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.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KHQjc4ndas&t=41sAbout 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 posit