About the position
At the Department of Neuromedicine and Movement science (https://www.ntnu.edu/inb) we have a vacancy for a Ph.D. candidate in Big Data and AI research.
The PhD candidate will work in an R&D and innovation project named DeepInMotion founded by the Norwegian Research Council. The main objective of the project is to develop an explainable AI system and clinical service implementation to discover movement biomarkers for early detection of CP in infants. The PhD candidate will develop explainable AI techniques and methods that will contribute in generating new knowledge and innovations, which will enable and provide decision support for early detection of motor disabilities. The PhD candidate will work in an interdisciplinary research group with researchers from Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Department of Computer Science and the Children Clinics at St. Olavs Hospital and Ålesund Hospital.
This PhD project is a part of the PERSEUS doctoral programme: A collaboration between NTNU- Norway’s largest university, 11 top-level academic partners in 8 European countries, and 8 industrial partners within sectors of high societal relevance.
Within PERSEUS we will recruit 40 PhD candidates who want to contribute to a smart, safe and sustainable future. We are looking for highly skilled PhD candidates motivated to approach societal challenges within one of the following thematic areas:
- Big data and AI
- Digital Twins
- Internet of Things
- Extended Reality
- Information and Cyber Security
All participants in the PERSEUS network bring unique and important qualities with them into the doctoral programme. The PERSEUS PhD candidates will have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers in the partner institutions and in other project consortia, and benefit from these collaborative research and education activities.
As part of the PERSEUS team you will work alongside other highly motivated and talented PhD candidates and researchers. You will also have access to the knowledge base, state-of-the-art research infrastructure, and impact orientation of the partners in the team.
In addition to your education and development within the thematic research area, you will gain transferable skills within project development and management, science communication, research ethics, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, as well as basic university didactics.
As a PERSEUS PhD candidate, you will be employed by NTNU. During your stay, you will do a two to three months international stay and a one to two months national stay with one of the PERSEUS partners. This will allow you to extend your network within academia and industry, and to learn about your research area from an academic, innovation, and societal perspective.
We are looking for PhD candidates from all nationalities, who want to contribute to our quest to create knowledge for a better world. PERSEUS recruits candidates according to the EU’s mobility rule, i.e. applicants cannot have spent more than 12 months in Norway during the last 3 years.
We believe in fair and open processes. All applications will be considered through a transparent evaluation procedure, with independent observers involved.
The position’s working place is NTNU campus in Trondheim.
We look forward to welcome you to the PERSEUS team.
You will report to a Head of Department.
Duties of the position
- Develop deep neural network (DNN), optimization/learning procedures and neural architecture search procedures
- Develop and integrate DNNs in clinical service implementations
- Collaborate with the interdisiplinary DeepInMotion research-team in the fields of computer science, movement science, and clinical science.
- Undertake necessary courses (30 ECTS) as part of the PhD programme
- Submit an application for admission and a research plan no later than 3 months after the employment
- Conduct high quality research and report progress on a regular basis and in agreement with the supervisors.
Required selection criteria
- International mobility requirements: Applicants of any age and any nationality will be eligible as far as they fulfil the mobility requirement of the COFUND programme, namely, the applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host organization (Norway) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline of PERSEUS.
- Education requirements: 5 years of higher education (BSC and MSC) or education equal to (300 ECTS). The grade requirements are B or higher (based on NTNU’s grading scale). Education will have to be documented by diploma supplement or equivalent documentation in English and include a description of the educational system. International Relations do require Chinese diplomas to be verified using CHSI. The NTNU Office of International Relations will evaluate degrees and diplomas.
- Language skill requirements: The applicants will be asked to provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following certificates may be used as such evidence: TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE).
- Export of Knowledge Control: The PhD candidates who, based on a comprehensive first-hand assessment, might come into conflict with legislation governing exports of knowledge, technology and services will not advance further from the first stage in the recruitment process. For further information, please refer to the Export Control Act.
In addition, the candidate must:
- Document strong background in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning or Computer-intensive Statistics, with a research-oriented master thesis within one of these areas.
- Have good programming skills.
- Demonstrate good written and oral English skills.
- Meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s doctoral program (www.ntnu.edu/studies/phmedt)
The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant.
Preferred selection criteria
- Knowledge about the development of clinical feasible AI systems within medical technology
- Knowledge about the interaction between AI systems and clinicians/health care personnel
- Programming skills in Pytorch and/or Tensorflow
- Knowledge and programming skills in:
- Explainable AI
- Neural architectural search (NAS) and AutoML for deep neural networks
- Graph convolutional neural nets (GCN)
- Generative adversarial network (GAN)
Personal characteristics
- Enjoy working in a team-based environment, but also be able to conduct independent activities and thinking.
- Have a problem-solving attitude.
- Be highly motivated to publish in top academic conferences and journals within the area of the position.
We offer
- exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
- an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
- favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- employee benefits
Salary and conditions
PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 491 200 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 Medical Technology (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phmedt) within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.
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 and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.
Please submit your application electronically via Jobbnorge website. Applications submitted elsewhere/incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants must upload the following documents within the closing date:
- CV including information relevant for the qualifications, submitted together with an identification document
- Name, current affiliation and email address of at least 2 persons that will provide reference for you
- Certified copies of academic diplomas and transcripts and the reference letter
- Applicants from universities outside of Norway will be requested to send a diploma supplement (or a similar document) which describes in details the study and grading system, and the rights for further studies associated with the obtained degree. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).
- A research interest description (maximum 2 pages) that includes a short presentation of the motivation for a PhD study, suitability for the position and the applicant’s view towards listed research challenges as well as the theoretical and methodological approach to the challenges.
- Scientific publications (if any). Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief 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
If you have any questions about the position, please contact Espen AF Ihlen, telephone +47 47354674, email: espen.ihlen@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact , Bente K. Å. Andersen, e-mail: bente.k.a.andersen@ntnu.noWorking at NTNU
A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background.
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.
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.
In accordance with The Public Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.
Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).
If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters.
Application deadline: 30.09.2021