This is NTNU
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.
Video:
https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0About the position
Field Robotics focuses on developing resilient robotic systems able to perform operations in diverse and highly dynamic environments and it has applications across many industries (e.g., oil and gas, offshore platforms, wind turbines, fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, manufacturing, energy sector). These systems should be capable of autonomously navigating, exploring, mapping and performing inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) operations more robustly and for longer periods in unknown and complex terrains. To enable this vision, this position targets generalizable, learning-based frameworks for dexterous robotic manipulation that are robust to environmental variability and transferable across diverse underwater robotic platforms. As a PhD in this position, your task will be to acquire new fundamental knowledge and develop key technologies for fully autonomous underwater vehicle manipulator system (UVMS) by investigating methods for Imitation Learning (IL) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) to acquire manipulation skills and conduct dexterous grasping. PhD candidate will explore the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to guide task understanding, planning, and cross-domain knowledge transfer between robot types and manipulation scenarios by considering important challenges which include interaction and perception modalities and control methods to increase robustness across diverse robot configurations with the overall goal to realize intelligent robotic systems to operate safely, reliably, and efficiently in complex, real-work scenarios. Access to infrastructures/facilities and several robotic systems from NTNU will be provided for lab and field demonstrations.
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.
The research will be conducted at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering of NTNU. The PhD candidate will be supervised by Eleni Kelasidi, head of the Field Robotics Lab, and your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department. The position is part of the recently funded Norwegian Center for Embodied AI.
Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.
About the project
Join a nation-wide team: The Norwegian Centre for Embodied AI (NCEI), one of Norway’s six national AI centers, is recruiting outstanding researchers to advance a universal science of embodied intelligence. NCEI brings together leading robotics and AI groups with key partners from industry and the public sector to study how intelligence emerges from the interaction between body, computation, and environment, across flying, ground, and aquatic robot configurations. Our mission is to chart a generalizable path for physical AI and transform how robot morphology and autonomy are co-designed, enabling new generations of systems tailored to their operational environments and missions. Successful candidates will join an international community with world-class facilities and strong collaborations across Norwegian universities, research institutes, industry, public agencies, and leading global institutions. We welcome motivated applicants in robotics, control, AI, machine learning, physics, and related fields, including early-stage researchers eager to contribute to this emerging scientific frontier.
Duties of the position
- Fundamental contributions in generalizable methods for robust underwater manipulation
- Experimental deployments and field evaluation of the conducted research
- Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
- Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
- Academic publications and popular science dissemination
- Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
- Collaborate with other researchers within the department, and across departments at NTNU
- Supervise master’s thesis students related to the project
Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.
Required selection criteria
- You must have a relevant Master's degree in robotics, control engineering (cybernetics) 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 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 maybe 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
- Excellent English skills (written and oral)
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
- Knowledge and skills in the following areas: Robotics, computer science, computer vision, machine learning, state estimation, perception, sensor fusion, autonomous systems, navigation and control
- Deep foundation in modern machine learning
- Solid programming skills in C++ and Python. Experience with ROS is a plus
- Extensive hands-on/practical experience on developing, implementing and/or testing robotic systems
Personal characteristics
To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to:
- Be scientifically curious and open to new research challenges
- Demonstrate independence and persistence in addressing technical problems
- Be flexible and reliable, with ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team by keeping an open, honest and professional interaction with the colleagues at NTNU
- Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
- Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed
Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.
We offer
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.
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 [subject area] (link to possible website)within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme through out 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 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 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
- CV (including list of publications and relevant former positions)
- 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.
- Project outline containing proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages)
- A motivation letter (1-2 pages), indicating how the applicant envisages her/his contribution within the domain of the position
- Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
- Possibly certificates
- Names and contact information of minimum 2 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 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 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 Eleni Kelasidi, +4745185796, eleni.kelasidi@ntnu.no.
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Senior Consultant Hedda Winnberg, hedda.winnberg@ntnu.no.
Application deadline: 30.04.2026
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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.
Om arbeidsgiveren:
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 Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
We educate graduates who can create new products, operate and maintain products, and manage projects. The Department has a variety of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. We conduct wide-ranging research in fields such as technology, energy, product quality and development, and productivity. The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.
