About the job

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

The Industrial Ecology Program (IndEcol), Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has an opening for a PhD position on Circular Economy and Climate Change Mitigation. The position will be working on the Horizon Europe project CircEUlar, a Horizon Europe Project led by IIASA in collaboration with leading European institutions.

The circular economy has been recognized at the EU and global levels as an important mechanism to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). Both the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the UN International Resource Panel (IRP) has pointed to potential synergies between reducing material footprints and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, a better and more detailed understanding of these synergies (and potential trade-offs) are desired across the economy. To enable such analysis, the project will be linking different modeling frameworks such as Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), and Multi-Regional Input-output models (MRIO) with sectoral models of Transport, Building, etc. and apply these for analysis across selected focus areas.

This includes, in particular, joining a project team working on adapting, interfacing, and applying scenario-based MFA, IOA, and IAM modeling with a combined focus on climate change mitigation and circular economy. The duration of the position is 3-4 yrs.

Duties of the position

• Advance and apply scenario models for combined studies of climate change mitigation and circular economy. Write scientific papers.
• Data collection and data organization for joint modeling of climate change mitigation and circular economy across MFA, IAM, and IOA models.
• Modelling assumptions, rationale, and documentation.
• Contribute to dialogue with partners, coordination, and execution of NTNUs’ contribution to the CircEUlar project.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in Industrial Ecology.
• 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.
• The main qualification requirement is that you have completed a Master’s degree in Industrial Ecology, Circular Economy, Energy or Economic Modeling, Computer Science, Applied Maths or physics or equivalent
• Good programming skills in one or several languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB, Fortran, C++)
• Competence in mathematical modeling and languages for simulation, or optimization of economic, energy or transport systems is strongly desired (e.g GAMS, XPress, Matlab, Python).
• Competence on data processing and parsing, as well as data management experience is desired. Strong analytical capabilities.
• Exellent written and oral English language skills.

Strong, well-matured, and well-articulated motivation for working on the topic is required. The candidates must, therefore in their application, provide a 1-2 page letter where they describe: i) their motivation for doing a Ph.D. in this domain and ii) how they see their competence and capabilities as relevant for the position.

The candidates are expected to be familiar with key relevant publications from the supervisors. Also, the candidates selected for the interview will be asked to demonstrate good ability to absorb and present material from the research frontier on the matters at hand.

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.

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

• Competence in one or several of the following frameworks: Integrated Assessment Modelling, Material Flow Analysis, Multiregional Input-Output Analysis, or Life Cycle Assessment. 
• Experience with the application of industrial ecology methods (life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, input-output modeling), Integrated Assessment Modelling, or subject knowledge regarding electronics, buildings, construction, or transport systems.

Personal characteristics

• The successful candidate will work in a group with other professors and PhDs from different disciplines. The candidate is expected to 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 Soft skills
• In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and person 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 Industrial Ecology 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 external 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: 

• 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.
• Project proposal
• 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.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. EPT has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Assistants and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the careers of female PhD Candidates, Postdocs and Research Assistants, and is also made visible to our student body to encourage them to consider an academic path. As part of the EPT Women in Science initiative we are building an international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events. 

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 Anders Hammer Strømman, e-mail: anders.hammer.stromman@ntnu.no, Richard Wood, e-mail: richard.wood@ntnu.no or Volker Krey, e-mail: volker.krey@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Renate Fjellheim, e-mail: renate.fjellheim@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: 25.06.2023

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.

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 25th June 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Gløshaugen