PhD Candidate in use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the ship design process

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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 job

The KSP DREAMS (KSP: Kompetanse- og Samarbeidsprosjekt; DREAMS: Design Re-Engineering and Automation of Marine Systems) research project aims to increase the competitiveness of Norwegian ship design activities. The project rests on the following three hypotheses:

  1. By re-engineering the design process, combined with a higher degree of automation of selected tasks, we can reduce the total resource expenditure in conceptual and basic design by at least 20%.
  2. By extending the focus from predominantly technical details towards commercial and sustainability performance we can better meet customer needs and expectations, and thereby significantly improve the competitiveness of Norwegian ship design firms.
  3. By disseminating the project results into naval architecture educational training programs, we can improve the medium- and long-term implementation and use of new design methods and technologies in the Norwegian maritime industry.

This PhD position shall help addressing hypothesis 1 and 2 in particular by investing the use of artificial intelligence tools (AI) in the ship design process. The aim is to streamline resource-intensive design activities and thereby improve the overall design process. Potential activities to be investigated are:

  • Gathering and preparing relevant market and operational data via specialized “agents” (combination of AI agents which each are specialized on narrow tasks). This is relevant for early-phase “business development” and hence crucial in projects where ship designers develop new, innovative solutions with a customer.
  • Verification and generation of ship concept specifications, which are a central delivery in tender processes.
  • Automizing resource-intensive basic design activities (e.g., generation of stability books).
  • Designing retrofits/aftermarket activities are becoming increasingly important for Norwegian ship designers, particularly in light of meeting future emission requirements. AI-based analysis of existing vessels (based on detailed operational data where available, otherwise AIS data) may significantly improve a designer’s competitiveness and shall be explored.

To ensure that the research starts from state-of-the-art design activities and the challenges thereof, the candidate is encouraged to work alongside with the projects industry partners (Ulstein International, DNV, Pon Power) for extended periods of time..)

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

The workplace will be at the Department of Marine Technology, NTNU, and your immediate leader is your supervising professor and Head of department.

Your immediate leader is your supervising professor and Head of department.


Duties of the position

The PhD candidate will work on a range of challenging and interesting tasks:

  • Take an active role within the KSP DREAMS research project
  • Collaborate with the project’s industry partners (travelling should be expected)
  • Contribute to the improving the ship design process by means of AI tools
  • Disseminate the scientific results in internationally recognized journals

Required selection criteria

  • You must have a professionally relevant background in at least and preferably both listed subjects:
    • Marine systems design/naval architecture
    • Information and communication technology (ICT) and data analysis
  • 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 PhD education.
  • Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be finished by 20th of June 2025. 
  • You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program
  • Good written and oral English language skills
  • Experience in programming within environments such as Python or Matlab

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 with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools
  • Experience within the maritime industry and preferably ship design
  • Project-management experience, both industry and research projects
  • Good command of a Scandinavian language

Personal characteristics

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability as well as motivation. The following personal characteristics are desired:

  • Good communication skills
  • Problem-solving capabilities
  • Willingness to learn and adjust plans according to this learning
  • Interest for the field of ship design/marine systems design
  • Eager to travel to cooperate in with industrial and research partners

We offer


Salary and conditions

As a PhD 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..

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

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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 daily.


About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications (if relevant) and other scientific work shall be attached to 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.
  • Name and contact information of three referees
  • If you have publications or other relevant research work

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 Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, 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 committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.


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 for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. 

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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.

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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 Benjamin Lagemann, email [email protected] or Stein Ove Erikstad, email: [email protected]. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Marit Gjersvold, e-mail: [email protected].

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: 23.12.2024