About the job

At the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (MH), Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science (INB), there is a vacant 3-year position as a PhD candidate.

The candidate will work on the Smartfit project as part of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Research Group at the research unit GeMS (Geriatrics, movement and stroke) at INB, and will work closely with engineers from TrollLABS and clinicians from Trøndelag Ortopediske Verksted (TOV). GeMS is involved in research and education revolving around prevention, treatment and rehabilitation with focus on better function and quality of life through increased physical activity in a wide range of populations with a disability. This is achieved through developing advanced movement analyses systems and sensor technologies.

The candidate will be part of our interdisciplinary team of movement scientists, engineers and clinicians. We aim to achieve comfortable, stable, and sustainable leg prostheses for all users. The goal of this project is to produce a multi-sensor prosthetic system that will assure optimal fitting. The project will use 3D motion capture in addition to body worn and prosthesis mounted sensors to determine the factors and situations resulting in remaining limb-socket movements hindering performance or cause discomfort and injuries. This information will be used to develop the multi-sensor prosthetic system. Eventually, the usability of the system on prosthetic fitting will be assessed.  

Your immediate leader is the head of the research unit GeMS.  

Duties of the position

• Lead experimental studies with lower limb prosthetic users
• Work with different types of sensors and data including videos of socket liner movements, force and pressure sensors, accelerometers, 3D motion capture and clinical data
• Contribute to the development of the multi-sensor prosthetic system
• Contribute to the evaluation of the usability of the multi-sensor prosthetic system
• Take compulsory PhD courses, write scientific papers, present results on conferences and write a PhD thesis

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant background such as human movement science, engineering, physics or medical technology. Persons with a background in a related discipline or health profession, like medicine and physiotherapy, can apply when they have experience with movement analyses or relevant sensor technology.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• 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.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented by 01.07.2023.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program.
• Good written and oral English language skills

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and 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

• Experience with body worn sensors
• Experience with movement analyses
• Experience with clinical studies
• Experience in programming languages and writing custom scripts for data processing (e.g. Matlab, Python)
• Interest in science communication to peers and public
• Good written and oral Norwegian language skills

Personal characteristics

• Enthusiastic and highly motivated
• Good team player and collaborative skills but also the ability to work independently
• Good work ethics, work management and organisational skills

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities and motivation for the position.

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. There is a possibility to extend the employment to 4 years with 25% employment at the Trøndelag Ortopediske Workshop (TOV). Intended start is 01.09.2023.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to one of the PhD programme at the faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences 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.

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: 

• CV and certificates
• Transcripts and diplomas 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. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• A motivation letter of around 1 page. Why would you like to work on this project and what exactly makes you a suitable candidate (e.g. highlighting skills, previous work experience and research interest).
• Name and contact information of three referees
• If you have publications or other relevant research work

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 Karin Roeleveld, email karin.roeleveld@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Martin Jakobsen, e-mail: martin.jakobsen@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: 10.04.2023

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.

The Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science (INB) is an ambitious department in strong development. Great diversity in medicine and health disciplines is a hallmark of the department. We give priority to social relevance and quality in both education and research.

Several of our groups of researchers and teaching staff are at the forefront of their fields in Norway and internationally. Our ambition: “Through interdisciplinary collaboration, INB creates forward-looking education and research that lead the way in improving health and function.”
Read more about the Department here: www.ntnu.edu/inb

Deadline 10th April 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service