About the job

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

The Norwegian Research Centre for Renewal of Hydropower Technology, RenewHydro, has a vacancy for a PhD Candidate. RenewHydro (https://www.ntnu.edu/renewhydro) is hosted by the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, and it is funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian hydropower industry. The research is both experimental and numerical and it is mainly focused on hydraulic turbine. However, the market, environmental impact and social acceptance is also part of the research.

The candidate will work with hydraulic turbines for future flexible operation. It involves both numerical and experimental work in the Waterpower laboratory (https://www.ntnu.no/wiki/display/vkl/Waterpower+Laboratory). The work will be part of the research program “Design for intermittent operation and high ramping rates” in the new centre for renewable energy, RenewHydro. More information can be found here: www.ntnu.edu/renewhydro

The project aims to enhance efficiency and performance through advancement of hydropower technology. This includes hydropower technology through innovative approaches, including turbine, generator and converter design, storage solutions, and operational enhancements. Pump-storage schemes in existing hydropower plants can increase the storage capacity by increased utilization of the reservoir volume.  

The research will focus on investigating the turbines under highly flexible operation. The candidate will require close collaboration with team members who work in the parts of the project including the tunnels, surge shaft oscillation, generator performance, variable speed operation, fish behaviour, etc. 

The position reports to Chirag Trivedi at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering.

Your immediate leader is Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Undertake the necessary courses as part of the PhD program and complete the PhD admission procedure.
• Perform research under the research project (RenewHydro) and report the progress on a regular basis (follow the project milestones and deliverable) in agreement with the supervisor(s).
• Conduct experimental and numerical research according to the research plan in the research project. The candidate must expect to conduct experiments (including preparing the test rig) and numerical simulations independently.
• Communication and dissemination of research results are core requirement therefore the candidate is expected to write and publish high-quality journal articles, and present her/his work at international conferences.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in mechanical engineering or equivalent education.
• 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, if thesis is submitted by the last of this advertisement, and/or final grade available by 31 December 2024.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program in Engineering. 
• Proven skills/track record in the relevant areas of research (hydropower, fluid mechanics, turbomachinery).
• Interest in communication and dissemination of research results, including participation in project related activities and fulfilling the obligations.
• Excellent written and communication English language skills.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking 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

• Knowledge of hydro turbine and the experiments.
• Knowledge of turbine optimization technique is advantageous.
• Knowledge of programming/software, MATLAB, Python, OpenFOAM, LabView, ANSYS, etc.
• Research quality and publications – Journal and conference papers
• Genuine interest in research and willingness to learn and carry out high quality research

Personal characteristics

We are looking for highly dedicated, well-organized, team player with excellent communication skill and motivated to contribute in the RenewHydro project by conducting high quality research.

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 532 200 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 external funding. The position is fully funded by the Norwegian Research Centre for Renewal of Hydropower Technology, RenewHydro.

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 be attached to 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, certificates and diplomas.
• 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.
• Academic works (publications), if any – you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 03 works)
• Research plan - Provide a 2-page proposal (max 1 page text including references plus 1 additional page with a figure or sketch) on something original and interesting related to hydro turbine and role of hydro turbine on energy flexibility. 
• Name, current affiliation and email address of three referees – should be included in CV. Note: If the referee does not respond to our request within two days limit, your application may not be shortlisted.

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 Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, 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. 

Department of Energy and Process Engineering has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female Research Assistants, PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the academic careers of female employees, 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 continue to build on our 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 Chirag Trivedi, email chirag.trivedi@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Ingrid Wiggen, e-mail: ingrid.wiggen@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: 20.11.2024.

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.

Questions about the position

Chirag Trivedi
Associate Professor
chirag.trivedi@ntnu.no

Deadline 20th November 2024
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Fixed Term
Place of service Høgskoleringen 6, 7491 Trondheim