PhD Candidate in Optimization and Decision Support for Resilient Transport Systems

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At NTNU, 8,6000 employees and 44,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

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

Background

We invite applications for a 4-year PhD Candidate position focused on optimization and decision-support methods for resilient transport systems. The position is based at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, located at NTNU’s campus in Trondheim.

The mission of Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management is to carry out education and research activities at a high international level in the intersection between technology/natural sciences and business economics, management, and HSE to promote sustainable value creation in technology-based areas in industry, business, and public sector organizations in Norway.

About the position

Transport systems can be disrupted by events such as floods, landslides, traffic accidents, and technical failures. These disruptions can close or constrain links in the transport network, affecting the movement of passengers and goods.

This PhD project will develop optimization methods to support strategic and operational decisions in multimodal transport systems. Strategic decisions may include infrastructure investments, resource placement, and infrastructure reinforcement. Operational decisions may include rerouting traffic, allocating capacity, and planning recovery.

You will work closely with another PhD candidate who is developing dynamic transport models and machine-learning methods to predict how the network performs under different conditions. You will integrate these models into optimization methods, allowing, for example, many scenarios and resilience measures to be evaluated efficiently.

The project addresses research questions like:

• How can optimization support strategic investment and resource-allocation decisions for resilient transport systems?
• How can dynamic transport models and machine-learning methods improve optimization across many possible scenarios?
• How can optimization support rerouting, capacity allocation, and recovery decisions when parts of a transport system are unavailable?

The PhD candidate will develop models for strategic resilience planning and operational disruption management. The research will examine how to balance efficiency, redundancy, recovery, and societal requirements.

Use cases will be developed in close collaboration with project partners, including Norway’s railway infrastructure manager (Bane NOR), the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen), and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). The candidate will work with partners to examine practical decisions related to transport resilience.

The position offers an opportunity to develop optimization methods for important decisions about transport resilience, in collaboration with researchers in optimization, machine learning, transport modelling, infrastructure, and social sciences.

Research environment

The PhD position is part of STRIDE: Synergizing Transport Resilience, Infrastructure, and Defense in Extremes, an interdisciplinary research project involving researchers in transport modelling, machine learning, optimization, infrastructure, and social sciences.

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.

The PhD candidate will be hosted at the Managerial Economics, Finance and Operations Research (BEDØK) group at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management. The group is one of Norway’s leading academic environments in operations research, logistics, optimization, and quantitative decision support. The candidate will work in close collaboration with researchers from NTNU’s Department of Computer Science and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Your role in the project

• Conduct original scientific research related to the project topic
• Develop optimization models and decision-support methods for resilient transport systems
• Publish research results in leading international journals and conferences
• Collaborate with academic and industry partners
• Integrate dynamic transport models and machine-learning surrogates developed in a parallel PhD project into optimization methods
• Complete the required coursework as part of the PhD programme
• Contribute to dissemination and communication of research results

Required selection criteria

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree in a relevant field with strong academic results (B or better according to NTNU's grading scale). Relevant academic backgrounds include:
• Operations research or optimization
• Applied mathematics
• Industrial engineering
• Transport or logistics
• Engineering disciplines with strong quantitative and analytical content
• Applicants must document competence in mathematical optimization, operations research, and/or related quantitative methods.
• The position requires excellent English oral and writing skills.

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

Desired qualifications

The following qualifications will be considered an advantage:

• Good knowledge of mathematical optimization, such as mixed-integer programming, stochastic programming, or robust optimization
• Experience with optimization under uncertainty
• Experience with algorithm development
• Proficiency in at least one programming language, e.g, Python, Julia, C++, or similar
• Knowledge of machine learning

Applicants in the final phase of their master’s studies are encouraged to apply.

Personal characteristics

We are looking for a candidate who:

• Is intellectually curious and motivated to conduct high-quality research
• Works independently and in a structured manner
• Has strong communication and collaboration skills
• Thrives in interdisciplinary research environments
• Is interested in developing research with practical relevance and societal impact

Emphasis will be placed on scientific quality, research potential, and personal suitability.

We offer

• An exciting and international academic environment with opportunities for competence development
• Opportunities to collaborate with researchers in optimization, machine learning, transport modelling, and infrastructure
• Close interaction with industry partners and public sector stakeholders
• Participation in an interdisciplinary research project on resilient transport systems
• Opportunities for research stays at international universities
• follow-up during the PhD period
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• An open and inclusive workplace with engaged colleagues
• Favorable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Employee benefits
• Good loan, insurance, and pension schemes in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)
• Working at NTNU

Information about working and living in Norway can be found at the following link: Home

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

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, currently NOK 580.000,- per year before tax. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The employment period is 4 years, of which 3 years is for the doctoral work and 1 year for career enhancing work, such as, teaching and supervision activities.

Appointment requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Economics and Management at NTNU.

Trondheim is the workplace. For necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The position is connected to the PhD program at the Faculty of Economics and Management, and the faculty will be your employer. Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Industrial Economics and Technology Management within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act.

Any statutory leave will be added to the employment period.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important to stay updated on professional and organizational changes and adapt to these.

About the application

Please note that the application will only be assessed based on the information we have at the application deadline. Therefore, ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experiences meet the criteria described above.

The application must contain the following:

• Motivation letter – The motivation letter must clearly state how the candidate meets the qualification requirements.
• Research plan (maximum one page) – Applicants should provide a brief research plan describing how they would approach one or more of the research questions outlined in the description of the position. The plan should reflect the applicant’s research interests and provide an outline of how they envision contributing to the project objectives.
• CV, diplomas, and certificates
• Scientific works, including the master thesis.
• Names and contact information of three potential references

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 work 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 is committed to following the evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA and the commitments in CoARA (responsible research assessment and recognition of a broader range of academic contributions in line with NTNU's societal mission).

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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.

Questions about the position can be directed to Associate Professor Steffen Jaap Skotvoll Bakker, steffen.bakker@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions regarding the employment process, please contact HR Advisor Hilde Selli Egelie at hilde.s.egelie@ntnu.no.

An application including attachments should be sent electronically through jobbnorge.no

Application deadline: 20.11.2026

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 Industrial Economics and Technology Management

We conduct research and teaching at an international level in the interface between technology/natural sciences and economics, management, and HSE (health, safety and the environment). Our goal is sustainable creation of value within technology-based areas in industry, business and the public sector in Norway. We have academic groups in Trondheim and Gjøvik. The Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management is one of four departments in the Faculty of Economics and Management.