About the position

The position is offered within the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks in the project "Joint Training on Numerical Modelling of Highly Flexible Structures for Industrial Applications [THREAD]". The salary of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks Fellowship (MSCA-ITN) follows the regulations set by the European Commission. The salary will include social security and will be composed of living, mobility and family allowances, where applicable, as outlined in the Grant Agreement and Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Work Programme, please see here.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences at NTNU is Norway’s largest university environment in mathematical sciences with 85 permanent staff members and about 100 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. The department conducts research at an international high level within the disciplines of algebra, analysis, didactics of mathematics, differential equations, geometry/topology, numerical analysis, optimization, and statistics. Part of the research is also conducted in close cooperation with other fields of science and technology at NTNU, as well as in cooperation with industry and external research institutions.

The workplace will be in Trondheim. See https://www.ntnu.edu/imf for further information about the department.

Main duties and responsibilities

THREAD addresses the mechanical modelling, mathematical formulations and numerical methods for highly flexible slender structures like yarns, cables, hoses or ropes that are essential parts of high-performance engineering systems. The complex response of such structures in real operational conditions is far beyond the capabilities of current virtual prototyping tools. With 14 new PhD positions at 12 universities and research institutions in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, the project brings mechanical engineers and mathematicians together around major challenges in industrial applications and open-source simulation software development. It establishes an innovative modelling chain starting from detailed 3D modelling and experimental work to build validated 1D nonlinear rod models, which are then brought to a system-level simulation thanks to the outstanding numerical properties of the developed algorithms. This holistic approach combines advanced concepts in experimental and theoretical structural mechanics, non-smooth dynamics, computational geometry, discretization methods and geometric numerical integration and will enable the next generation of virtual prototyping.

The position at NTNU, denoted ESR5 is assigned to the following project:

ESR5: Novel practical numerical methods for mechanical problems on Lie groups and manifolds and their implementation

The ESR project is supervised by Prof. Brynjulf Owren, and will consider the development and implementation of Lie group integrators and invariant preserving integrators. The research will potentially include several different tasks such as: Variable step size Lie group integrators with error control; Invariant preserving schemes for mechanical systems evolving on Riemannian manifolds; Model reduction applied to large dynamical systems on Lie groups and manifolds, machine learning methods for mechanical systems with a geometric perspective. This PhD project is expected to deliver new methods and software for Lie group integration to be used for concrete applications from THREAD. Planned secondments: (a) Industrial partner: TFMC, supervisor: Moe, 3 months, collaboration on software and modelling; (b) FAU, Leyendecker, 1 month, discrete mechanics of beams; (c) MLU, Arnold, 1 month, adaptive methods.

Qualification requirements

• MSc in Mathematics, Computer Science, Computational physics, Computational engineering or related fields is preferred (all backgrounds are welcome to apply)
• The admission to PhD education at NTNU requires an average grade of A or B within a scale of A-E for passing grades (A best) for the last two years of the MSc, and C or higher for the BSc.
• Applicants must also satisfy the requirement for entering the PhD programme at NTNU; please see https://www.ntnu.edu/ie/research/phd for more information.
• Experience in programming numerical methods is highly desirable, in particular knowledge and experience with programming languages such as Matlab or Python
• Experience in mathematical modelling with differential equations is desirable.
• Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language must document a thorough knowledge of English (equivalent to a TOEFL score of 600 or more).
• Qualification as an "Early Stage Researcher", i.e. at the time of appointment no doctoral degree and less than 4 years of research experience (full-time equivalent) after obtaining a degree that formally allows you to embark for a doctorate.
• Mobility requirement: at the time of appointment an "Early Stage Researcher" must not have resided or carried out their main activity in Norway for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their appointment.
• 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, post doctor and research assistant.
• For more details please see here: https://thread-etn.eu/apply/

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.

Personal characteristics

The following personal characteristics will be emphasized:

• motivation for pursuing a PhD degree
• good communication skills
• motivation for teaching

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement.

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

The department has a strong focus on a good work environment for both permanent and temporary employees. As part of this effort, we offer both social and scientific activities for our PhD candidates.

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 479 600 per annum before tax (excl. allowances). From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years with no teaching, but the Department may offer a 4th year with teaching and other duties for approximately 25% of the entire 4-year period.

Appointment to a PhD position requires admission to the PhD programme in mathematics; please see http://www.ntnu.edu/ie/research/phd for information about the PhD programme at NTNU.

As a PhD candidate, you undertake to participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period. A condition of appointment is that you are in fact qualified for admission to the PhD programme within three months.

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.

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. 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.

The national labour force must reflect the composition of the population to the greatest possible extent. Therefore, NTNU wants to increase the proportion of women in its scientific posts. Women are encouraged to apply. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life (http://trondheim.com/). Having a population of 200 000, Trondheim is a small city by international standards with low crime rates and little pollution. It also has easy access to a beautiful countryside with mountains and a dramatic coastline.

Questions about the position can be directed to Elena Celledoni, elena.celledoni@ntnu.no , phone: +47 482 38 584 and Brynjulf Owren, brynjulf.owren@ntnu.no , phone: +47 930 21 641.

About the application:

The application must include the following:

• Information about education background and work experience.
• Contact information for 1 to 3 scientific references
• Documentation of fluency in the English language.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide the following documents later in the application process:

• Any relevant publications. Joint work will only be considered provided that a short summary outlining the applicant's contributions is attached.
• Certified copies of relevant transcripts and diplomas. Candidates from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a Diploma Supplement or similar documentation, which describes in detail the programme of study, the grading system, and the rights to further studies associated with the degree obtained.

Please submit your full application dossier only in English before January 15, 2020. Applications must be submitted on the website https://thread-etn.eu/apply/.

Please refer to the application number 2019/38652 when applying.

Application deadline: 15.01.2020.

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 Mathematical Sciences 

We are Norway’s largest university environment in mathematical sciences. The Department has a particular responsibility for all basis education in mathematical sciences for engineering and natural science students at NTNU. We focus on long-term basic research and applied research at a high international level. 
Our aim is to meet the society’s needs for mathematical and statistical expertise in business and public administration as well as in the research and education sector.  The Department of Mathematical Sciences is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .

Deadline 15th January 2020
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Project
Place of service Trondheim