PhD candidate within the topic of modelling and advanced control in demanding marine operations

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About the job

The Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering (IHB) at NTNU has a vacancy for a PhD candidate within the topic of modelling and advanced control in demanding marine operations.

The digital agenda is one of the pillars of the European Strategy for Growth, which proposes to better exploit the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in order to foster innovation, economic growth and progress. It lists “marine operation” as one of the main areas through which to achieve growth. In marine system and transport, digitalisation can significantly improve design, operation, and management through more accurate information on operational and infrastructure conditions and on the location of vehicles and / or system behaviour models. Better access to and sharing of digital data (traffic, travel, vehicle, cargo etc.) for both public and private stakeholders could open up a wide range of new opportunities toward digital marine operations. Modelling, sensor fusion and advanced control are considered in this study, with a focus on different levels of autonomy for demanding marine operations, ranging from being completely controlled by human, i.e., tele-operated, to being fully autonomous and without any interaction from human.

The project will collaborate closely with key industry players and has ambition to utilize full-scale closed-loop experiments utilizing state-of-the-art infrastructure. Examples of relevant topics include sensor fusion of cameras, radar and maps, situational awareness, trajectory planning with collision avoidance, automated docking, control design for the whole operational domain, control allocation, etc.

This project consists of one PhD positions with associated supervisors. The candidate will also be connected and cooperating with several research groups at NTNU.

Your immediate leader is Head of the department.

Duties of the position

The candidate will develop novel methods and models for autonomous navigation and control of marine surface vessels and test these experimentally considering common constraints typically applied in industrial systems. A key part of this is to be engaged in building up laboratory facilities in order to carry out experimental work related to his / her research, as well as relevant systems for managing prototype and development software. The main goal of the PhD project is to develop new knowledge and methods that will be a cornerstone for complex autonomous functionality and validate these experimentally.

Also, the candidate will be expected to :

• present findings at project meetings and national and international workshops and conferences
• write scientific papers
• participate actively in the maritime control community at NTNU

Required selection criteria

good written and oral fluency in English. The following tests can be used as such documentation : TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are :

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

Personal characteristics

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

We offer

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 500 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 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.

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 :

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.

The city of Ålesund , with its population of 50 000, will provide you with plenty of opportunities to explore a region of Norway that is famous for its beautiful scenery with high mountains and blue fjords. Ålesund itself, with its Art Nouveau architecture, is by many considered to be the most beautiful city in Norway! The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world.

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 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.