项目介绍

2026年9月17日

About the position

As agile development scales to larger, more complex organizations, software engineering is being transformed by a set of intertwined changes. Continuous software engineering is converging development and operations to enable frequent releases, while AI is touching every stage of the software lifecycle, bringing agents that work alongside developers. Together, these changes are reshaping team composition and dynamics, as well as enabling shorter feedback loops, while introducing new roles and requiring new skillsets. 

The purpose of empirical software engineering research is to study these shifts as they unfold, examining real-world practice to generate knowledge that can guide how teams and organisations build quality software. As a PhD Candidate, you will carry out this work within the Software Engineering group at the Department of Computer Science, one of Norway’s leading software engineering environments. The group works closely with industry and publishes at leading international venues.

Your immediate leader will be the head of unit.

Duties of the position

• Develop research-based knowledge on continuous software development, grounded in empirical studies. 
• Carry out empirical studies in Norwegian software companies, with the aim of publishing in recognised journals and conferences.
• Responsible for conducting your own studies and for taking part in project teams together with master’s students.
• Contribute to teaching activities, including lab sessions and supervision
• Other career-promoting work agreed with the department, such as work on smaller related research projects or collaboration with organisations in the public and private sectors. Applicants who hold a position outside the university may, by agreement, retain part of that position as career-promoting work.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s Doctoral Programme, see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master’s degree in computer science or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis.
• You must have a strong and relevant academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master’s degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works. 
• You must master English as a professional language, both written and orally.
• You must attach a project outline (1500 words) to your application. It should set out your theoretical and methodological approach to the research topic, together with proposed research questions.
   

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

Academically relevant background within software engineering or information systems

• Experience from the software industry
• Experience with empirical studies and scientific publishing
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language 

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to: 

• A good team player
• A good communicator
• Eager to learn
• Results-oriented
• Work independently
   

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.