This is NTNU

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 Department of Energy and Process Engineering and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

We conduct research and teaching in civil and transportation engineering, technical planning, structural engineering, water and wastewater engineering and hydraulic engineering. Graduates from our programmes become employees – in both the public and private sectors – with a sustainability mindset combined with competitive knowledge and skills. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

About the position

We have a vacancy for a PhD position within Fire Safety Engineering.

The PhD position is available through a joint cooperation between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Energy and Process Engineering, at NTNU, within the area of fire safety engineering of timber buildings. The PhD candidate will work on the project Timber Structures in the Fire Research and Innovation Centre (FRIC), in Trondheim, funded by the Research Council of Norway. The centre is a collaboration between NTNU, RISE Fire Research and SINTEF. It has several industrial partners, and cooperates with several universities and research institutes in Europe and North-America. The main objective of FRIC is to increase knowledge within the field of fire science in order to support decisions and develop better solutions providing increased fire safety in buildings. FRIC shall strengthen cooperation and lead to a long-term increase of competence and dissemination of knowledge within the fire safety field. More information about this centre can be found at https://risefr.com/services/research-and-assessments/fric-fire-research-and-innovation-centre.

The head of the departments are Professor Terese Løvås and professor Carl Thodesen. The position's supervision is by Professor Ivar Ertesvåg  and professor Anne Steen-Hansen.

Main duties and responsibilities

The fire safety design of buildings with timber structures is performed by fire safety engineers. However, knowledge gaps with regard to fire safety limit the use of timber in large and tall buildings.

The aim of the PhD-project is to study the development of fires in timber buildings and wooden facades. It will seek to fill some of the knowledge gaps in the fire safety science and to develop methods and tools for fire safety design of timber constructions and construction parts. This can contribute to increased use of timber in large and tall buildings.

A topic of the PhD project will be to investigate the possibilities and limitations of utilizing data from small- and medium-scale experiments for full-scale structures, both with regard to theoretical  calculations and assessments, and with regard to fire testing methods. When correlations between fire behaviour at reduced and large scales can be found for relevant structures, they would be very useful tools for documentation of fire properties of timber constructions in the building design phase. When scaling has limited usage, other, more fundamental methods have to be developed.

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 civil or mechanical engineering 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

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

Other qualifications

The position requires a Master’s degree in Fire Safety Engineering, Building Technology, Combustion Chemistry or a similar relevant area. Disciplines such as numerical fire simulation or fire testing are particularly relevant, preferably with some experience regarding wood materials. Research and/or engineering experience related to timber constructions and Nordic building regulations are also of advantage.

Good written and oral English are required. Documentation of this may be required. Norwegian/Scandinavian language skills will be regarded a benefit.

Personal characteristics

The successful candidate should be:

• enthusiastic and highly motivated
• willing and able to work both independently and with other researchers.

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 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 (without required duties). Appointment to a PhD position requires admission to the PhD programme in Engineering: https://www.ntnu.edu/iv/doctoral-programme. 

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 to Professor Ivar S. Ertesvåg, ivar.s.ertesvag@ntnu.no or Professor/Centre Director Anne Steen-Hansen,  anne.steen.hansen@risefr.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 submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applicants invited for interview must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number IV-209/19 when applying.

Application deadline: 26.08.19.

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.