PhD Candidate in AI for ship traffic monitoring

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.

About the position

The PhD research project is part of the new Norwegian Maritime AI Centre, led by NTNU. 

Digitalization and AI are transforming society at an unprecedented pace. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the maritime industry is not just a trend but a shift that is redefining the future. The maritime industry is now embracing AI with great enthusiasm, and the mission of the Norwegian Maritime AI Center is therefore to accelerate operationalization of AI in the maritime value chains. 

The objective of the research is to use machine learning methods to find models of ship trajectories and traffic patterns that can be used to detect anomalies and predict into the future. The basis for this is huge amounts of historical data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) that is mandatory on larger ships, as well at other data sources such as weather, navigation charts and databases over ships, cargo, harbors etc. Large and deep AI models can be built using these data sets and machine learning, which can be combined with real-time satellite-based AIS data and sensors such as radar and algorithms for anomaly detection, risk analysis and autonomous navigation. The resulting AI-based agents and systems can support maritime situational awareness, security, safety and logistics. The PhD candidate will interact with other PhD candidates, researchers, companies and governmental agencies in the center. Together you will pursue different applications and explore different AI methodologies.

The PhD candidate will be supervised by Professor Tor Arne Johansen. 

About the Norwegian Maritimie AI Centre

The center shall position the maritime sector for accelerated and successful use of AI. The demand for safe and sustainable maritime activities, as well as the shortage of crew and engineers, are key drivers for change in the maritime sector. At the same time, there is a pull for growth, increased efficiency and profitability, while managing volatility in the markets. Moreover, the sector is critically important for global supply chains and security in a tense geopolitical situation. To demonstrate and prototype maritime AI solutions, the center will address a diverse and impactful set of use cases: Logistics, shipping and business transactions; Ship design and construction; Voyage planning and optimization; Condition monitoring and maintenance; Crew training; Maritime traffic and ship surveillance; Decarbonization and energy management; Autonomous ships and remote control. 

The research partners are the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), University of Oslo, Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, Norwegian Mapping Authority, MET and SINTEF Nordvest. There are about 30 user partners from the maritime sector, in addition to hundreds of members of the Maritime Forum, Blue Maritime, Ocean Autonomy, and Maritime CleanTech clusters. The center will be a hub, orchestrating the interfaces with research partners and user partners to facilitate collaboration, knowledge creation, dissemination, innovation, and sharing of knowledge. The Norwegian Maritime AI Center is funded by the Research Council of Norway and the partners for the period 2026-2030. There will be approximately 25 doctoral scholarships and some postdoc positions. More information can be found here: https://www.ntnu.edu/mai

Duties of the position

• Complete 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 the Norwegian Maritime AI Centre activities
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and possibly research stays with partners in the center 
• Other career-promoting work such as teaching or research infrastructure development can be discussed and agreed if there is mutual interest 

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background such as engineering cybernetics, control engineering, machine learning, statistics, informatics, mechanical engineering, or maritime technology. 
• You must have a Master's degree in engineering, informatics, 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 in their final year are welcome to apply. The master degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position, and no later than 06.09.2027. 
• You must have strong academic results 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 faculty's Doctoral Program
• The person hired must be eligible for security clearance at level CONFIDENTIAL in Norway. https://lovdata.no/dokument/NLE/lov/2018-06-01-24/KAPITTEL_8#KAPITTEL_8
• If your native language is not English or Scandinavian, you need to have documentation of your English language skills, e.g. TOEFL. 

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Documented knowledge and experience with machine learning or other relevant AI
• Documented knowledge in maritime situational awareness, ship dynamics and ship surveillance sensors and systems
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian language

Personal characteristics

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

• Work in interdisciplinary teams with researchers, industry and government.
• Motivated to work with security, defense and response
• Work independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• 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)

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 from NOK 580 000,-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 program in Engineering Cybernetics within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme through out 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 be in 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:(decide on what must be included - remove what does not fit):

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• CV 
• Copy of Master's thesis, if available. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Short letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly relevant certificates
• Names and contact information of minimum two 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 Tor Arne Johansen, tor.arne.johansen@ntnu.no.  If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Berit dahl, email berit.dahl@ntnu.no. 

Application deadline: 02.11.2026.

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.