PhD Candidate for Developing Efficient Search Engines

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://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0

About the position

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

We have a vacancy for a PhD Candidate in Databases and Search group for developing efficient search engines at the Department of Computer Science. 

The position is funded by Department of Computer Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The department is an active and dynamic environment for cutting edge research in all areas of computer science ranging from artificial intelligence to theoretical computer science. The department also hosts several high impact research groups that cover competencies relevant to the Norwegian industry such as the NorwAI and OpenAI laboratories. 

The topic of the doctoral research will on development of efficient and scalable search engines. This entails design of new retrieval models, efficient query processing, and use of modern hardware capabilities. Key skills that we are looking in the candidate are: excellent programming skills (preferably in Java, C++, or C), and good understanding of efficient data processing.

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 the Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence unit.

Duties of the position

• Academic publications in top-tier conferences such as SIGIR, SIGMOD, VLDB, and TheWebConf.
• Participate in the research group activities of Databases and Search..
• Assisting the primary supervisor in teaching assistantship duties related to Databases, Data Mining, and Information Retrieval.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the IE faculty's Doctoral Programme (https://www.ntnu.edu/ie/research/phd/), see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in Computer Science and Mathematics, 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 01-Jan-2027.
• 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.
• You must have a professionally relevant background in the area of Computer Science. Excellent programming skills are required. In addition to this, research oriented Master thesis in databases, information retrieval, data mining, or algorithms is expected.
• Excellent written and oral English language skills are required.
   

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian equivalent level or acquire them during the course of the doctoral programme.

Personal characteristics

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

• Demonstrate creative problem solving skills and is able work independently. 
• Is highly motivated to publish in top academic conferences and journals in the area of Databases and Information Retrieval.
• Is keen on pursuing an research and an academic career.
   

Strong 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)
• 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 the doctoral work, or 4 years including 1 year of career promotion work.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Computer Science 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 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, e.g., scientific publications or thesis) 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: 

• All transcripts, diplomas and supplements for Bachelor's and Master's degrees must be provided. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English.
• 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 Dhruv Gupta email: [email protected] . 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR, e-mail: [email protected] 
 

Application deadline: 02.10.2026

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.