PhD Candidate in Societal readiness for AI-supported Life Cycle Assessment of buildings

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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

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.

A PhD position in Societal readiness for AI-supported life cycle assessment in the architecture, engineering, and construction sectors is now open at the Energy and Environment Group at the Department of Architecture and Technology, NTNU. The Energy and Environment Group lead centres/projects like the Research centre on zero emission neighbourhoods in smart cities (ZEN), syn.ikia – Sustainable plus energy neighbourhoods, and the Green Deal ARV project on Climate positive circular communities. We use real demonstration projects and our laboratory facilities (like the ZEB laboratory) extensively in our research. The group currently comprises 10 senior staff members (professors and associate professors), and around 20 research fellows (research assistants, PhD candidates, and post-doctoral researchers). The duration of the position is 3 years.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

Life Cycle Assessment is a key instrument for environmental governance in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. At the same time, new artificial intelligence (AI) based tools are beginning to automate central parts of the LCA-based design practice. This includes data gathering, model construction, scenario generation, results interpretation, and decision support. This development may increase speed and usability, especially in early-stage design, but it also raises important questions about transparency, methodological integrity, accountability, professional judgement, and institutional preparedness. 

This PhD project will examine the societal readiness of the architecture, engineering, and construction sectors for AI-supported environmental assessments. The use of AI-supported LCA tools will be studied through case applications, including usage of machine-learning approaches, large language models, and automated workflows. The project will analyze how such tools reshape trust, responsibility, accountability, and professional judgement in environmental decision-making, by adopting a mixed-method approach.

The project will be carried out at the Department of Architecture and Technology at NTNU, in cooperation with SINTEF Industry, department of Manufacturing and NTNU Social Research.

The immediate leader is head of department. The place of duty is Trondheim.

Duties of the position

• Carry out research of high quality on AI-assisted LCA in-light of applied use, environmental governance challenges, and societal readiness.
• Publishing in high-quality peer reviewed journals and popular science dissemination.
• Participate in the Energy and Environment research group at the Department of Architecture and Technology.
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions.
• Complete academic training consisting of coursework corresponding to a minimum of 30 ECTS
• Career-enhancing work, which is in addition to the research project and doctoral education, may be offered to a candidate who demonstrates clear motivation and ability for such work, and if the Department determines there is a need. Examples of career-enhancing work include, but are not limited to, contributing to teaching, laboratory and exercise teaching, supervision, and examination work within the employee's areas of competence. Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the doctoral program in architecture, see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in Architecture, Industrial Ecology, Science and Technology studies, Computer Science, or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis
• Master students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than November 1st, 2026.
• You must have a strong and relevant 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 academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• Excellent written and oral English language skills.
• Strong analytical skills and capabilities, proven through courses and/or thesis deliverables.
• Motivation to work on the selected topic.

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Competence in Life Cycle Assessment and/or other environmental sustainability analysis methods.
• Previous relevant experience with use of Artificial Intelligence (e.g., large language models, machine learning, etc.), especially for Life Cycle Assessment or carbon accounting.
• Good programming skills in one or several languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R, etc.).
• Previous experience with relevant concepts from Science and Technology studies (such as co-production) will be seen in a positive light.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian language(s).

Personal characteristics

• Strongly motivated to work on the topic.
• The successful candidate will become part of a multidisciplinary research environment. The candidate is expected to embrace this setting and be a true team player.
• Self-driven with a strong ability to work independently and maintain good structure and discipline in their work. 
• Demonstrated integrity and a strong sense of responsibility in their research conduct.

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

Evaluate and remove/add what is relevant for the position.

• 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)
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2).

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.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Architecture 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 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 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:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• CV 
• 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)
• A 1-2 page sketch summarizing how the candidates background and research ambitions match the requirements of the position.
• The list of publications or other relevant research work if applies.
• Any other relevant certificates or documentation providing evidence of relevant professional training, if appliable.
• 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 Jan Sandstad Næss (email: jan.s.nass@ntnu.no). If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor Natalia Swahn (email: Natalia.swahn@ntnu.no).

Application deadline: 17.11.2026

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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.