About the position

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.

This PhD fellowship is intended to collaborate with and be an integral part of the newly established AI Centre for the Empowerment of Human Learning (AI LEARN).

Your immediate leader will be the leader of the Software Engineering unit.

About the project

The position is one of the two PhD fellowships belonging to a university-wide project called Symbiosis (Human-AI symbiosis as a means to tackle societal challenges). Symbiosis takes an interdisciplinary approach to address the opportunities, challenges, and risks associated with the use of AI in one of the main pillars of our society, that of human learning and participation. 

The project follows the principles of Design-Based Research and Responsible Research and Innovation and will employ extensive case studies in collaborating schools and flexible learning arenas. Symbiosis aims to reinforce the foundations for responsible, trustworthy, and sustainable use of AI in our educational institutions by developing ethical and sustainable principles to guide human-AI collaboration and advancing AI literacy.

The goal for Symbiosis is to offer novel, interdisciplinary insights and knowledge into how to nurture humans-AI collaboration and symbiosis, which will lead to productive and sustainable embeddedness of AI technologies that are aligned with societal and cultural values.

This particular PhD fellowship will focus on exploring how learners and teachers intertwine with AI, what the main risks, adversities, consequences, and challenges emerging from this symbiosis, and how to guide the design and implementation of AI technology in our educational institutions.

Duties of the position

The candidate will be a member of the Software Engineering unit.

The goal of this project is described above. We are seeking a highly motivated individual who wants to excel in a research environment. Part of the main duties and responsibilities include conducting the following tasks:

• Conduct a literature review
• Implement participatory activities with end-users and stakeholders (co-creation and participatory design workshops),
• Implement the necessary services and interfaces,
• Plan and conduct case studies,
• Collect and analyze empirical data,
• Write up reports and research articles,
• Attend international conferences,
• Organize dissemination and communication activities within the Symbiosis project,
• Participate in the collaborative activities within the Symbiosis project.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background within Learning Technologies, Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-Centred Computing or alike.
• You must have a Master's degree in Computer Science or equivalent (with a focus on learning technologies, interaction design, HCI, human-AI collaboration, or alike). 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, and no later than the end of September 2025.
• 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 IE’s faculty Doctoral Programme in Computer Science.
• Good written and oral English skills. Applicants must provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following tests can be used as such documentation: TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test)
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted)
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A.
• In extraordinary circumstances, formal documentation of language skills can be relinquished. In such cases, the candidate’s language skills will be assessed in a personal interview.
• A solid knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods.
   

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 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.

Preferred selection criteria

The following qualifications will be considered as an advantage:

• Relevant experience as a research assistant in research projects
• Published or submitted relevant research work
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian.

Emphasis will be put on personal qualities and potential as a researcher. High importance will also be attached to personal communication and cooperation skills

Personal characteristics

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

• Ability to work independently as well as in teams
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them, result-oriented
• Excellent analytical skills, analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions
• Strong motivation to contribute to a good working and social environment

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience, and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement.

We offer

Evaluate and remove/add what is relevant for the position.

• 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

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. (delete if not applicable)

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 550 800,- 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.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Computer Science (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phcos) 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 bein 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.
• Information about education and relevant experience (academic 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.
• A short essay (ca. 1000 words) describing their view of the main research challenges in designing AI technologies to support and empower human learning.
• Short cover/motivation letter (400 words/1 page).
• Publications and any other work that the applicant wishes to be taken into account should clearly indicate the applicant's contribution.
• Names and contact information of at least three 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 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 have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Michail Giannakos, email michailg@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR, e-mail: hr@idi.ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 01.09.2025

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 Computer Science 

We are the leading academic IT environment in Norway, and offer a wide range of theoretical and applied IT programmes of study at all levels. Our subject areas include hardware, algorithms, visual computing, AI, databases, software engineering, information systems, learning technology, HCI, CSCW, IT operations and applied data processing. The Department has groups in both Trondheim and Gjøvik. The Department of Computer Science is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .