PhD Candidate in Multi-Robot Informative Planning for Coastal 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, 8,6000 employees and 44,000 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 Department of ICT and Natural Sciences (IIR) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Ålesund is opening a PhD position in distributed informative planning for teams of autonomous and remotely operated marine vehicles, with applications in coastal environmental monitoring.

Coastal waters and fjords change continuously. Pollutants spread, floating litter drifts with wind and currents, and water quality and biological activity vary across both space and time. A single vehicle can only observe a small part of such an environment at once. Teams of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), supported by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can cover larger areas, observe processes from several viewpoints at the same time, and respond to what they detect.

To use such teams effectively, the vehicles must build a shared and predictive picture of the environment and decide together where each of them should go next. They must do this under the real constraints of the marine environment, including limited communication, changing weather and heterogeneous vehicles.

The position is part of NTNU Ålesund’s work on ocean intelligence: collecting data about the ocean to support use cases such as monitoring of fish spawning grounds, mapping of microplastics and suspended contamination and water quality monitoring. 

The position builds on ongoing research at the department on autonomous surface vehicles, informative path planning, online mapping of spatial fields and tracking of drifting targets, which has been validated in field trials. The PhD project will extend these methods from single vehicles to cooperating teams of heterogeneous vehicles.

The research will combine theory, simulation and field experiments. Field work will be carried out in coastal waters near Ålesund with the department's fleet of USVs and UAVs.

The successful candidate will contribute to one or more of the following areas:

• Multi-robot coordination for monitoring spatially and temporally varying phenomena, such as drifting objects, pollutant plumes and evolving environmental fields, including distributed informative path and trajectory planning.
• Mobile robot sensing, mapping and active decision making for heterogeneous teams of USVs and UAVs, using methods such as model predictive control, sampling-based planning, probabilistic mapping and machine learning, under limited and intermittent communication.
• Implementation on real vehicles and validation in field experiments, including remote operation and supervision of the team

Within the scope of the project, the PhD research can be adapted to the candidate's interests and background, with emphasis on planning and control, estimation and mapping, or learning-based methods.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral training programme and successfully obtain a PhD degree.
• Conduct high-quality research within the framework described above.
• Develop, implement and test algorithms in simulation and on real vehicles.
• Plan and take part in field experiments with teams of USVs and UAVs.
• Contribute to academic publications and engage in popular science dissemination.
• Actively participate in the research group Cyber-Physical Systems Laboratory (CPS Lab).
• Engage in international academic activities, including conferences and/or research stays at partner institutions abroad.
• Take courses in relevant technical topics, comprising a minimum of 30 ECTS.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in engineering cybernetics, robotics, control engineering, marine technology, mechatronics or a closely related field. Candidates with strong backgrounds in computer science, applied mathematics or data science combined with relevant experience in robotics, optimization or machine learning will also be considered. 
• 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 may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must have good programming skills, for example in Python or C++.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral programme in Engineering Cybernetics.
• Applicants from non-English speaking countries outside Europe must present an official language test report. The acceptable tests are TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE).
• Minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL: 600 / writing 4.5 (paper-based) or 92 / writing 22 (internet-based)
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted)
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A.
     

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience with multi-agent or multi-robot systems, distributed optimization or distributed estimation
• Experience with informative path planning, model predictive control or sampling-based planning
• Experience with Gaussian processes or other probabilistic mapping methods
• Experience with ROS/ROS2, robotics simulators such as Gazebo, or GPU-accelerated computing
• Experience with field work, marine vehicles or drones
• Drone pilot certificate (EU A1/A3 or A2) and/or boat driving license for Norway
• Demonstrated research ability, e.g. through publications, thesis work, technical reports or open-source contributions.
• Relevant industry or applied research experience.

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently and in a structured way, as well as collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team
• Communicate effectively and present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed
   

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
• 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. 

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be 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, with the possibility of up to 12 months additional employment related to career-enhancing activities.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Engineering Cybernetics within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout 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 bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

The research activity may lead to using sensitive information or insights into critical infrastructure that is subject to specific security restrictions. Restrictions could also include obtaining a formal security clearance according to the Norwegian Security Act. Non-Norwegian citizens can be granted clearance. However, candidates from non-EEA or non-NATO countries cannot expect to obtain a security clearance.

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:

• CV and certificates.
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
• 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.
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page).
• 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).
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work.
• Names and contact information of three 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 Associate Professor Erlend Magnus Lervik Coates (erlend.coates@ntnu.no). 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Silje Storbråten Kjersem (silje.s.kjersem@ntnu.no).
 

Application deadline: 30.11.2026

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

Ålesund, known for its unique Art Nouveau architecture and spectacular nature, is a gem on Norway's west coast. The city offers a vibrant cultural life, modern facilities, and a dynamic business environment. With its strategic location by the sea, Ålesund provides a perfect balance between urban living and natural experiences. Here, you will find excellent schools, top-notch healthcare services, and a wide range of recreational activities. Ålesund is an ideal place for both career and family life, with a safe and inclusive community.