About the position

We offer a PhD position at the Information Systems and Software Engineering (ISSE) group of the Department of Computer Science, NTNU.

This is a researcher training position aimed at providing promising researcher recruits the opportunity of academic development in the form of a doctoral degree. The PhD candidate will be part of the Excited Centre for Excellent IT Education (Excited). The research undertaken by the PhD candidate must be aligned with the goals of this project. Some examples of possible research topics:

• How can introductory programming courses be designed to provide a good first-year experience for IT students?
• Innovative learning approaches for programming and software development; innovative tools, platforms, and ways of assessment.
• Automated analysis of students’ work products and processes, to provide guidance and feedback.

The focus of this position is on the exploring the challenges and value that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can deliver to CS teaching. While there has been widespread enthusiasm regarding AI, adopting and strategically utilizing these technologies constitutes a major challenge for many organizations. While most research to date has investigated technical aspects related to AI, there is a growing need to understand how strategies can be developed to harness the strengths of these novel technologies. A combination of both quantitative and qualitative research methods will be employed. We are looking for candidates with a strong research perspective that can publish their work in leading academic journals and conference proceedings.

The position reports to head of department

Main duties and responsibilities

The suitable candidate should have experience with reading and reflecting on research papers in the domain of CS Education. We are seeking a highly motivated individual that wants to excel in a research environment and has strong academic ambitions.

The main duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Perform literature reviews and be able to synthesize knowledge
• Collect, analyze and interpret quantitative data with the use of statistical analysis software
• Conduct research aligned with the Excited project
• Take courses required for the PhD degree
• Publish in international conferences and journals in the relevant fields, write and ultimately defend a PhD thesis
• Communicate and disseminate results to non-academic stakeholders
• Participate in professional communities within areas relevant to the position
• Participate in supervision of master students, and development and teaching of relevant courses

The main supervisor of the PhD student will be Rune Sætre.

A candidate who lacks mastery of Norwegian (or other Scandinavian language), will be expected to learn Norwegian during the first year of employment.

Qualification requirements

The PhD-position's main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is completion of a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) either in computing / informatics　or in pedagogy / didactics. Applicants from pedagogy / didactics must at the same time be able to document programming competence of at least 30 ECTS, in the form of passed courses and/or practical programming experience.

The applicant must satisfy the requirements for admission to the PhD education at NTNU (c.f. https://www.ntnu.edu/phd and https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phcos). Admission to the PhD education at NTNU requires an average grade of at least B, within a scale of A-E for passing grades (A best) in terms of NTNU’s grading scale, for the last two years of the master’s degree. Applicants with no letter grades from previous studies must have an equally good academic foundation. Applicants who are unable to meet these criteria may be considered only if they can document that they are particularly suitable candidates for education leading to a PhD degree. Candidates near completion of their master’s degree are encouraged to apply.

The candidate should also have the following qualifications:

• A good, documented understanding of the research field of IT education
• The ability and willingness to conduct research in a multidisciplinary setting
• Experience from practical software development
• Good written and oral English language skills

As the courses that the research seeks to improve are mainly taught in Norwegian, knowledge of a Scandinavian language is desired, but it is not a prerequisite. Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language must be motivated to put in extra effort to learn Norwegian during the first year of employment and must also provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following tests can be used as documentation of English language skills:

• TOEFL (minimum score paper-based test: 600, Internet-based: 92), or
• Academic IELTS (minimum score 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5), or
• Cambridge CAE or Cambridge CPE (minimum grade B or A).
• CAE/CPE: grade B.

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.

Other qualifications:

• The applicants master thesis should be research-oriented
• Publication activities in relevant disciplines will be considered an advantage
• A strong background in research methods and particularly knowledge on quantitative techniques and statistical analysis is required

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement. NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

Personal characteristics

We emphasize personal suitability of the individual applicants. We are looking for candidates who

• Are passionate about research and have a high level of curiosity and willingness to learn
• Have good team-work skills, and ability to deliver high-quality results independently
• Have good pedagogical and analytical skills
• Can engage emphatically with students and other stakeholders of their research
• Can rapidly acquire and apply knowledge in a research area
• Have a problem-solving attitude
• Be highly motivated to publish in top academic conferences and journals

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation, 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

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 479 600 before tax per year. From the salary, 2 % is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years without teaching assistance or 4 years with teaching assistance. Appointment to a PhD position requires admission to the PhD programme in Information Technology. 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 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

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.

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 Associate Professor Rune Sætre, phone number +47 45218103, e-mail: rune.saetre@ntnu.no or head of department Professor John Krogstie, e-mail: John.Krogstie@ntnu.no

About the application:

The application must contain the following:

• Curriculum vitae (CV) with information about the candidate’s prior training, exams, and work experience
• Certified copies of transcripts and diplomas for the whole bachelor and master’s degree. An English translation of all education documents is required unless the documents are in Norwegian.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement or a similar document that describes in detail the study and grading system and the rights for further studies associated with the obtained degree
• Research statement (max. 3-5 pages) including:
  • A short presentation of the motivation for applying to this position.
  • How the candidate sees her/his background as suitable for the research in the Excited project.
  • A sketch of one or more important research problems that the candidate is especially interested in addressing within the scope of Excited and the examples of research topics given in the section "About the position".
  • A summary of theoretical and methodological knowledge for the sketched research problem(s).
  • How artificial intelligence can create value, and what are the emerging strategic opportunities of human-computer symbiosis with a focus on describing current academic literature and how this research fits into this context
  • A proposed research plan including appropriate research methods and what theories could be relevant to examine the topic of AI and added value to the CS Education
  • How the competence of the applicant can contribute to solving these challenges
  • Names and contact information of at least 2 reference persons
• A copy of the master thesis (in PDF), or, for those who are near to completion of their MSc, an extended abstract combined with a statement of how and when the applicant plans to complete the thesis.
• Attachments of any other relevant documents (e.g. certificates, diplomas, publications)

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma 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 2019/37891 when applying.

Application deadline: 01.02.2020

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 Computer Science 

We are the leading academic IT environment in Norway, and offer a wide range of theoretical and applied IT programmes of study at all levels. Our subject areas include hardware, algorithms, visual computing, AI, databases, software engineering, information systems, learning technology, HCI, CSCW, IT operations and applied data processing. The Department has groups in both Trondheim and Gjøvik. The Department of Computer Science is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .

Deadline 1st February 2020
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Trondheim