About the position

A PhD position is available in experimental fluid mechanics at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering, in the Thermo-Fluids research group. The appointment has a duration of 3 years at the end of which the candidate is expected to defend a PhD thesis. The position is financed by the Research Council of Norway through the FRIPRO (FRINATEK-ISPNATTEK) project WallMix (no. 288046).

The project’s focus is to investigate the interaction of free-stream turbulence and a turbulent boundary layer in the context of mixing. Previous studies have demonstrated that turbulence above a boundary layer changes the momentum distribution within it while preserving some of the mean characteristics. The fundamental question of the project is if we can use turbulence above the boundary layer to enhance the transport of a passive scalar within the flow.

The position will be supervised by Associate Professor Jason Hearst (jason.hearst@ntnu.no), whom you can contact for further information.

Please read this entire posting before applying for this position. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Job description

This project will be conducted in the new water channel at NTNU using particle image velocimetry, planar laser-induced fluorescence, and an active grid. The successful candidate will work in a team with a post-doctoral researcher for part of the project and will be invited for a short (approx. 2 weeks) research stay in the United Kingdom with a project partner. The candidate will independently perform and set-up experiments under the guidance of the project supervisor. By the end of the project, the candidate will be an expert in laser-diagnostic tools for fluid mechanics measurements, and will have produced multiple journal articles, making them well-suited to continue as a researcher in future academic and industrial positions. The above represents both the outlook and expectations for this position.

The expected start date is August 2019.

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) with a strong academic background in fluid mechanics or equivalent education with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. 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.

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

Required qualifications:

• Strong background in fundamental or applied fluid mechanics.
• Programming skills in MATLAB, Python, or similar packages.
• Experience conducting fluids experiments (e.g., hot-wire anemometry, particle image velocimetry, laser-Doppler anemometry, high-speed imaging).
• Scientific reports and papers are written in English, and thus strong command of the English language is required (demonstrated by works written in English, application correspondence and language, and/or certified English tests).

Desired additional qualifications:

• Experience with CAD software packages (e.g., SolidWorks, Fusion360, NX).
• Experience as part of a design team or project.
• Previous experience writing and contributing to peer-reviewed journal articles.

Please note, a purely computational background without experimental or other hands-on experience is not sufficient exposure to fluid mechanics, particularly if only commercial software packages were used.

Personal characteristics

• Enthusiastic.
• Highly motivated.
• Works effectively in teams and individually.
• Able to operate in a goal-oriented manner.

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

• world-class experimental laboratories
• state-of-the-art experimental measurement equipment
• a strong group of researchers focused on fluid mechanics
• 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 449 400 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. Appointment to a PhD position requires admission to the PhD programme in Engineering. Please see  https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phiv for more information. 

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.

Questions about the position can be directed to Associate Professor Jason Hearst, email jason.hearst@ntnu.no. 

About the application:

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 include the following with your application:

• 1) A “research statement” briefly describing your Masters research or other previous research experience. This document should not exceed 1 page.
• 2) A “qualifications” document explicitly listing each of the above qualifications and briefly describing how you meet each of the “required” qualifications and some or all of the “desired” qualifications. This document should not exceed 2 pages.

An application missing these two documents may be considered incomplete by the selection committee.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates.

Transcripts of grades are required for all candidates.  If you are applying from outside Norway, please include a document detailing the grading/credit equivalencies to the Norwegian or ECTS systems. If this is not available, then please include a document describing the grading system at your university and the requirements for degree completion. This can be a print-out from your university’s webpage or in some cases is included on your actual transcript. If your transcript does not include an average grade for the last two years of your education, please calculate it and include it in your application. Applications without this supporting material may not be considered.

Applicants invited for interview may be asked to complete additional preparatory tasks and must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters.

Please refer to the application number IV-165/19 when applying.

Application deadline: 12.05.2019

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.