PhD Candidate for risk perception analysis for the offshore industry in green transition

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate 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.

A PhD position is available at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering with the RAMS (Reliability, availability, maintainability and safety) research group.

Your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department. You will be supervised by Professor Yiliu Liu.

The offshore oil and gas industry is increasingly developing new technologies and innovative applications of existing ones to support the green transition. Examples include fully electric solutions and equipment powered by low-carbon or renewable energy sources, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the immature nature of these technologies, combined with limited understanding, introduces significant uncertainties. These uncertainties, along with the potential impacts of natural disasters, pose substantial risks to the safety of personnel and infrastructure in the offshore oil and gas sector, as well as to marine ecosystems and coastal communities.

The objective of this PhD project is to obtain a deeper understanding of the offshore oil and gas industry’s perceptions and concerns regarding these risks. The successful candidate will conduct interviews with industry experts to investigate the vulnerability of the offshore industry during the green transition to natural hazards, as well as the varying perceptions and experiences of stakeholders regarding relevant accidents. Additionally, the candidate will design and implement a survey to collect data on offshore employees’ acceptance of green transition technologies, their concerns about potential issues, and their views on the quality of emergency response programs and risk communication strategies.

• complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• participate in the research group RAMS
• review the state-of-art green transition technologies in the offshore industry
• investigate the technical vulnerabilities and impacts of natural hazards on the above technologies
• conduct interviews with industrial experts for their collecting their opinions
• design questionnaire and implement a survey for perception analysis of stakeholders
• analyze the survey results and disseminating the findings

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

• you must have an academically relevant background within risk assessment and empirical studies
• you must have a Master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering, statistics, management science, mechanical engineering or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master’s level. Master’s students can apply, but the master’s degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position.
• you must have a strong 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 grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• you must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s Doctoral Programme in Engineering
• good written and oral English language skills

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

If you cannot document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2 upon employment, you must complete Norwegian courses corresponding to at least 15 credits before the end of the employment period. NTNU will facilitate this.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position.

• proficiency in Norwegian or other Scandinavian languages, considering the interviews with locally industrial experts
• knowledge of data analysis, including statistics, and machine learning techniques

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

• and willingly conduct research in a multidisciplinary setting and team
• be motivated, enthusiastic and result oriented
• work in a team-based environment, but also be able to work independently
• communicate well both orally and written

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

• 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 PhDperiod
• 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
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts.

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.

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 536 200 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 3 years. If learning Norwegian (level A2 corresponding to at least 15 credits) is to be completed before the end of the employment period, the employment period can be extended by 10 weeks after completed and documented the Norwegian course.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Engineering within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding.

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 academic 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 withthe principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control(legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technologyand services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

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 The application must include:

• transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• CV and certificates
• 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.
• research plan or project proposal (maximum 2 pages, Times New Roman or similar Font 11, Single spacing)
• cover letter justifying your interest and fit for the position
• possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• 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 works 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).

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 Professor Yiliu Liu, e-mail: yiliu.liu@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Hedda Winnberg, e-mail: hedda.winnberg@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 15.03.2025