessary during the design and fabrication of onshore facilities, ships and floating structures in cold waters. Wind is often the critical factor that increases effect of cold, rain and snow, and porous weather panels are being used for wind & weather protection of exposed work areas & outdoor operations.

Weather panel performance & design for protection of arctic outdoor working environment involve:

• Impact from a changing arctic climate on metocean conditions (wind, cold, precipitation, icing, snow etc.)
• Weather protection designs (semi-open protections, louvers for enclosure)
• Wind shielding performance of porous panels and customized weather panel design
• Favourable winterized design (icing, snow clogging etc.)

It is expected that the PhD-candidate participates in field experiments or/and collection of necessary field data. Including engineering the PhD-candidate is encouraged to work transdisciplinary and collaborate with PhD-candidates/projects within disciplines as meteorology, safety, health & human factors etc. This project is aimed for working in close collaboration with relevant industry.

Infrastructure, onshore and offshore facilities in a changing arctic is challenged by increasingly severe climatic conditions characterized by strong winds, low temperature, icing, snow precipitation, etc. Up to now there are few established or prequalified design solutions for wind and weather protection in arctic environment.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Per-Arne Sundsbø: 

• email: [email protected]

or Head of the Department Raymond Riise:

• email: [email protected]

Qualifications

This position requires:

• A master’s degree in a relevant field
• A master's thesis with a relevant subject to the research description
• English proficiency
• Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your
  master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or
  institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcripts for the master’s degree with
  your application

It is considered an advantage if you have:

• Working experience in the field in question
• Experience with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) & wind analysis
• Experience with cold climate technology 
• Experience from working in a team
• Experience with research administration / project management 
• A national and/or international research network that you can refer to
• Publications and/or reports 
• Working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language

In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work. The project description will also be considered. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration.

We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position.

As many as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.

Admission to the PhD programme 

For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology  and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.

Admission normally requires:  

• A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS. 
• A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master's degree of 120 ECTS. 
• A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS. 

In order to gain admission to the programme, applicants with a background from a Norwegian institution should have a minimum grade of C on their master thesis and a weighted grade average of 3.0 for the last two years of their master programme. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here . 

Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from NOKUT . Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree. 

If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position. 

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project in a transdisciplinary research school
• A good and interdisciplinary academic environment with dedicated colleagues
• Good career opportunities 
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• A stunning Arctic landscape and diversity of outdoor activities
• More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility

Application 

Kindly be advised that in order to be evaluted for the position, your application must include the following: 

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV
• Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
• Transcript of grades/academic record for bachelor's and master's degree
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• 2-3 references with contact information
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works
• Project description (max 4 pages)

The applicants must present a description outlining the academic basis of the PhD project. The project description shall not exceed 4 pages, literature references included. It must include a description of the theme, research question(s), and a reasoning of the choices. It should also indicate the methodologies to be used, and what actors outside the academia to involve. The final project description will be developed in cooperation with the supervision team after employment.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline. 

General information 

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants . 

A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years. 

Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017.  A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure. 

UiT - Developing the High North

UiT is a multi-campus research university in Norway and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.

Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.

Find information about taking a PhD at UiT The Arctic University of Norway here  and a PhD-guide from Tromsø Doctoral Students (TODOS) here , as well as information about travelling to and working in Norway here .

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Maritime engineering

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Computer engineering

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Other

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Technology » Marine technology

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Country

Norway

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/244046/phd-fellow-in-weather-pan…

Contact

City

Tromsø

Website

http://en.uit.no/om/art?p_document_id=343547&dim=179040

Postal Code

N-9037

STATUS: EXPIRED