About the position

We are looking for an excellent PhD candidate to join our Industrial Ecology Programme (IndEcol) at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering. As a PhD Candidate, your main goal is to write and successfully defend a PhD thesis. The appointment has a duration of three years with an anticipated start date in January 2023. The appointment is financed by the Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT).

The focus of this PhD is the material-carbon nexus of urban systems. Materials production is an important driver of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and its role in the context of the built environment is increasing due to the energy transition towards renewable energy sources. At the same time, the energy transition, smart solutions, and digitalization, e.g. in the building and transport sectors, increase the demand of critical materials. Circular economy solutions aim to increase material- and energy efficiency and to narrow and close material and energy loops. While resource efficiency and climate change mitigation often go hand-in-hand, there are also situations, where they conflict.

These sort of connections between materials production and GHG emissions, and circular economy and climate change mitigation, can be called the material-carbon nexus. Nexus refers to intersections among various environmental pressures. Nexus studies highlight that environmental problems should not be dealt as if they were isolated. In the case of materials production and consumption, climate change is not the only relevant connection. Materials are also linked to plastic pollution, release of toxic substances, and land-use, which affects climate change and biodiversity, for example. The focus of this PhD is on material-carbon nexus, but the scope can be slightly modified according to the personal interests of the applicant.

The main method of analysis in this PhD is environmentally extended input-output (EE IO) analysis, which can be further combined with household budget survey data to calculate the material- and carbon footprints of households. In addition, hybrid life cycle analysis (LCA), material flow analysis (MFA), and statistical analyses can be used. IndEcol is a pioneer in the development of industrial ecology methods, such as EE IO analysis and different LCA methods.

IndEcol hosts its own International MSc program and contributes to NTNU’s engineering education. The IndEcol group includes eight faculty members, the Industrial Ecology Digital Laboratory, and about 70 researchers, postdocs, and PhDs. We provide a lively research environment with a lot of peer-support.

The supervisor of this PhD position is Associate Professor Juudit Ottelin.

Duties of the position

• Research, including research planning, literature review, data analysis, EE IO modelling, statistical analysis etc., leading to publications in scholarly journals.
• Dissemination of results to the scientific community and general public by participating in international conferences, seminars, media releases etc.
• Collaboration with research partners and stakeholders.
• Co-supervision of Ms theses.

Required selection criteria

• A MSc degree in industrial ecology, environmental science or engineering, material science or engineering, ecological economics, urban geography, or similar.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before the PhD position begins.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• High motivation and capability to conduct full-time doctoral studies.
• Strong interest in quantitative environmental assessment.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English, good communication skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with  Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant  

Preferred selection criteria

• Previous knowledge on EE IO models
• Proven skills to write scientific text
• Proven programming skills
• Proven skills on statistical methods and data visualization
• Working knowledge of Norwegian (oral and written) would be considered an advantage

Personal characteristics

• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicated
• Motivated to solve environmental problems and advance sustainability
• Ambitious and goal-oriented
• Team player, supportive attitude

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

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 PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 501 200 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 Engineering 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 internal funding.

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 your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include:

• Letter of motivation.
• CV, including a list of publications (if you have previous publications).
• Diplomas and transcripts of studies (original and English translations) for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy of the master's thesis or the latest draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Names and contact information 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, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short 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

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

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.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Juudit Ottelin, email: juudit.ottelin@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Mathilde Smith-Nilsen, email: mathilde.smith-nilsen@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 19.10.2022

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 19th October 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Gløshaugen