PhD Candidate in Engineering Geology

About the job

The Department of Geoscience and Petroleum (IGP) has a vacancy for a full-time 100% position as a PhD candidate within the field of Engineering Geology. The prospective candidate will be part of the Engineering Geology and Rock Mechanics research group at IGP but will also collaborate with other NTNU departments and societal stakeholders.

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree. The work environment will be inspiring and international with other PhD candidates working within engineering geology, structural geology, hydrogeology and soil mechanics.

Water ingress in underground constructions may lower the groundwater level, which cause settlements and damage to constructions, and drainage of forest land disturbing the natural environment.

Hence, water control in Norwegian tunnels has traditionally been carried out based on practical experience, often using high pre-grouting pressure as an important stop criterion. The research carried out in the past on pre-grouting pressure and flow of cementitious grouting materials indicate that high pressure grouting in hard rock in most cases result in predefined water tightness, but the grout consumption and time used may be high. This raise questions related to cost effectiveness and sustainability.

In the last decade a development towards long, shallow, and urban tunnels can be seen. Many projects have strict ingress limits to avoid settlements, and the pre-grouting is an important part of the design. Unfortunately, challenges with water ingress are still common, and not only related to settlements but functionality of the tunnel as well.

UN has defined 17 goals for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and all nations have obliged to achieve these goals. Several goals are important for the tunnelling industry and the most important is No. 13 “Climate action”. Norway has through the Paris-agreement agreed to reduce CO2 emission, and The National Transport Plan (NTP) demands that the tunnel builders must reduce their CO2 emission in the construction stage with 40% compared with reference year 2005. In a typical Norwegian tunnel, concrete is responsible for approximately 40% of the CO2 emission. In future tunnel projects there is a need for optimizing the pre-grouting and reduce the need for water and frost protection.

Project description

The aim of this PhD research project will be to focus on a better understanding of one or several of the following questions/challenges regarding groundwater control in Norwegian tunnelling:

• Analyse todays grouting methods and collect geological and grouting data from selected tunnels. Assess potential correlations between geological parameters, groundwater flow, grouting efforts, resulting watertightness and pore pressure reduction in the soil (settlements).
• Assess different grouting procedures to find the most sustainable and cost-effective grouting method for prevailing geological conditions.
• Develop a decision-making tool to find the most sustainable and cost-effective solution for water control under different geological conditions.
• Which type of investigations (pre-excavation and during excavation) are needed to plan for an optimal grouting procedure?
• Analyse whether it is possible to reduce water ingress to a minimum and thereby reduce the total CO2 emission due to reduced need for water protection.

The project is of high societal relevance in Norway, and other countries with similar challenges. There is potential for collaboration across scientific fields including Hydrogeology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Geotechnical Engineering. It will be beneficial with close collaboration with builders and/or contractors to get access to one or several tunnel projects under construction for observations and testing of pre-grouting.

The main supervisor of the project will be Professor Kristin H. Holmøy.

Your immediate leader is Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• The successful candidate will be responsible for collecting necessary data and information.
• The candidate must acquire an overall understanding of pre-grouting (different practices and methods) for Norwegian and other countries.
• Communicate the results to the scientific audience and relevant stakeholders.
• Participate in relevant and international conferences, publication of annual reports, and write peer-reviewed journal papers to disseminate the research results.

Required selection criteria

• Applicants must hold a MSc degree (or equivalent) within Geology or Engineering Geology with specialization in for example engineering geology, 3D modelling/geostatistics
• 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 (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phiv )
• Good written and oral English skills

The research in this position has civilian objectives. The candidate is required to work with technologies regulated by export control laws. Candidates that might conflict with this requirement will not be evaluated.

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

• A working knowledge of a Scandinavian language, and in particular Norwegian, is beneficial
• Candidates with documented experience in practical application of engineering geological knowledge will be preferred
• Knowledge of projects related to Nordic geological conditions will be an advantage

Personal characteristics

• The ability to work in a team, and good communication skills will be emphasized in the employment process
• Strong time-management skills, and aptitude to work independently and take initiatives is also emphasized
• Good networking skills and ability to seek collaboration both in academia and with industry and civil society is highly beneficial

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities. In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience, personal suitability, and motivation in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement. We look for candidates who show clear signs of independence, original thinking, and a scientific mindset.

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 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering Geology (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phiv ) 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: 

• 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 proposed research plan showing the main questions the candidate wants to address
• Name and contact information of three referees
• If you have publications or other relevant 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 Professor Kristin H. Holmøy, telephone +47 93 47 89 80, e-mail [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Anne-Lise Brekken, 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 - 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 Geoscience and Petroleum

We conduct teaching and research related to management of Earth’s geological resources. Norway’s rich resources of wind, water, oil, gas and minerals have been and are essential to the country’s prosperity, and will continue to be in the future. The Department plays a key role in the development of technology and the education of graduates who enable value creation based on our natural resources. The Department of Geoscience and Petroleum  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 Institutt for geovitenskap og petroleum