The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has a vacancy for a

PhD Candidate on Impacts of Interdependent Multi-Hazards on Transport Systems

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (IBM) has a vacancy for a PhD Candidate on Impacts of Interdependent Multi-Hazards on Transport Systems (four-year position).

As part of the interdisciplinary STRIDE initiative, this PhD project addresses the critical challenge of how converging climate-driven multi-hazards, such as intense storms, floods, and water-induced landslides, interact with acute security threats like targeted sabotage across transport networks.

Current hazard assessments remain largely siloed and static, failing to capture the non-linear, compounding feedback loops that occur when natural risks and human intelligence threats overlap. In STRIDE you will develop a hybrid multi-hazard framework that bridges physics-based simulations with data-driven statistical and machine learning approaches. Your work will pioneer spatiotemporal fragility functions to quantify how multi-hazard disruptions propagate along critical transport corridors.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate in STRIDE 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 the Head of Department.

How do we build a society that is resilient to crises, attacks, and unexpected shocks? A More Resilient Society is a major strategic initiative at NTNU that requires interdisciplinarity and innovative thinking to address complex and socially relevant challenges. A total of 16 PhD candidates will work across faculties and academic communities within the fields of critical societal infrastructure and health preparedness. The aim is to support research that challenges established assumptions and contributes to a safer and more resilient society.

STRIDE (Synergizing Transport Resilience, Infrastructure, and Defense in Extremes) is one of the projects under the More Resilient Society initiative. This is an interdisciplinary research project involving researchers in transport modelling, artificial intelligence, operations research, civil engineering, and science and technology studies. The project studies how transport systems respond to disruptions and how modelling and decision-support methods can strengthen resilience across planning, response, and recovery. The PhD candidate will work closely with three other PhD candidates studying interdependent hazards, data-driven modelling of multimodal transport, and the societal dimensions of resilience and total defense.

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.

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 580 000,- 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 4 years, of which 3 years is for the doctoral work and 1 year for career enhancing work related to teaching and supervision activities at NTNU. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme PhD in Engineering (Doctoral Programme) 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 professional 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 be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

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 Ivan Depina, ivan.depina@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Martine Sulen, martine.sulen@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 20.11.2026

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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. 

NTNU – knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

We conduct research and teaching in civil and transportation engineering, technical planning, structural engineering, water and wastewater engineering and hydraulic engineering. Graduates from our programmes become employees – in both the public and private sectors – with a sustainability mindset combined with competitive knowledge and skills. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.