About the position

The Department of Information Security and Communication Technology (IIK) has a vacancy for a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (IE), in the cross-disciplinary field of Quality of Experience and User Experience research. The position is part of the international, multidisciplinary research project “TuFiQoE – Towards Better Understanding of Factors Influencing QoE by More Ecologically-Valid Evaluation Standards”, which is a collaboration between AGH (Krakow, Poland) and NTNU (Trondheim. Norway).

The main focus is on the identification, operationalization, measurement and evaluation of key influence factors influencing users’ quality perception and experience with traditional and more innovative video services in particular and digital media experiences in general. However, to really be able to grasp factors at the human, system and context level, studies in controlled lab settings should be combined to larger extent with studies in more realistic (daily life) research settings. The overall goal is to gain a better understanding of how different factors interplay with each other (also over time), as well as to develop more inclusive and ecologically valid evaluation best practices.

The position’s working place is in on NTNUs campus in Trondheim and reports to the Head of Department

Duties of the position

The appointment is for a term of three years. The candidate will be responsible for the further designing and specifying, running and analyzing of a series of user studies towards the overall goal of better understanding and modeling factors influencing users’ Quality of Experience for traditional and more novel video services. The research setting in which subjective studies will be conducted ranges from controlled lab environments to more natural, daily life settings, and will draw on a combination of quantitative and qualitative user research methods. In terms of time scales, both cross-sectional and more longitudinal studies are envisioned. The candidate will also contribute to the development of best practices towards more inclusive and ecologically valid evaluation approaches.

The research will be carried out as an integrated part of the networking research group and under guidance of Associate Professor Katrien De Moor.

Required selection criteria

A postdoctoral research fellowships is a qualification position in which the main objective is qualification for work in academic positions.

You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree in one of the fields listed below or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree (in one of the fields below) is required:

• Communication- and Information technology, Computer Science (e.g., with a specialisation in Human-Computer Interaction), or similar, and with relevant and documented experience with user research and user research methods (qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed-method approaches) and corresponding data analysis (e.g., descriptive and inferential statistics, multivariate statistics).
• Social sciences, Psychology, Cognitive sciences, ... or similar, and with a strong and documented interest in, or previous experience with research at the intersection of people and technology; user research methods; and data analysis (e.g., descriptive and inferential statistics, multivariate statistics).

Further requirements include a solid academic background in at least one of the following areasIf, for any reaso

• Digital media experience research (UX, QoE, User Engagement, …), e.g., experience with running user studies and subjective experiments.
• Assessment and modelling of QoE; QoE influence factors; QoE data analytics
• Longitudinal user studies and/or methodological approaches to study daily life experiences with technology e.g., using methods such as (context-aware) experience sampling, diaries, crowdsourcing, day reconstruction method,User diversity in perception and/or experience, its evaluation and/or modelling
• Human multimodal perception, affective states, needs and intentions connected to digital media

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

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 desired qualifications:

• High-quality publication activities in relevant venues
• 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.  
• Good written and oral English language skills
• Knowledge of a Scandinavian language is a plus (but not a must)

Personal characteristics

• A strong motivation and enthusiasm for research
• Ability to work independently, as well as to work in a team-based environment
• A curious, open mindset and a strong interest in multidisciplinary research at the interface between people and technology
• Perseverance and commitment

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

Salary and conditions

Postdoctoral fellowship:

The employment period is for 3 years and is expected to start in the first half of 2021. The position includes 15% duty work in the form of teaching and equivalent work.

Postdoctoral candidates are placed in code 1352, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 545 300 per annum, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

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.

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

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. 

The application must include:

• A cover letter (1 page) explaining your motivation and how your background, skills and experience are relevant for the position
• A research statement discussing key challenges related to the main topic of the project, indicating how the competence of the applicant can contribute to addressing these challenges (2 pages)
• CV with list of publications and other supporting documents
• Up to three own publications which the candidate considers to be relevant for the position (in case these are joint publications, please briefly describe your contribution)
• Relevant transcript of grades, diplomas, and certificates. The documents have to be translated to English unless they are in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, German or English.
• A copy of the PhD thesis (in PDF), or, for those who are near to completion of their PhD, an extended abstract combined with a statement of how and when the applicant plans to complete the thesis.
• Two letters of reference, preferably from academic supervisor(s)
• Attachments of any other relevant documents (e.g., awards)
• Please note that Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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.

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

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. Women are particularly encouraged to apply. We also point to the recently started project IDUN: from PhD to professor at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (IE) in this respect

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

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 or the project itself, please contact Katrien De Moor (katrien.demoor@ntnu.no).

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 reference letters. 

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

Research is vital to the security of our society. We teach and conduct research in cyber security, information security, communications networks and networked services. Our areas of expertise include biometrics, cyber defence, cryptography, digital forensics, security in e-health and welfare technology, intelligent transportation systems and malware. The Department of Information Security and Communication Technology is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .

Deadline 20th January 2021
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service NTNU Campus Gløshaugen