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At NTNU, creating knowledge for a better world is the vision that unites our 7 000 employees and 40 000 students.

We are looking for dedicated employees to join us.

About the position

The Industrial Ecology Program (IndEcol), is seeking a postdoctoral researcher with competence in quantitative sustainability modelling to work on modelling sustainable development pathways related to the sustainable development goals 12 and 13 "responsible production and consumption" and "climate action".

The Industrial Ecology Program (IndEcol) is an interdisciplinary research and teaching program managing its own International MSc program and PhD program. IndEcol is well recognized for its work in the areas of life-cycle assessment, material flow analysis, and the use of input-output analysis for environmental assessments. The Industrial Ecology Program is well integrated in the international research community through the participation in EU projects and the participation in professional societies such as the International Society for Industrial Ecology and International Input-Output Association.

Key faculty members currently serve as lead authors of the IPCC. There is a long tradition in IndEcol of working on fundamental model development, in addition to having industrial and policy applications through case studies and tool development. The current position offered is seeking to further advance this model development and integration.

The project work for the position relates to the JPI-Axis project SHAPE. SHAPE is an inter-disciplinary project looking at furthering development of sustainable development scenarios. The project has a strong industrial ecology component, as well as social science (participatory modelling, focus on governance), and is in collaboration with key Integrated Assessment Modelling (IAM) partners. IndEcol will look at further developing scenarios in line with SDG12 “responsible production and consumption”. The project is a collaborative project lead by Potsdam Institute for Climate.

The Head of Department is Professor Terese Løvås. The position`s day-to-day project management and supervision is by Professor Richard Wood.

Main duties and responsibilities

The main task of the Postdoctoral Researcher is associated with the development and refinement of scenario modelling in relation to existing input-output (IO) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow approaches. The scenario modelling involves coupling scenarios (projections) of IO databases and other industrial ecology data with IAM output in order to explore the environmental (pollution, resource requirements) impact of global developments with different levels of climate policy ambition. The work will build on a range of existing approaches and data previously developed at IndEcol and elsewhere. The work involves a significant amount of model coupling, both between IO and LCA based models, as well as to the IAM efforts within the broader project. The main outcomes of the work will be a much better understanding of the changes in consumption and technology required (focusing on material intensive sectors) in relation to different sustainable development pathways (in line with varying levels of ambition of climate policy). There should be an opportunity to publish in high-impact and field-specific journals (and publication throughout the postdoc is expected), as well as to collaborate with leading experts in the field.

Qualification requirements

Essential qualifications

• Completion of a Norwegian or corresponding foreign doctoral degree using IAM, macro-economic models, IO or advanced LCA approaches (although we do not discount top-candidates from other fields, for example, mathematics or economics). Corresponding foreign doctoral degree must be recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree 
• A strong modelling background
• A strong programming background
• An exposure to “systems thinking”, and/or macro-level assessments
• Ability to handle large amounts of data, and to program in Python and/or Matlab
• Demonstrated competence in writing scientific journal articles
• Very high standard of English language (written and oral)

Desirable qualifications

• Evidence of fast programming skills and clean reproducible code
• Candidates with some background in Operations Research (and use of GAMS)

A postdoctoral research fellowship is a qualification position in which the main objective is qualification for work in academic positions.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, postdoctor and research assistant.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

Postdoctoral candidates are remunerated in code 1352, and are normally remunerated from NOK 523 200 per annum before tax. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The period of employment is 3 years.

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 criterias 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.

General information

Working at NTNU

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. The national labour force must reflect the composition of the population to the greatest possible extent. NTNU aims to increase the proportion of women in its scientific posts. Women are encouraged to apply.

Under the Freedom of Information Act (offentleglova), information about the applicant may be made public even if the applicant has requested not to have their name entered on the list of applicants.

About the application:

Further information about the position can be obtained from Professor Richard Wood (richard.wood@ntnu.no) or Professor Anders Hammer Strømman (anders.hammer.stromman@ntnu.no).

Publications and other academic works that the applicant would like to be considered in the evaluation must accompany the application. Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify the individual applicant's contribution to joint works, the applicant must include a brief description of his or her contribution.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. It is necessary to include a Diploma Supplement with European Masters Diplomas from outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Masters Diplomas from China Credentials Verification (CHSI): http://www.chsi.com.cn/en/.

Applicants invited for interview must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters.

Please refer to the application number IV-203/19 when applying. 

Application deadline: 08.08.2019

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 Energy and Process Engineering

We conduct research and teaching covering the entire energy chain, from resources to the end-user. We look at how energy is produced and used by humans and machines in a sustainable way with regard to health, climate change and the resource base. The Department of Energy and Process Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.