PhD Candidate in Empirical Software Engineering

The Department of Computer Science has a vacancy for a

NTNU is a broad-based university with atechnical-scientific profile and a focusin professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU 9000 employees and 43000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

As agile development scales to larger more complex organizations software engineering is being transformed by a set of intertwined changes. Continuous software engineering is converging development and operations to enable frequent releases while AI is touching every stage of the software lifecycle bringing agents that work alongside developers. Together these changes are reshaping team composition and dynamics as well as enabling shorter feedback loops while introducing new roles and requiring new skillsets.

The purpose of empirical software engineering research is to study these shifts as they unfold examining real-world practice to generate knowledge that can guide how teams and organisations build quality software. As a PhD Candidate you will carry out this work within the Software Engineering group at the Department of Computer Science one of Norways leading software engineering environments. The group works closely with industry and publishes at leading international venues.

Your immediate leader will be the head of unit.

• Develop research-based knowledge on continuous software development grounded in empirical studies.
• Carry out empirical studies in Norwegian software companies with the aim of publishing in recognised journals and conferences.
• Responsible for conducting your own studies and for taking part in project teams together with masters students.
• Contribute to teaching activities including lab sessions and supervision
• Other career-promoting work agreed with the department such as work on smaller related research projects or collaboration with organisations in the public and private sectors. Applicants who hold a position outside the university may by agreement retain part of that position as career-promoting work.

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the facultys Doctoral Programme see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Masters degree in computer science or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a masters thesis.
• You must have a strong and relevant academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Masters degree study or equivalent education which is equal to B or better compared to NTNUs 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 master English as a professional language both written and orally.
• You must attach a project outline (1500 words) to your application. It should set out your theoretical and methodological approach to the research topic together with proposed research questions.
  

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

Academically relevant background within software engineering or information systems

• Experience from the software industry
• Experience with empirical studies and scientific publishing
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language

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

• A good team player
• A good communicator
• Eager to learn
• Results-oriented
• Work independently
  

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

• 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 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 populations collective skills. Our vision isKnowledge for a better worldandour 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 ofmeasures to promote equality.

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 4 years for the doctoral work in addition to 1 year of career promotion work. (A minimum of three work years of the total term period must be dedicated to doctoral 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 be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act will not be able to be employed.

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 . 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 Bachelors and Masters degrees
• CV
• Copy of Masters thesis. If you have recently submitted your Masters thesis you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Masters 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 Bachelors and Masters 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 NTNUs social mission).

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 withcurrent 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 Joakim Klemets (Associate Professor) phoneemail:

If you have any questions about the recruitment process please contact HR at

Application deadline: 08.10..2026

For practical information aboutworking at NTNU please visit this webpage.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 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.

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

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

Department of Computer Science

We are the leading academic IT environment in Norway and offer a wide range of theoretical and applied IT programmes of study at all levels. Our subject areas include hardware algorithms visual computing AI databases software engineering information systems learning technology HCI CSCW IT operations and applied data processing. The Department has groups in both Trondheim and Gjøvik. The Department of Computer Science is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .