About the position 

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, in cooperation with the Department of Computer Science has a Postdoctoral fellow, connected to the research project “Automatic Condition Monitoring of County Roads”.

About the research project

The Norwegian county road network is essential for value creation and regional development in the different Norwegian districts. Maintaining this network is challenging due to a harsh climate, significant back log and limited budgets.  The county Innlandet is committed to improve the maintenance of their network but? currently lack a good complete overview of the condition of their road network. Today they rely heavily on manual labour for condition monitoring and it takes too much time to get the necessary data. This hampers sound maintenance budget justification and timely decision making. Advances in computer vision, artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning provides new possibilities to radically improve and automate parts of the road condition monitoring process. In the research project “Automatic Condition Monitoring of County Roads” we will develop, apply, and evaluate new AI models to interpret images taken from the road network. The project will instrument busses in regular service with a data collection system and develop a pilot system for collecting data, interpreting the images, and analysing/predicting the maintenance needs.

About the position

The post doc will be a central resource in the project and the main task is to lead and execute the development of the overall system and the image interpretation algorithms. As a post doc you will conduct applied research in a field that is rapidly evolving, and where your work will directly contribute to society by improving the maintenance of an important part of the road network. You will work in a team of scientists, PhD candidates and road engineers and be a major driving force for the realisation of the project idea. You will report to the professor responsible for the overall project.

Duties of the position

• Develop/refine modern AI-based computer vision models for the interpretation of images taken from the road network. Key road objects to assess are the road surface, safety guards, lane markings, and the side terrain
• Setup and maintain a “real-time” data system that automatically handles the incoming data, performs pre-processing and quality control, interpretation, and storage in a database
• Analyze, together with road engineers, the performance of the models in terms of their predictive value for required maintenance actions

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD 
• You must have a professionally relevant background in computer science or an equivalent field
• Work experience within machine learning and/or computer vision Strong analytical capabilities
• Fluent in English language, good written and oral communications skills

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  

Preferred selection criteria

• Evidence of ability to handle large complex datasets will be seen in a positive light
• Exposure to social science research, econometrics, and/or operations research will be evaluated positively
• Basic Scandinavian language skills are considered an advantage, but not a requirement

Personal characteristics

• Innovation driven, enthusiastic and ambitious
• Self-motivated, focused and goal-oriented
• Ability to solve complex technical tasks independently
• Excellent collaboration with different disciplines

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

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross 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 period of employment is 2 years.  

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 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.  

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 application must include: 

• CV, certificates and diplomas 
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees.  
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment
• Name and address of three referees 

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 

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 and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

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. 

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. Alex Klein-Paste email alex.klein-paste@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Senior Executive Officer HR Hege Johansen, e-mail: hege.johansen@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. Please refer to the application number IV-194/21 when applying.  

Application deadline: 15.08.2021 

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 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.

Deadline 15th August 2021
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service