项目介绍

2025年5月15日

About the position

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us at the Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering in Ålesund, you will work to obtain 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 the Head of Department.

About the project

The maritime industry is quickly evolving with the introduction of autonomous and remotely operated vessels. Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) present new opportunities for efficiency and flexibility in maritime operations but also introduce challenges related to human-system interaction, situational awareness, and operator competencies. As technology for remote control advances the role of the human operator needs to be researched exhaustively.

As a part of Fjordlab, NTNU in Ålesund is developing a state-of-the-art Remote Operation Center (ROC) for USV control, enabling full-scale testing at sea, accompanied by high-fidelity simulations. This facility will provide a unique opportunity to study the role of remote operators, their workload, decision-making processes, and socio-technical challenges.

In the aforementioned ROC, the successful candidate will work on tasks relating to human system interaction with focus on the remote operator. How to facilitate adequate situational awareness in the ROC keeping in mind the known shortcomings humans are cluttered with, will be an important part of it. Among these are the known heuristics that shape attention and decision-making in novel and uncertain environments.

The research will be carried out in the crossroads between cognitive psychology, interaction design and behavioural sciences. Human Centered Design methodology will lie at the core when researching and testing prototype interfaces.

Although the practical project relates to the Fjordlab and the candidate will work mainly with small USVs, the research should be scalable to other types of unmanned vessels including archipelago and fjord ferries in a Norwegian setting as well as longer over-sea vessels.

A proposed research case could be to investigate how the introduction of unmanned vessels affects the realm already inhabited by existing conventional vessels. It would arguably alter the dynamics of their well-established pattern of behaviour. How does the presence of an unmanned vessel affect this fine-tuned system?

To advance knowledge in this field, the Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering is seeking a PhD candidate to investigate the operator requirements for remote USV operation, contributing to best practices for training, system design, and operational procedures.

Duties of the position

The candidate may design and execute studies for example to assess operator workload, decision-making processes, and situational awareness in different operational scenarios, using NTNU’s full-scale testing facilities and simulators.

The candidate will work in a multidisciplinary research environment at NTNU Ålesund, collaborating closely with industry partners, maritime training institutions, and technology developers.

Data collection may involve a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including simulator-based experiments, field studies with industry stakeholders, interviews, and surveys. The candidate may also explore how emerging technologies such as automation, augmented reality, and AI-assisted decision support can enhance remote USV operations. Findings from this research are expected to inform how the role of the remote operator is defined and how the ROC should be designed to best support the operator to gain and maintain situational awareness, certification standards, and operational guidelines for safe and effective USV control.

Required selection criteria

• You preferably have an academically background within maritime academia/industry, oil & gas, aviation or similar operations. If you have another relevant background (see preferred selection criteria) you are also welcome to apply. 
• You must have a Master’s degree 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’s students can apply, but the master’s degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than July 1st 2025.
• 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 (link)
• Excellent oral and written presentation skills in English

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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 Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) 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

• We are also open to receive applications from master degree holders in psychology, human factors and ergonomics, education, interaction design, abstract modelling and training science, interaction design or other related fields, with a focus on areas relevant to solving challenges in this research
• You have good proficiency in both written and oral Norwegian, or other Scandinavian languages

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently and in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject, while taking ownership of your research
• Being able to detect and utilize existing resources in our research group
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed
• Having good interpersonal skills that contribute to a friendly and inclusive work environment

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong and international academic 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. 

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

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK  541 800,-  per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 3 years. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Engineering (Admission to doctoral degree in Engineering) within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

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.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control(legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English. 

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates The application must include: 

• CV and certificates
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. If you have not completed the master’s degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master’s thesis has been submitted
• Copy of Master’s thesis. If you have recently 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.
• Project outline containing proposal for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages) 
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

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. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

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).

General information

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.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Dag Rutledal (daru@ntnu.no).

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Lara Bromann (lara.bromann@ntnu.no).

Application deadline: 01.06.2025

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

Ålesund, known for its unique Art Nouveau architecture and spectacular nature, is a gem on Norway’s west coast. The city offers a vibrant cultural life, modern facilities, and a dynamic business environment. With its strategic location by the sea, Ålesund provides a perfect balance between urban living and natural experiences. Here, you will find excellent schools, top-notch healthcare services, and a wide range of recreational activities. Ålesund is an ideal place for both career and family life, with a safe and inclusive community.