Welcome to USN
The University of Southeastern Norway (USN) ranks as the country's fourth largest higher education institution. We are a vibrant community of approximately 18,000 students and 1,900 employees.
Video:
https://vimeo.com/898549899/60305e2540About the position
Are you interested in Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Materials, and want to engage in research with skilled colleagues who share your interests? Maybe you can become our new colleague at Department of Process, Energy and Environmental Technology at The Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences. The position is available from 01.12.2026 with the latest starting date on 01.01.2027.
The PhD research fellowship is for a fixed term of three years with pure organised research training.
This is an educational position that is primarily intended to give promising researchers the opportunity to develop academically and professionally through organised research training.
It is a condition that the person who accepts the position applies for and is granted admission to the faculty’s doctoral programme in PhD in Technology within three months of starting in the position.
The doctoral programme includes relevant courses corresponding to approximately six months of study, a thesis based on independent research, active participation in national and international research environments, relevant research dissemination, a trial lecture and public defence of the thesis. Read more about organised research training at USN on our website.
Your personnel manager will be be Head of Department Ali Ghaderi and your main supervisor will be Associate Professor Mequanent Mulugeta Alamnie. It is a prerequisite that you live close by so that you can be present at, and available to, the academic environment at your workplace during ordinary working hours. The place of work will be at campus Porsgrunn.
About the doctoral project
The person appointed will be affiliated with the research project pavement materials and fatigue damage modelling, which is headed by Associate Professor Mequanent Mulugeta Alamnie.
The research project focuses on the research project focuses on the development of advanced fatigue damage models for asphalt pavement materials to support the Norwegian Mechanistic Empirical pavement design system. The project will combine material characterisation, theoretical modelling and experimental validation to improve the prediction of pavement performance under varying traffic loads, material properties and climatic conditions. Particular emphasis will be placed on viscoelastic, viscoplastic and damage-based material behaviour, laboratory testing of asphalt mixtures, field data analysis and calibration using case-road tests.
The candidate will work in close cooperation with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen) to achieve the objectives of this PhD project.
The person appointed will be affiliated with the research group Renewable Energy and Advanced Construction Technologies Laboratory (REACT-Lab).
Duties
- Complete the doctoral programme up to completion of the doctoral degree within the employment period
- Conduct high-calibre research within the framework described above
- Scholarly publications
- Participate in the research group REACT-Lab
- Participating in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at national or foreign educational institutions
- Be prepared for changes in your work tasks after appointment
Qualifications
- Master’s degree (120 ECTS credits) (or equivalent qualifications) civil engineering, or equivalent (another relevant field).
- Weighted average grade of B or higher on the master’s degree and thesis or an equivalent academic level according to USN's admission requirements.
- The master’s thesis must have been approved by the application deadline for the position.
- You must have an academically strong relevant background within Civil Engineering (highway, road technologies, transportation (road), structural, pavement materials etc) or equivalent.
- Documented knowledge of relevant scientific methodologies at master's level, including experimental and/or modelling-based approaches relevant to the project.
- You must have and show strong theoretical background in material mechanics, and experiment.
- You must have basic skills for programming and numerical simulations.
- Excellent written and oral English language skills.
- Meet the formal requirements for admission to USN’s doctoral program and The Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences’ doctoral program in Technology no later than three months after starting in the position.
Personal qualities
In order to be able to complete a doctoral degree, you need to be able to:
- demonstrate motivation and potential for research in the field
- work independently, but also participate in teamwork
- work in a structured way, set goals, and make plans to achieve them
- present and discuss your research with other academics
- get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
- work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
- show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject area
- analyse data, assess different perspectives, and draw well-founded conclusions
- be flexible and open to adjusting the project plan as necessary
- have the academic skills and personal qualities to be able to complete the doctoral programme within the employment period
When assessing applications, particular importance will be attached to
- Formal qualifications
- The scientific quality, research relevance and degree of innovation of the project
- The relevance of the project to the profile of the doctoral programme
- The personal qualities mentioned above
Language requirements
Requirements for proficiency in English
This position requires good English language skills. International applicants must document this with a valid certificate from one of the following tests. Specific requirements regarding grades can be found on our webpage English requirement for programmes and subjects taught in English at USN.
- TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based Test (IBT)
- IELTS – International English Language Testing Service
- Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) from the University of Cambridge
- PTE Academic – Pearson Test of English Academic
The following applicants are exempt from the requirements listed above:
Applicants from Norway can confirm their English language skills by submitting their upper secondary school diploma.
Project description
Applicants must submit a preliminary research proposal with the application. The project description for the research project should be short and concise, maximum 2–4 pages (600-1200 words). See further descriptions in the “Template for project descriptions for doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships at USN”:
- Introduction (the title, main problem and research questions and the background to the project)
- State of the art (the project’s research field)
- Theory
- Methodology
- Work plan
- Results and hypotheses
- Bibliography
Applications with a project description exceeding 1200 words will not be processed.
The project proposal will be included in the assessment of the applicant’s competence.
The final project description and work plan will be prepared in consultation with the supervisor(s) during the first three months of the employment period. It is a prerequisite that you complete the project during the employment period.
What we offer
- Organised research training in a large undertaking with an important social mission
- Careers advice and guidance throughout the entire doctoral programme. Together we will draw up a career plan that includes the skills and knowledge you will acquire
- An inclusive working environment with ambitious colleagues
- [The opportunity to take Norwegian language courses]
- Salary in accordance with the Norwegian State salary scale for PhD research fellows (position code 1017) NOK 550,800. In special cases, code 1378 may be used. Any further increases in pay grade will be based on length of service in the position
- Deductions will be made from your salary in order to make statutory contributions to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund on your behalf
- Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, ensuring favourable pension, insurance and loan schemes
Diversity
According to its human resources policy, the University of South-Eastern Norway aims for a balanced gender composition and seeks to recruit people with diverse backgrounds. USN contributes to the national inclusion initiative and aims for its employees, to the fullest extent possible, to reflect the diversity of the general population. We therefore encourage qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in their CVs or immigrant backgrounds to apply. The University will facilitate the workplace for employees who need such support.
General information
The Appointment Committee for Fellowship Positions (TUS) is the appointing authority for this position. Your competence for the position will be assessed by an expert committee. The expert committee will assess your competence for the position based on the documentation you have registered in Jobbnorge.
Based on the expert committee’s assessment, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview and to hold a trial lecture. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates.
Employment at USN is carried out in accordance with the principles set out in the Norwegian Civil Service Act, and the legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation, it will be rejected without further consideration.
The University’s Guidelines for recruitment positions at the University of South-Eastern Norway provide a more detailed description of the criteria for appointment as a PhD research fellow.
As an employee of USN, you must at all times adapt to changes in the field and all organisational changes that are adopted.
How to apply
If you think this position looks interesting and matches your qualifications, you can submit an application electronically by clicking on “Apply for the position” on this page. Here you will need to enter a short application text and information about your relevant education and work experience. In the application text, you must clearly describe your skills and motivation for the position.
The application must include:
- Certified diplomas for your bachelor’s and master’s degrees (120 ECTS). The diplomas must be in a Scandinavian language or English
- An explanation of the grading system for foreign education (diploma supplement if available)
- Your master’s thesis. If your master’s thesis was a collaborative project, you must submit a short statement detailing your involvement
- Other relevant certificates and diplomas
- A 2–4 page project proposal describing the doctoral project and a personal statement explaining your motivation for the position
- Documentation of your [English] language skills
- Language proficiency in English can be documented in the following ways (see above: Requirements for proficiency in English)
- List of any scholarly publications
- Contact information for up to three references
The application will be assessed based on the information available in Jobbnorge at the expiry of the application deadline. Make sure your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the competence requirements described in the job advertisement.
When assessing who is best qualified for the position, we attach weight to education, experience and personal qualities.
All documentation must be provided in a Scandinavian language or English. If the attachments exceed 30 MB in total, they must be compressed before uploading.
Please note that information about you as an applicant may be disclosed publicly even if you have requested not to be included on the public list of applicants (cf. Section 25 of the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act). You will be notified if your request for exemption from public disclosure is denied.
We only consider applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge. On request, you must be able to provide certified copies of your documentation.
Contact information
For more information about the position, please contact:
Department Head, Associate Professor Ali Ghaderi, ali.ghaderi@usn.no
Førsteamanuensis, Mequanent Mulugeta Alamnie, mequanent.m.alamnie@usn.no
For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact:
Senior Consultant, Amna Zafar, amna.zafar@usn.no
Om arbeidsgiveren:
USN er universitet nær deg. Her jobber vi sammen for å finne løsninger. For lokalsamfunnet, verden og alle oss som bor her. På våre campuser fra fjord til fjell vil du jobbe i nærheten av hjemstedet ditt på sørøst-landet. Her gjør du en meningsfull jobb blant yrende studentliv og innovative forskningsmiljøer. Du får en arbeidsplass som er tett på de store samfunnsutfordringene – og samtidig nær løsningene på dem. Et arbeid vi gyver løs på med våre aller beste virkemidler: utdanning og forskning.
Vi tilbyr profesjonsorienterte og arbeidslivsrettede utdanninger, forskning og kunnskapsformidling med høy internasjonal kvalitet. Som ansatt får fordype deg i ditt eget felt, samtidig som du har tilgang til en buffet av muligheter for utvikling og læring.Gjennom de offisielle kanalene – og gjennom et nettverk av kunnskapsrike og rause kollegaer som kan mye om mangt.
USN er resultatet av fusjoner mellom tidligere høyskoler. Høyskolen i Sørøst-Norge ble dannet 1. januar 2016 da Høyskolen i Buskerud og Vestfold fusjonerte med Høyskolen i Telemark. Høyskolen fikk universitetsstatus i 2018. Rektoren vår heter Pia Cecilie Bing-Jonsson.
Les mer om hvordan det er å jobbe på Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge.
