This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

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Introduction and background

The Ports as Energy Transition Hubs (POTENT) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network is looking for 15 qualified PhD candidates interested in the field of Energy Infrastructure, Maritime Economics, Ports, and Data Science. The primary objective of the POTENT Network, led by Copenhagen Business School, is to investigate how ports can support and accelerate the clean energy transition in Europe. The research will focus on:

• Identifying gaps in renewable energy, green fuel infrastructure, and technologies to address these gaps, especially integration of digital technologies to optimize energy use, improve efficiency, and integrate renewables.
   
• Considering the systemic aspects of integrated energy ports, including the implications of integrating ports into electricity grids, and the socioeconomic and regulatory aspects of port development.
   
• Investigating the governance and business model challenges and opportunities that ports face in the energy transition, and exploring how they can create and capture value, manage stakeholder relationships, and make decisions that align with the energy transition goals.

This research project provides a fantastic opportunity for researchers interested in the energy transition. It aims to integrate knowledge of engineering (e.g., mechanical and electrical engineering) and social sciences (economics, sociology, and anthropology) in a doctoral training programme across 8 European research institutions and 15 industry actors. The POTENT consortium brings together a multidisciplinary research team from across Europe to train experts in port energy systems and develop key skills to deliver a just and sustainable energy transition. The energy transition of our ports is being rapidly acknowledged as a crucial tool as Europe undergoes the energy transition to climate neutrality and energy security.

The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network aims to increase mobility for students, and therefore will only accept students who have not lived more than 12 of the last 36 months in the country to which they apply. Please keep this rule in mind as you submit your applications. 

About the postion

This Doctoral Candidate will be based at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, hosted at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management – Section Managerial Economics, Finance and Operation Research. The position is resident at NTNUs campus in Trondheim. The position is connected to the PhD program at the Faculty of Economics and Management and the faculty will be your employer.

The Doctoral Candidate will be working with Anne Neumann and Henrik Madsen from DTU as project leads, and will focus on the topics of flexibility functions and impact assessment, tariff design, and sector coupling. You will be applying methods such as stochastic control and grid balancing algorithms, spatio-temporal forecasting, and optimization as you work on your project. The successful candidate will be seconded with Copenhagen Business School (Denmark) and the Center Denmark Drift during the project.

The future low-carbon energy systems call for flexibility everywhere in the energy system. However, existing market design based on merit order and deterministic bidding and clearing in static settings represents a challenge for unlocking the flexibility in cities and harbors in particular on the distribution level and for sector coupling. Future maritime transport will be more and more based on a combination of electricity driven transportation and green fuels.

Duties of the position

You will be working on a project called “Market design, and tariff structures for unlocking flexibility in harbors”. During this project you will:

• identify an operational model for describing flexibility;
• develop a market organization and pricing structure which can take into account dynamics and stochasticity, as well as sector coupling;
• develop a coherent hierarchical spatio-temporal framework for forecasting of load, renewable energy generation and prices;
• develop methods for dynamic tariffs structures for DSOs which are reflecting the challenges in the physical assets 

During your studies you will deliver:

• guidelines for describing flexibility,
• application to a harbor, 
• illustration of the functionality of the proposed framework,
• guidelines and methodologies for grid impact assessment.
   

Required selection criteria

• The PhD-positions main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is completion of a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) with a strong academic background in Engineering Economics, Statistics, Operations Research or Optimization or equivalent education with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. Applicants with no letter grades from previous studies must have an equally good academic foundation. 
• The position requires excellent English oral and writing skills. 
• Candidates must not have lived more than 12 of the last 36 months in the country to which they apply 
• Candidates must be willing and able to travel across Northern Europe
   

Aa result of the new Act relating to universities and university colleges with associated regulations of 01.08.2024, NTNU has, during a transitional period (for decisions on employment in recruitment positions before 1 August 2025), chosen to use the terms of employment in the old regulations of 31 January 2006 no. 102 on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, scientific assistant and specialist candidate.

The appointment is made in accordance with the regulations in 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.

Preferred selection criteria

In addition, the following qualifications will contribute positively to the evaluation of the applicant:

• Background and/or experience relevant to the project topic (see the project topic)
• Documented experience with stochastic optimization
• Documented experience with energy system analysis
• Good knowledge of digital tools like Julia, Python, etc. 
• Scandinavian language skills

Personal characteristics

• A high level of personal responsibility and initiative
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team in accordance with the project objectives
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary projects and teams
• Suitable candidates should have good communication skills, be flexible and solution-oriented
   

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)  

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

Information about Working and living in Norway can be found in this link.

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality. 

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, remunerated at gross NOK 532.200,- per annum before tax. 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 Economics and Technology Management within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period. Your work place will be at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is conditional on external funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available 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 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. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

1)    Application letter concerning your motivation for completing a PhD
2)    A CV with information on education, previous research experience, together with authorized documentation of certificates and study records. 
3)    Academic work (not master thesis). Joint work will be evaluated. If it is difficult to identify the contributions from individuals in a joint piece of work, applicants should enclose a short descriptive summary of their contribution to the work. 
4)    Name and address of three references
 

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. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well. 

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered.

General information

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech 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. 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt 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 exemption is not granted.

Questions about the position can be directed to Professor Anne Neumann email anne.neumann@ntnu.no or phone + 47 7341 2218.  
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor Hilde Selli Egelie, e-mail: hilde.s.egelie@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 31.03.2025