About the job

Applicants are invited for a two-year position as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Electric Power Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. The candidate will be part of the Electricity Markets and Energy System Planning (EMESP) - NTNU.

The PostDoc is part of a new Competence-Building Research project “Hydrogen Pathways 2050 - Transition of the Norwegian society and value creation from export”, financed by the Norwegian Research Council and industry partners Statkraft, Equinor and Gassco. The project is led by Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) with research partners NTNU and SINTEF Energi. The overall objective of Hydrogen Pathways 2050 is to develop methods and perform analysis to support the transition towards zero emission for the Norwegian society, with a special focus on hydrogen and its use nationally and as a potential export product. We will study transition pathways, with a special focus on hydrogen, but in integration with renewables, natural gas, CCS, and the application of all of these in interplay between the energy sector, industry, transport, and built environment. The analyses will focus on the Norwegian energy system but will be set in the context of European energy system transition. In addition, the project will analyse how different policy measures impacts the integration of hydrogen technologies.

Your immediate leader is head of department.

Duties of the position

The PostDoc researcher is expected to conduct research on the optimized interplay between electricity and hydrogen in areas with large potential for variable renewable energy sources. Focus will be on how flexible hydrogen demand and storage impacts the power market prices in the short-term, and how this has long-term effects on the investments in power generation capacity.

• The candidate is expected to work with computer models for energy system optimization. This can include expansion of existing energy system models as well as development of novel methods and models.
• The results of the project are expected to be published in high-quality scientific journals and conferences and presented to research partners and user partners in NTNU Energy Transition and NTRANS center.

The candidate may be involved in supervision of Master and PhD students and in teaching upon mutual agreement if required.

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in Electrical Power Engineering, managerial economics with a focus on energy or computer science, physics or mathematics with specialization in operations research. If you can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position.
• Applicants must demonstrate research ability in electricity markets, smart grids, and operations research or optimisation or other related fields
• Excellent programming and modelling skills
• Applicants must have very good English language skills, written and spoken. Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside EU/EEA/Switzerland must provide preliminary documentation of English language proficiency, in terms of an approved test. The following tests can be used: TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test)
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted)

Further assessment of both written and oral English language skills and the ability to communicate fluently will be conducted in the continued selection process and during any interviews for the shortlisted applicants.

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Teaching experience from higher education
• Work and/or (interdisciplinary) research experience can be an advantage
• Academic relts, publications and relevant specialization in electricity markets, smart grids, and operations research or optimization or other related fields is considered an advantage
• Proficiency in Norwegian language skills, or another Scandinavian language, will be rated positively

Personal characteristics

• Communicates information with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing
• Sets challenging goals and works hard to archive them
• Self-driven with a strong ability to work independently when required
• Shares information and expertise to achieve the desired result
• Structured, targeted and solution-oriented

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 Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 563 500 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: 

• A cover letter where the applicant describes the personal motivation, summarising scientific work, and how the applicant sees her/his background suitable
• CV and certificates
• A draft research proposal (3-5 pages) for the postdoctoral career, where the candidate presents her/his ideas for the postdoctoral work and how it can be applied, based on the
  project description given in this advertisement. This proposal will be neither final nor binding for the project.
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your Ph.D, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or that your PhD thesis has been submitted
  • Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement (https://ec.europa.eu/education/diploma-supplement_en ) or a similar document, which describes in detail the study programme and grading system.
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, or have recently submitted your thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment. Highlight up to five of the most significant and relevant publications.
• The required documentation of English language proficiency.
• Name 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. 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 

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

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 professor Magnus Korpås, email magnus.korpas@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR-consultant Sven Robert Storø, e-mail sven.r.storo@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: 28.05.2023 

  NTNU

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 Electric Energy

The Department of Electric Energy is one of the seven departments at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering. Our department is Norway’s leading in the field, and our vision is to be at the centre of the digital, green shift. We have excellent collaboration with business and industry as well as other universities and research organizations internationally. This gives us outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary research with high relevance for the society, addressing industrial needs and global challenges.

Deadline 28th May 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Campus Trondheim, Gløshaugen