PhD Candidate in Sea-Ice Physics and Modelling

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Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0 About the position

We invite applications for a PhD position in sea-ice dynamics and numerical modelling, funded through Arctic Ocean 2050 — Norway’s national, decade-long flagship program for Arctic Ocean research. The PhD project will advance discrete element modelling (DEM) approaches for sea ice, with a focus on ridging processes and wave–ice interaction in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ), while also addressing computational efficiency and scalability.

The research will primarily build on and extend the SAMS (Simulation of Arctic Marine Systems) framework, using it as a platform for developing new sea-ice physics and modelling strategies relevant for next-generation Arctic prediction, monitoring, and decision-support systems.

The successful candidate will join a strong interdisciplinary research environment, gain access to advanced modelling tools and national computing infrastructure, and contribute to a high-impact research programme with strong relevance for Arctic decision support.

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.

Your immediate leader will be a professor.

About the project

Rapid Arctic warming is driving profound changes in sea-ice extent, thickness, and mechanical behavior, with wide-ranging implications for climate feedbacks, ecosystems, infrastructure, navigation, and geopolitics. Despite major advances, large-scale continuum sea-ice models still rely on simplified parameterizations to represent critical sub-grid physical processes such as ridging, floe interaction, jamming, and wave-induced breakup.

Discrete Element Models (DEMs) offer a powerful complementary framework by explicitly resolving ice floes and their mechanical interactions. By allowing deformation, fracture, and redistribution processes to emerge naturally from contact mechanics, DEMs provide a physically grounded basis for improving our understanding of sea-ice dynamics and informing more realistic parameterizations in continuum models.

The overarching ambition of this PhD study is to advance DEM-based sea-ice physics in a way that bridges floe-scale mechanics, continuum sea-ice model parameterization, and operational decision support.

• Develop physically consistent representations of ice ridging within a DEM framework, enabling simulation of ice compression, mass redistribution, and ridge keel formation.
• Incorporate wave–ice interaction processes, with emphasis on wave-induced floe motion, breakup, and rearrangement in the Marginal Ice Zone.
• Derive emergent sea-ice properties (e.g. effective strength, deformation rates, floe-size distributions) and translate these into improved parameterizations for continuum sea-ice models used in climate and forecasting systems.
• Improve computational efficiency and scalability of DEM-based simulations through algorithmic optimization, hierarchical or multi-resolution approaches, and/or reduced-order methods.
• Apply the developed modelling framework to assess mechanical ice hazards relevant for navigation, infrastructure, and Arctic observing systems.

This PhD position is an integral contribution to Arctic Ocean 2050, supporting the program’s ambition to deliver scientifically robust, scalable modelling tools for a rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.

The project is particularly aligned with Research Theme 5 (RT5: Advances in Observing and Modelling), where it contributes to the development of a hierarchical, physics-based modelling framework that links global and regional continuum models with high-resolution, process-resolving simulations. By advancing SAMS as a discrete element modelling platform, the project will provide physically grounded data to improve continuum sea-ice parameterizations, support machine-learning-based model emulators, and enhance the realism of Arctic digital twins.

In addition, the project supports RT2 (The Changing Arctic Ocean) by improving representation of sea-ice deformation, ridging, and MIZ dynamics; RT4 (Abrupt and Extreme Events) by enabling mechanistic studies of storm-driven breakup and nonlinear ice responses; and RT3 (Human Impact and Sustainable Use) by delivering tools for ice-related risk assessment relevant to shipping, offshore infrastructure, and monitoring operations.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out high-quality research on DEM-based sea-ice modelling
• Develop models for ridging, wave-ice interaction, and flow dynamics
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Contribute to development of parameterizations for continuum models
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Participate in the research group Marine Civil Engineering

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in engineering, physics, applied mathematics, geophysics, oceanography, 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
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English
• Experience with scientific programming

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 for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Knowledge of sea-ice physics, wave-ice interactions, or Arctic processes
• Experience with numerical modelling
• Experience with high-performance computing
• Interest in interdisciplinary research
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Demonstrate strong communication skills

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 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 Civil and Environmental Engineering 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).

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.
• 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)
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates
• 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 Professor Raed Lubbad, telephone +47 73 59 45 83, e-mail: raed.lubbad@ntnu.no .

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Oda Aune, e-mail: oda.aune@ntnu.no .

Application deadline: 23.08.2026

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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.

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