PhD Research Fellow in Computational Thermal Physics of Human Body

With about 16,000 students, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest higher education institutions in Norway. A broad range of academic programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels, spread out on five campuses in Førde, Sogndal, Bergen, Stord and Haugesund.

Our ambition is to build stronger and more solid academic and research environments that will interact nationally and internationally. The aim is to become a recognised actor on the international higher education arena. Increased international cooperation and engagement in externally funded projects will work towards this goal.

The Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences has approximately 500 employees and approximately 5500 students. The faculty has a broad educational offer at both bachelor's and master's level in engineering, technology, environmental and natural science, economics and administration, social sciences and humanities in addition to maritime education. Three PhD programmes are offered at the faculty: in Computer Science (Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing), in Nautical Operations and in Responsible Innovation and Regional Development. The Mohn Centre for Innovation and Regional Development researches innovation and offers master's education in innovation and entrepreneurship. The diving education offers a one-year vocational education.

The faculty's main activities are located in Haugesund, Bergen, Sogndal and Førde.

The faculty's activities are internationally based and take place in close collaboration with regional companies, clusters, health trusts and the public sector, including other institutions in the university and college sector. This applies to research, development, innovation and not least education with student projects at all levels.

 

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Maritime Studies has 88 employees. More than 70% of the academic staff within the engineering section of the department are qualified at doctoral level, of which 7 are professors. The department has about 850 students and educates at both bachelor and master level. There are 7 educational programmes offered at bachelor level (Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Energy Technology, Ocean Technology, Sustainable Industrial Engineering and Circular Economy, Maritime Management and Nautical Science) and 3 at master's level (Sustainable Energy Technology, Maritime Operations, and, in cooperation with the University of Bergen, Ocean Technology). R&D work in energy, materials, ocean marine technology is conducted at the department. 

The department has modern laboratories with, amongst other things, the MarinLab facility on campus Bergen for testing boats and offshore structures. The department’s Centre for Safety at Sea is located on campus Haugesund. Great emphasis is placed on developing the content of our study programmes in close collaboration with the public and private business community, and other stakeholders, which are employers of our engineers.

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Science has a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in Computational Thermal Physics of Human Body 

A fully funded three-year PhD position in engineering computing is available at the Department of Mechanical and Maritime Studies, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL). The position is part of the research project ThermRisk: A Personalized Digital Human Model for Predictive Thermal Risk Assessment. The PhD candidate will be responsible for developing a computational thermal model of the human body for the prediction of thermal risks in extreme thermal environments. The PhD candidate will enroll in the PhD programme in Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing. 

Start date: 01.01.2027 (can be altered by agreement) 

Duration: 3 years. 

Work location: campus Bergen. 

About the PhD project/ work tasks: 

• Develop an accurate thermal model of a human body accounting for bio-physical heat- and mass transport phenomena, and within a realistic geometry of the process. 

• Complement collaborative experiments with numerical in-sights into expected thermal fields in the body and the surroundings. 

• Validate the model against experimental data produced within ThermRisk. 

• Develop a simplified workflow for the prediction of thermal risks for a given individual. 

• The candidate is expected to publish scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. A minimum of three first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals is required to be eligible to submit the PhD thesis. 

• As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved PhD programme within a period of three years. The successful candidate will be enrolled in the PhD programme in Computer Science, and must meet the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Admission to the PhD programme must be secured within two months of commencing the position. Employment is conditional on meeting the requirements for enrolment. 

Qualifications: 

Required: 

• Master's degree with a strong component of applied computer science (or equivalent) with special focus on computational thermal physics/computational fluid dynamics, with a strong academic record (minimum B average or better). Candidates who have submitted their thesis and will complete the final examination before the interview may apply. In such cases, the application must include a draft version of the Master thesis and an official transcript of completed coursework. 

• Knowledge of any of the following computational packages OpenFoam, Elmer, STAR-CCM+ or similar. 

• Strong written and spoken English skills. 

Desired: 

• Background in bioheat transfer or human thermoregulation. 

• Knowledge of methods for CAD geometry repair/healing. 

• Good knowledge of software engineering or solid programming skills. 

• Basic background in Machine Learning. 

• A record of scientific publications is considered beneficial.  

Personal Qualities: 

• Strong collaboration and communication skills. 

• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and contribute innovative ideas. 

• High level of professional commitment, a structured working style, and strong execution skills. 

• Motivation to defend the doctoral thesis in 3 years. 

Application procedure: 

Applications will be evaluated by an expert panel of three members. 

Applicants are asked to submit their application and CV online. Please use the link “Apply for this job” (“Søk stillingen”). 

The following documentation should be uploaded as an attachment to the online application: 

• Cover letter detailing your motivation and a summary of research experience from your Master's studies 

• Master's thesis 

• Academic transcripts and degree certificates 

• Contact details for 2–3 referees 

• Published scientific articles and conference abstracts (if any) 

Applicants should indicate which publications or parts of publications should be given special consideration in the evaluation. If the documents submitted are not in a Scandinavian language or in English, the applicants must submit certified translations of these. The transcripts must specify the topics, the course works, and the grades at the bachelor`s and master`s degree levels.  

Applicants with a degree from a country other than Norway, need to attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcripts of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, in addition to the original documents, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant encloses a recognition document showing that their degree is equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD. You can read more about applying for recognition of foreign higher education here. 

The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) offers an automatic recognition document for certain degrees from selected countries. If the applicant’s degree is covered by the automatic recognition, it will be sufficient to attach this document. Read more about automatic recognition here. 

As the HK-dir application process may take some time it is recommended to apply to HK-dir as soon as possible. If you have not received a recognition document from HK- dir within the  application deadline, please enclose documentation from HK-dir showing that they have received your application. 

Applicants should note that the evaluation will be based on the documentation submitted electronically via Jobbnorge within the submission deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date. It is of utmost importance that all publications to be considered in the evaluation are uploaded as an attachment with the application, since these are sent electronically to the expert panel. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at the college. 

Salary: 

• Good occupational pension, insurance and loan schemes from The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 

• Exciting academic environment with the possibility of competence enhancement and development 

• Opportunities for training within the working hours  

The Research Fellow position is compensated according to position code 1017 Research Fellow. 

There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no for more information). The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time. 

General information: 

The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte)". Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected. 

State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Bergen has therefore adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that we achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons of various ethnic backgrounds. 

Information about the applicant may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected. 

Short-listed applicants will be called in for an interview. 

Employed on condition that you are granted a work and residence permit (must be considered individually). 

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is subjected to The Export Control Regulation. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.  

Inclusion, challenging norms, collaboration 

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Questions about the position 

• Nils Ottar Antonsen  (Assisterende instituttleder), +47 55 58 75 75, nils.ottar.antonsen@hvl.no 

• Boris Balakin (Professor), +47 55 58 56 38, boris.balakin@hvl.no