Research Assistant – to model the impact of plastic pollution on the marine ecosystem

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus on 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.

About the position

The ERC starting grant project ATLANTIS is developing models to quantify the impacts of plastic pollution and invasive species on marine species diversity and marine ecosystem services. These are topics of utmost emerging relevance and developing models to quantify these impacts represents therefore cutting-edge research. We have developed global, spatially-differentiated life cycle impact assessment models for species losses from entanglement and ingestion.

We now seek to fortify our team with a research assistant to model the transport from land-based plastic to the ocean as part of the fate model.

IndEcol is a pioneer in the development and application of industrial ecology methods, as well as the use of large data sets and scientific computing in industrial ecology. We focus on understanding resource use and environmental pollution associated with human activities, assessing the environmental aspects of different technologies and modeling society’s use of materials. IndEcol combines world-class competence in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Input-Output analysis (I/O), and Material Flow Analysis (MFA) with scientists’ contribution to IPCC and IPBES assessment reports, the International Resource Panel, active participation to the Life-Cycle Initiative hosted by UN Environment, and numerous publications featured in high-ranked journals. IndEcol hosts its own International MSc program and contributes to NTNU’s engineering education. The research team consisting of eight faculty members, the Industrial Ecology Digital Laboratory, and about 70 researchers, Postdoctoral Fellows and PhD students. More information can be found here.

Your immediate leader is Professor Francesca Verones. Dr. Martin Dorber is co-supervisor of the research assistant.

Duties of the position

• Designing and setting up models for quantifying the fate of marine plastics
• Application of the model in case studies
• Dissemination of results in scholarly journals, at international conferences and for the general public

Required selection criteria

The position as Research Assistant should give you the opportunity to gain insight into scientific or artistic work and method. The assignments are at an academic level and must consist of scientific or artistic assistance.

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.

• You must have a professionally relevant background in in industrial ecology, environmental science/engineering or similar. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in other disciplines will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In particular we are also open for applicants with a social or natural science master’s with strong computational or statistical competence.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master’s level.
• Master’s students can apply, but the master’s degree must be obtained and documented by the starting date.
• Motivation to get proficient in Python and to learn basics of R/MatLab.
• Interest in sustainability science and strong incentive to learn Industrial Ecology methods like LCA analysis.
• Proven analytical and computational capabilities, in courses and or/thesis deliverables.
• Proven written and oral English communication skills.

Preferred selection criteria

• Completed courses in life cycle assessment and life cycle impact assessment
• Experience in geographical information systems (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS or within Python, R)
• Documented competence in using the Python scientific computing stack (Numpy, Pandas, Jupyter Notebooks) or of another programming language used for environmental data analysis
• Experience with data visualization

Personal characteristics

• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicated
• Motivated to solve environmental problems and advance sustainability
• Ambitious and goal-oriented
• Team player
• Excellent communication skills

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

Research assistants 1020 are remunerated at gross NOK 448 900 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority.

The duration for the position is up to 17 months.

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.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

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.

The application must include:

• CV, certificates and diplomas
• Academic works – published or unpublished – that you would like to be considered in the assessment
• In addition to the cover letter, a document outlining your motivation for the position and how you meet the required/preferred criteria for the position
• Name and address of three 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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. EPT has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows, Research Assistants and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the careers of female PhD Candidates, Postdocs and Research Assistants, and is also made visible to our student body to encourage them to consider an academic path. As part of the EPT Women in Science initiative we are building an international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events.

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.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself 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 reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Francesca Verones, email francesca.verones@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant Renate Fjellheim, e-mail: renate.fjellheim@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

Application deadline: 29.10.2023

Further information

This position is funded by the European Union. EU Grant Agreement Number: 850717

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 Energy and Process Engineering

We conduct research and teaching covering the entire energy chain, from resources to the end-user. We look at how energy is produced and used by humans and machines in a sustainable way with regard to health, climate change and the resource base. The Department of Energy and Process Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Questions about the position

Francesca Verones
Professor
francesca.verones@ntnu.no

Renate Fjellheim
HR
renate.fjellheim@ntnu.no