About the position

We have a vacancy for a position as a PhD Candidate in the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology. 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 positions working place will be NTNUs campus in Gjøvik (https://www.ntnu.no/gjovik).

The position reports to the Head of Department

Duties of the position

The appointment is for a term of three years and sponsored by the European H2020 Research project iMARS. Thus an active contribution to reach the iMARS objectives is expected.

Face recognition systems are widely deployed in numerous applications including border control scenarios. The focus of the research is on face quality assessment. The research objective is to research mechanism that can serve as predictive face quality estimators. Depending on the skills of the candidate, different aspects may be emphasized, for instance by focusing on

• Research on testing methodology and separation of interaction effects and signal properties
• Study on human expert’s face quality assessment
• Quantitative and predictive face quality models
• Impact of quality on as single image and differential image manipulation detection
• Aggregation of quality assessment in quality vectors
• Technical contributions to International Standards
• Hand-crafted (i.e. explicit) and machine learning (i.e. implicit) automatic mechanisms
• Performance evaluation of biometric image assessment algorithms

The research will be carried out as an integrated part of the Norwegian Biometric Laboratory – NBL (https://www.ntnu.edu/nbl) and under guidance of Prof. Dr. Christoph Busch.

Required selection criteria

The PhD-position's main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is that you have completed a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) with a strong academic background in

• Computer science engineering,  information technology
• Knowledge of Biometrics,  Image processing, pattern recognition, applied machine learning, deep learning,  
• Excellent programming skills in Python, Matlab, C++ and
• Deep leaning tools (keras, tensorflow, etc)

or equivalent education with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you are unable to meet these criteria you may be considered only if you can document that you are particularly suitable 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, post doctor and research assistant.

Other required selection criteria

• High motivation for research work and ability to work independently
• Good organization and communication skills with interest in wider context of own research and ability to engage in cross-disciplinary teams.
• Eager to disseminate research results through publications and presentations at international conferences.  

Preferred selection criteria

• Publication activities in the aforementioned disciplines will be considered an advantage
• good written and oral English language skills

Personal characteristics

We are searching applicants who are

• Highly motivation for fundamental scientific research of practical relevance is essential.
• Highly motivation for research work in a multidisciplinary way and ability to work independently.
• Well organized and with interest in wider context of own research and ability.
• Eager to disseminate research results through publications and presentations at international conferences
• Eager to contribute research findings to International Standardisation committees.

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

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 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. 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 that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Information Security and Communication Technology (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phisct)  within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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.

The position is subject to external funding  from the European H2020 research program.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

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 city of Gjøvik has a population of 30 000 and is a town known for its rich music and cultural life. The beautiful nature surrounding the city is ideal for an active outdoor life! The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world.

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

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Busch (christoph.busch@ntnu.no)
https://www.ntnu.edu/nbl
http://www.christoph-busch.de

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact

Stine Terese Ruen Nymoen (stine.t.r.nymoen@ntnu.no )
https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/stine.t.r.nymoen

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).

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and  two reference letters. Please refer to the application number 2020/13825 when applying.

Application deadline: 30.06.2020.

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 Information Security and Communication Technology

The PhD candidate will participate in the iMARS project through the Norwegian Biometrics Laboratory (NBL). The NBL is a research group that conducts biometric research covering various physiological and behavioral biometrics including 2D- and 3D- face recognition, fingerprint recognition, finger vein recognition, dental biometrics, ear recognition, signature recognition, gait recognition, keystroke recognition, gesture recognition and mouse dynamics. NBL focuses on privacy enhancing technologies such as biometric template protection and presentation attack detection (including enrolment attacks). NBL serves as independent testing institution for biometric performance evaluations running its own in-house biometric databases.

The Biometrics Lab is a research lab in the department of Information Security and Communication Technology, based at NTNU in Gjøvik; it represents a very active focus point of NTNU’s research and has been involved in major European research projects: TURBINE, BEST Network, FIDELITY, ORIGINS, INGRESS and SOTAMD. Further NBL is organizing the Norwegian Biometric Forum and contributes to the international standardization in the field. The Biometrics lab is an active member in the European Association for Biometrics and co-organizer of the international conferences BIOSIG and IWBF. The Biometric lab also actively participates in internationals biometric competitions and has achieved top rank positions

Deadline 30th June 2020
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Gjøvik
Scope Fulltime
Duration Permanent
Place of service NTNU Gjøvik