PhD Candidate in Materials Integrity for Hydrogen Energy Applications

About the position

A PhD position is available at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering within the field of materials integrity for hydrogen energy applications.

Hydrogen is considered as a clean alternative to fossil fuels in heat and electricity production. However, there are numerous knowledge and technical gaps that need to be filled before the shift from fossil to hydrogen fuels happens. This PhD position will be linked to the HYDROGENi project funded under the scheme “Centres for Environmental-friendly Energy Research (FEM)” of the Research Council of Norway. The project is dedicated to build a sustainable hydrogen economy to meet the 2030 and 2050 goals of the Norwegian hydrogen road map.

The research you will do will be focused on developing and exploring new testing and characterization technologies for the investigation of materials integrity within hydrogen environment. Fundamental kinetic and thermodynamic knowledge of hydrogen-assisted materials degradation will be studied.  

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

Your immediate leader is Associate Professor

Duties of the position

• developing experimental approaches for probing microstructure evolution associated with the effect of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of selected metallic materials using microscopic techniques (such as SEM, FIB)
• establishing a fundamental kinetic and thermodynamic understanding of materials degradation in hydrogen environment
• materials characterization by advanced experimental techniques (such as SEM, TEM, etc.)
• participate in project meetings with supervisors and colleagues
• write journal papers
• present scientific work at conferences

Required selection criteria

• you must have a professionally relevant background in materials science/engineering, mechanical engineering, experimental physics, chemistry, or related fields
• 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
• experimental skills in mechanical testing and microstructural characterization of materials are essential for the position
• you must have a scientific background relevant to the planned project activities

• good written and oral English language skills

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

• you should have good knowledge and experimental skills of mechanical testing at multiscale levels, including tensile testing and fatigue testing
• prior knowledge/experience in hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon of structural materials is a plus
• hands-on experience with one or more advanced characterization techniques such as SEM, EBSD, FIB, and TEM is preferred
• knowledge of basic programming software like Matlab, Python, etc.
• good communication skills, both oral and written

Personal characteristics

• you must show the ability and willingness to conduct research in a multidisciplinary setting and team
• motivated, enthusiastic and result oriented
• you need to be able to work in a team-based environment, but also be able to work independently
• motivated to embrace challenges

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 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in 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.

The position is subject to external funding.

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
• cover letter justifying your interest and fit for the position
• research plan or project proposal (maximum 2 pages, Times New Roman or similar Font 11, Single spacing)
• name and contact information of three referees
• if you have publications or other relevant research work (up to 10 works)

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 Dr. Xu Lu, e-mail: [email protected] , +47 92257159, or Dr. Antonio Alvaro, email: [email protected] , +47 96738451.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Linn-Cecilie Felle, 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: 01.11.2022

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 Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

We educate graduates who can create new products, operate and maintain products, and manage projects. The Department has a variety of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. We conduct wide-ranging research in fields such as technology, energy, product quality and development, and productivity. The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Deadline 1st November 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Dept. of Mechainical and Industrial Engineering