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

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

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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 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.

About the project

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.

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 research activities at the Geotechnical research group at NTNU
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Teaching duties corresponding to 25 % of the time during a 4-year period
• Contribute to supervision activities if required

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant master’s degree in civil engineering or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis
• Master studentscan apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than August 2027
• 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. If you have a weaker academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the Doctoral Programme - PhD - Faculty of Engineering Science - NTNU
• Good written and oral communication skills in English

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 NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Documented specialization in geotechnical engineering
• Experience with landslide assessment and modelling (e.g., initiation, runout)
• Courses in hydrology and fluid mechanics
• Strong background or interest in numerical modeling and risk analysis
• Proficiency in scientific programming and GIS/spatial data analysis tools
• Relevant work experience
• Conference or journal publications
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian equivalent level at A2 or higher

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

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.

Salary and conditions

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.

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 and diplomas upon request.

The application must include:

• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees
• CV
• 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 proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages)
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates
• 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 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 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 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.