项目介绍

2026年9月17日

About the position

We invite applications for a PhD position focusing on stakeholder engagement in the context of nuclear-powered merchant shipping.

As the maritime sector seeks pathways towards deep decarbonisation, nuclear propulsion has re-emerged as a potential technology capable of delivering large-scale emission reductions while meeting the growing energy demands of international shipping. While research has focused on the technical, economic, regulatory, and safety aspects of nuclear propulsion, considerably less attention has been given to the social dimensions that may ultimately determine its successful implementation.

As part of WP6 on Stakeholder Engagement, included in the Centre for Research-based Innovation on Nuclear-powered merchant shipping (SFI SAINT), this PhD project will address this knowledge gap by investigating how local communities and other key stakeholders perceive the health risks associated with nuclear propulsion, and how information sharing and stakeholder dialogue affect trust, stress levels, and public concern.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

SAINT (Sustainable, Applied and Industrialized Nuclear Technology) is a research project investigating the use of nuclear propulsion for commercial and specialist maritime vessels and aims at launching 2-3 demonstration ships in the early 2030s. SAINT addresses the technical, safety, and operational challenges that must be resolved before such systems can be responsibly deployed. PhD candidates will be among the people shaping this emergent field. In the intersection of nuclear and maritime engineering qualified engineers and researchers are scarce globally, but also competence in stakeholder engagement is important for the successful implementation of nuclear-powered shipping. Stakeholder engagement is essential to build the public trust, safety confidence, and regulatory approval required for adopting nuclear power in commercial vessels. Candidates who complete a PhD within the SAINT project will be well positioned for careers in nuclear safety, maritime regulation, advanced vessel design, and the emerging commercial nuclear sector.

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 SFI SAINT
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master’s degree covering topics such as stakeholder engagement, risk perception, psychosocial health, behavioural responses, risk management, risk- and crisis communication, or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis.
• 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 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. 
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s Doctoral Programme (link), see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• Fluency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is required, as well as good oral and written presentation skills in English
• We do not accept applications of citizens from countries on the OFAC and EAR lists and countries under US arms embargoes as well as heavy restricted/ITAR proscribed countries. 

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