This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the position

The Department of Geography at NTNU has a vacancy for a 3-year Ph.D. position in Geography with a focus on 'Extreme weather-related Compound Hazards: Impacts, Risks, and Sustainable Adaptation in a changing climate (ECH-IRSA)’.

We are looking for a motivated candidate with a keen interest in investigating and understanding the dynamic processes behind weather-related compound hazards that characterize the current changing climate. Understanding these compound weather events is crucial for assessing risks, preparing for impacts, and building better forecast models in the face of climate change and extreme weather conditions, as well as essential for identifying better adaptation strategies that enhance a more sustainable community resilience. 

The Ph.D. candidate will be part of the Spatial and Temporal Analytics research group. The group bases its core activities on the development of new or the adaptation of existing tools and techniques for spatio-temporal analytics, such as representation, exploratory visualization and theories and mathematical model development of spatio-temporal data. Support will be given also from members of the Earth Surface Science research group that works mainly in the physical geography domain, focusing on investigating causes, mechanisms and impacts of different environmental hazards.

Becoming a member of our research groups will make you part of an exciting and stimulating international and multidisciplinary academic environment, open and inclusive, with dedicated colleagues willing to support with theoretical and practical experience, for you to excel in your academic career.

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree. 

Your immediate leader is the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.
• The candidate will plan and execute a comprehensive, independent research project under supervision, that involves the development of a theoretical framework, analysis of high-dimensional datasets to investigate weather-related compound hazards led by extreme events that characterize the current changing climate;
• Conduct independent research and publish the results in international conferences and international scientific peer-reviewed journals;
• Participation in the Ph.D. programme at the Department and at NTNU;
• The position could be extended to include teaching or other duties, if the need arises.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant master’s degree in Geography or similar, preferably a study related to Geoinformatics or similar fields of study with experiences in quantitative and/or GIS analyses and data analysis;
• Good written and oral English skills;
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level;
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a Ph.D. education;
• Master's students in their final phase of studies can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before taking up the position;
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience in using Python and/or R programming language;
• Experience in remote sensing analyses;
• Experience with machine learning models;
• A keen interest in and passion for environmental science and data science;
• Proficiency in Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language) would be an advantage, but it is not required

Personal characteristics

Completing a doctoral degree can be demanding. Therefore, you ought to:

• Be self-motivated, enthusiastic, and creative; 
• Have strong collaborative skills, present and discuss your research and engage with feedback from colleagues;
• Be goal-oriented and independent in research; 
• Have an interest in multidisciplinary problem solving; 
• Be willing to learn and think critically; 
• Have a good ability and willingness to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team, with an interest in cross-disciplinary learning;

A positive and pleasant working environment is important to us. We strive for an atmosphere that is engaging, friendly, and characterized by collaborative relationships between our employees. The applicant is expected to contribute to the social activities.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment;
• Participation in international, young and motivated research groups at the Department, that work on geo-informatics, modelling and GIS with focus on environmental hazards; 
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues;
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund;

Ph.D. candidates in Norway are considered employees and have access to Employee benefits;

No tuition fees are required.

Salary and conditions

As a Ph.D. candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years (with possible extension for teaching and other duties).



Appointment to a Ph.D. position requires that you are admitted to the Ph.D. programme specializing in Geography within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized Ph.D. programme during the employment period. 

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. 

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The project proposal must be in English. Supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English or Norwegian/Scandinavian language.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include:

• CV and certificates;
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted;
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have 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;
• Ph.D. project proposal (up to 5 pages);
• Publications or other relevant research work, if any;
• A motivation letter that highlights your motivation for joining the project and the Ph.D. program, describing your methodological experience and any other research-relevant information you think we should know about;
• Name and contact information of three referees.

If you are in the final phase of your master's degree, and if the call is open to applicants in the final phase, we would like you to inform us when you are expected to have documentation of your completed degree.

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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 



We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU is obliged by the evaluation criteria for research quality in accordance with The San Fransisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA and The obligations in the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment ( CoARA) on responsible assessment of research and recognition of a  wider range of academic contributions to science and society. 

General information

Working at NTNU



NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate our employees’ needs.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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. 

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself 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 reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Martina Calovi, e-mail: martina.calovi@ntnu.no.



If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR by Renate Lillian Johansen, e-mail: renate.johansen@ntnu.no. 



If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 29.08.2024

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 Geography

We conduct research and teach in subject areas related to the major societal challenges of our time: climate change, migration, urbanization, economic transition and environmental threats. We have a robust fieldwork tradition, and our teaching activities are closely linked to our research. The Department of Geography is one of seven departments at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences.