PhD Candidate in Trustworthy Agentic Artificial Intelligence

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

Would you like to work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, autonomy and maritime technology, contributing to AI systems that are safe, transparent and accountable? The Department of ICT and Natural Sciences at NTNU in Ålesund has a vacancy for a PhD Candidate in trustworthy agentic artificial intelligence. The PhD research project is part of the new Norwegian Maritime AI Center, led by NTNU.

Agentic AI systems are moving rapidly from research prototypes into real-world applications. In safety-critical domains such as maritime operations, their adoption depends on whether their behaviour and decisions can be understood, verified, constrained, and audited. This is particularly challenging when using closed, proprietary models, where model weights, training data, and internal representations are inaccessible.

The PhD project will therefore investigate how trustworthy agentic AI systems can be developed using open-weight models. Access to model weights enables the candidate to inspect and adapt the models, investigate their internal representations, apply interpretability and verification methods, fine-tune and align them for specific operational domains, and deploy them locally under full control of sensitive operational data.

A central maritime use case will be condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of ships and maritime systems. Modern vessels generate large amounts of heterogeneous operational data from sensors, machinery, control systems, maintenance records, and other sources. The candidate will investigate how agentic AI can autonomously interact with such data and relevant engineering tools to identify abnormal behaviour, reason about possible faults, assess equipment condition, and support maintenance decisions. For example, an AI agent could combine sensor measurements and historical maintenance information, invoke diagnostic or predictive models, identify evidence of component degradation, and recommend appropriate maintenance actions.

The position offers the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in trustworthy and agentic AI within a growing AI research environment, with access to relevant maritime expertise, data, and use cases and strong links to the Norwegian maritime industry.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

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: Norwegian Maritime AI Center.

Duties of the position

• Conduct research on trustworthy agentic AI built on open-weight foundation models, including agent architectures, reasoning, planning and tool use, and the efficient adaptation of open models for locally deployed, domain-specific use.
• Develop and evaluate methods that make agent behaviour reliable and accountable, such as uncertainty quantification, interpretability, alignment, monitoring and human oversight, taking into account relevant standards and regulation, including the EU AI Act.
• Validate the developed methods on realistic case studies in maritime and other safety-relevant applications, in collaboration with the Maritime AI Center and industry partners.
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above, including academic publications and popular science dissemination.
• Participate in the research group Cyber-Physical Systems Laboratory (CPS Lab) and Norwegian Maritime AI Centre activities.
• Take courses in relevant technical topics, comprising a minimum of 30 ECTS.
  

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant Master's degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, engineering cybernetics, applied mathematics, electrical engineering, 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 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 programme in Engineering Cybernetics.
• Strong programming skills, in particular Python, and practical experience with modern machine learning frameworks.
• 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 agentic AI systems, LLM-based agents, tool use, planning, or multi-agent systems.
• Knowledge of trustworthy AI topics such as interpretability, explainability, uncertainty quantification, robustness, formal verification, safety, privacy or AI governance and regulation.
• Familiarity with maritime, autonomous systems, or other safety-critical application domains.
• 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
• 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 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 the doctoral work.

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 place of service is NTNU in Ålesund.

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 be in 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:

• 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).
• 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 Professor Agus Hasan, telephone +47 934 61 014, email [email protected].

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Gunn-Helen Hellevik, [email protected].

Application deadline: 31.10.2026

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.

Om arbeidsgiveren:

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The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of ICT and Natural Sciences

Our campus in Ålesund works in a partnership with industry that is in a class of its own among Norwegian universities. This ensures a practical focus for our study programmes, while they are firmly anchored in modern theory. The Department offers programmes in automation engineering, computer engineering, electric power systems, simulation and visualization. Our research areas include autonomous vessels, robotics, cybernetics, medical technology and health informatics, and artificial intelligence. The Department of ICT and Natural Sciences is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .