项目介绍

2026年2月12日

About the position

The Norwegian Research Centre for Renewal of Hydropower Technology, RenewHydro, has a vacancy for a PhD Candidate. RenewHydro is hosted by NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, and it is funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian hydropower industry.

The candidate will work with new technical designs for pumped storage plants. The main focus will be on the tailrace tunnel system and outlet structure (pumping intake), but the research includes the whole, overarching plant design, including tunnels, surge tanks and sand traps. The research will focus on how pump storage plants can be operated with high performance and efficiency, while also reducing environmental impacts. Hence, the candidate will work in cross disciplines with team members who work with fish behavior, engineering geology, turbine
design, variable speed operation, etc.

It involves fundamental research including a literature study and CFD modelling with the use of real case-study hydropower projects.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

Your immediate leader will be a Professor.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group Hydraulic Engineering
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background within Hydraulic Engineering
• You must have a relevant Master’s degree in Hydraulic Engineering, Hydropower Engineering, Civil Engineering, Fluid Mechanics or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master’s level. Master students can apply, but the master’s degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position
• You must have a strong 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 grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s Doctoral Programme 
• Software skills in 2D/3D technical drawing
• Strong theoretical background in fluid mechanics, mathematics and physics
• Familiarity with hydropower technology
• Experience from numerical simulations
• Good written presentation skills and oral English language skills

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Knowledge of the energy sector and the hydropower industry
• Hydrological and Hydraulic knowledge and knowledge of hydrological inflow forecasting and tools in the hydropower industry
• Competencies on IOT, AI, Sensor technologies
• Oral and written proficiency in Scandinavian languages

Personal characteristics

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

• High cooperative skills and ability to work in a team, as well as independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.