Associate Professor in Software Engineering for Intelligent Interactive Systems

This is NTNU NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus on professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim. At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 44,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWHqR5i1FHEAbout the position The Department of Computer Science at NTNU Gjøvik campus is looking for a candidate for an Associate Professor position in Software Engineering for Intelligent Interactive Systems. The position focuses on advancing research and education in the engineering of intelligent systems designed to perceive, reason, and interact with humans in natural, trustworthy, and socially meaningful ways.

The successful candidate will be affiliated with the Educational Technology Laboratory and will strengthen its research activities, including work on Social Robots, which will be the primary research home for this position. The lab investigates the design, development, and deployment of socially intelligent systems that interact with humans in natural, trustworthy, and beneficial ways. Its research spans responsible and trustworthy human–robot interaction, multimodal perception that combines natural language processing and computer vision, assistive technologies for active ageing and workplace well-being, and the conditions for responsible AI deployment in care and community settings. The new hire is expected to lead and grow the lab's social robotics research strand, contribute to its international collaboration network and strengthen the department's software engineering research profile in AI-enabled application development. Your immediate leader is the head of the Intelligent Systems and Analytics unit.

Duties of the position The candidate is expected to: • Play a leading role in research and research-based education in software engineering, with a specialization within intelligent interactive systems. This includes securing highly competitive research funding, such as ERC and FRIPRO grants. • Take part in the department's research strategy, including shaping the future the direction of intelligent interactive systems, with emphasis on responsible and trustworthy human–robot interaction, the integration of AI/ML components into socially deployed systems, transparency and accountability in AI-driven interactive behavior, and software engineering practice for real-world robotic applications. • Contribute to the department's educational profile and an excellent learning environment in collaboration with colleagues, students and external stakeholders. • Deliver high-quality teaching at undergraduate, graduate and PhD levels, primarily in software engineering, full-stack development, and programming. • Supervise and mentor BSc students, MSc students, PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows. • Engage in applications for external funding, e.g. from the Research Council of Norway, European research and educational agencies, the industry sector and other available sources. • Engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation activities. • Communicate relevant parts of their research through public outreach, industry engagement, and dissemination activities. • Participate in the management of research, education and other relevant academic activities in agreement with the Head of Department.

Required qualification criteria You must have the following qualifications required for the position of associate professor: • The candidate must have a PhD in computer science, or a related field. • The candidate must document a relevant research track record (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, active collaborations, and evidence of research independence) in software engineering with a focus on the design and construction of intelligent interactive systems. • The candidate must demonstrate strong programming skills and experience. • The candidate should demonstrate excellent teaching skills and the ability to teach and develop courses across bachelor and master programmes, and contribute, where needed, to foundational computer science courses (e.g., software engineering, full-stack development, programming). The candidate must document relevant basic competence in teaching and supervision at a university/higher education-level, as referenced in the NTNUs guidelines for academic positions. If this cannot be documented, you will be required to complete an approved course in university pedagogy within two years of commencement. NTNU offers qualifying courses. New employees who do not speak a Scandinavian language by appointment is required, within three years, to demonstrate skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level three of the course for Norwegian for speakers of other languages at the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU.

Preferred qualifications • Research experience in the field of social robotics with responsible and trustworthy AI-human-robot interaction. • Have experience in developing specialized platform applications, such as social robotic applications, using relevant frameworks and tools. • Familiarity with software architecture patterns appropriate to intelligent interactive systems. • Experience integrating AI or ML components into interactive systems for purposes such as multimodal perception, natural language processing and dialogue management, emotion or intent recognition, or behavior and decision-making. • Familiarity with frameworks and ecosystems (e.g., Robot Operating System) relevant to intelligent interactive systems. • Experience with more than one programming language relevant to the design and implementation of intelligent interactive systems. • Experience in teaching software engineering, web development, or AI/ML courses. • Experience in interdisciplinary collaboration with industry or public-sector partners.

Personal qualities • Enthusiastic: Has the drive to take the extra step to include all students and maintain a good dialogue with them. • Willing to learn: Will develop excellent competence over the duration of employment and will learn from experience and feedback from others. • Team player: Will work excellently together with colleagues, students and external stakeholders. • Communication: The successful candidate will be able to relay information with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing, and solve any challenges that may appear using transparency and honesty. • Taking initiative: The successful candidate will seek out new opportunities at work, initiate activities and projects by working independently. Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer • Exciting and challenging tasks in a strong international academic environment • An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues • Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund • Employee benefits

Application Process You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here. Video: https://youtu.be/bwfNPj8HxHwSalary and conditions As an Associate Professor (code 1011), you are normally paid from gross NOK 690.000 – 885.000 NOK per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. As required by law, 2% of this salary will be deducted and paid into the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work. For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a dail