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Postdoctoral Fellow Carbon Dioxide Removal Modelling

About the position

We have a vacancy for a Postdoctoral Fellow (between 3 and 4 years in duration) at the Industrial Ecology Programme (https://www.ntnu.edu/indecol) within the Department of Energy and Process Engineering.

The Postdoc position is part of a broader research effort on climate change mitigation at the Industrial Ecology Programme. The objective of the research is to assess aspects of negative emission technologies (NETs) with regards to the carbon sequestration potential, side effects and the associated uncertainties through the use of Earth system modelling. There will be a focus on ocean alkalinization, direct CO2 removal from seawater, and marine biomass for biochar / BECCS. The selected candidate will join a team of interdisciplinary researchers working on bridging engineering sciences with life cycle assessment and climate sciences.

The Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol) is an interdisciplinary research and teaching program, managing its own International MSc program. IndEcol is well recognized for its work in several areas including climate change mitigation and life-cycle assessment, as evidenced by numerous publications, and international prizes.

Current research activities are funded by national and European agencies, as well as industrial partners. There is a long tradition of working on both industrial and policy applications. Key staff currently serve as members of the IPCC, the UNEP Resource panel and UNEP/SETAC task forces.

The position will be financed by the H2020 project OceanNETs. OceanNETs will investigate the potentials and risks of proposed ocean-based NETs using a transdisciplinary research approach. The project aims to find out whether ocean-based NETs can play an essential and sustainable role in achieving climate neutrality.

The Head of Department is Terese Løvås. You will report to Helene Muri as the main supervisor and Anders Hammer Strømman as co-supervisor. 

Duties of the position

  • Development of model code for the simulations of negative emission technologies such as BECCS
  • Earth system modelling using NorESM
  • Analysis of geospatially explicit datasets, including intercomparison of Earth system models
  • Publishing in peer-reviewed journals
  • Presentation of results at international conferences
  • Participation in OceanNETs project activities, duties, and meetings

Required selection criteria

A postdoctoral research fellowship 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 climate sciences, carbon cycle and biogeochemistry, climate modelling, atmospheric and oceanic physics, land surface modelling, or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.

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.

  • Hands-on experience in running Earth system models (e.g. NorESM, CESM) and analysing their output
  • Good programming skills in one or several languages (e.g., Python, Fortran, Matlab, R, C++)
  • Competence on mathematical modelling, simulation or optimization is strongly desired
  • Solid understanding of fundamentals of the global carbon cycle
  • Strong, well matured, and well-articulated motivation for working on the topic at hand is required. The candidates must therefore in their application provide a 1-2 page letter where they describe: i) their motivation for doing a Post Doc in this domain, and ii) how they see their competence and capabilities as relevant for the position
  • The candidates selected for interview will be asked to demonstrate good ability to absorb and present material from the research frontier on the matters at hand
  • Strong analytical capabilities
  • Excellent written and oral English language skills

Preferred selection criteria

  • Competence on data processing and parsing, in particular NetCDF, as well as data management experience is desired
  • Experience with HPC and working in a linux environment
  • Advanced understanding of carbon cycle processes
  • An interest in climate and environment

Personal characteristics

  • The successful candidate will be working in a group with other professors and PhDs from different disciplines. The candidate is expected embrace this setting and be a true team player
  • Self-driven with a strong ability to work independently when required
  • Motivated to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team, with an interest in cross-disciplinary learning
  • Communicates information with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing
  • Is positive and enthusiastic, even in difficult situations 

We offer

Salary and conditions

The employment period is between 3 and 4 years in duration.

Postdoctoral candidates are placed in code 1352, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 545 300 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 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.

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 accompany the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available by 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:

  • CV, certificates and diplomas
  • Cover letter
  • Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 10 works)
  • Name and address of three referees

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.

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

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. 

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.

In accordance with The Public 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 Helene Muri, telephone +47 73413299, helene.muri@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Megan Norris, megan.norris@ntnu.no.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Applicants with European Master`s qualifications from outside Norway are required to include a Diploma Supplement. Applicants with Master`s qualifications from China are required to include confirmation of Master`s Diplomas from China Credentials Verification (CHSI): http://www.chsi.com.cn/en/

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number IV-145/21 when applying.

Application deadline: 18.06.2021

Further information

This position is funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 project OceanNETs. Grant agreement number 869357.

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.

Deadline 18th June 2021
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service

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