PhD Candidate in Adaption of the Electric Power System for Large Scale Hydrogen production in Norway

Updated: over 1 year ago
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 01 Nov 2022

About the position

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree. The PhD is part of “Sustainability and integrated assessment” in the FME HYDROGENi and will also collaborate closely with related PhD’s and researchers in other parts of the centre, and in particular within “Green H2 production”. Hydrogen demand and energy system scenarios will align with findings from e.g. “Hydrogen Pathways 2050”. The PhD builds upon more than 20 years of experience in the field of renewable hydrogen systems at the Dept. of Electric Power Engineering (IEL), NTNU.

The main supervisor of the PhD candidate will be Associate Prof. Steve Völler , and the co-supervisors will be Professor Magnus Korpås  and Professor Irina Oleinikova . In addition, co-supervisors from co-operating partners may be appointed.

The position reports to the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

Recent decarbonization scenarios show an extensive use of hydrogen in industry, transport and energy systems towards 2050, which will lead to an increased pressure on the electrical power system, because hydrogen production is an energy-intensive process. This PhD will address the energy system challenges that are expected as more hydrogen production is put online in the Nordic power system towards 2050. Of particular importance are the needs for new renewable power generation and grids to support different scenarios for distributed and centralized hydrogen plants. Moreover, the PhD candidate will assess the ability of electrolysis plants to provide flexibility to the power system, and thereby adding value to the hydrogen production and utilization chain.

The results of the PhD are expected to be of high importance for energy companies and hydrogen producers, to increase the understanding of how hydrogen production can be integrated in the power system in a technically sound and economic feasible manner.

Required selection criteria

  • You must have a master's degree within Electric Power Engineering or Physics with a specialization relevant to the given research area.
  • 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.
  • You must meet the requirements for admission to the Faculty's doctoral program (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phelkt)
  • Good written and oral English language skills. Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside EU/EEA/Switzerland must provide preliminary documentation of English language proficiency, in terms of an approved test. The following tests can be used: TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE).

The appointment is to be made in accordance with  Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant  

Preferred selection criteria

  • Professionally relevant background in hydrogen systems, energy modelling, holistic energy systems or similar is an advantage.
  • Relevant (non-)scientific publications, e.g. in popular sciences, showing the ability to communicate fluently.
  • Written and oral Norwegians skills are an advantage. If you are not from a Scandinavian speaking country, you may provide documentation of your skills (e.g. Norskprøven, Bergenstest).

Personal characteristics

  • Inquisitive and self-motivated
  • Creativity and innovation in research
  • Scientific mindset
  • Ability to work across traditional disciplines and easily get in touch with other researchers

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 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 employment contract is for three years; however, there is a possibility for extension up to four years if selected for assistantship.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Electric Power Engineering  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 or Norwegian.

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: 

  • A cover letter where the applicant describes personal motivation and relevance with respect to the requirements of this advertisement.
  • A draft research proposal (1-2 pages) for the PhD study, where you present your own ideas for the PhD-work and how it can be applied, based on the project description given in this advertisement. This proposal will be neither final nor binding for the project.
  • CV & certificates including information pertaining to the given qualifications.
  • 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 and add contact details to your supervisor.
  • 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.
  • Testimonials and certificates. Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement (https://ec.europa.eu/education/diploma-supplement_en) or a similar document, which describes in detail the study programme and grading system.
  • Name and contact information of three references.
  • Other relevant publications or research work.

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 Steve Völler, telephone +47/73558933, email [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Bodil Vuttudal Wold, 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: November 1, 2022.

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 1st November 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service NTNU Campus Gløshaugen



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