The Department of Electrical Engineering at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), has a vacancy for a research fellow (PhD position) in modelling of sound propagation in moving medium for a period of 4 years.

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

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 Førde, Sogndal, Bergen, Stord og 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 recognized actor on the international higher education arena. Increased international cooperation and engagement in externally funded projects will work towards this goal.

The PhD research fellow will be part of the PhD programme in Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing (http://ict.hvlhttp://ict.hib.no/.no). The research programme in Computer Science currently includes 20 professors and associate professors, 25 PhD students and post-doctoral fellows, and a large number of master’s students.

About the PhD project

The overall goal of the PhD project is to be study acoustic wave propagation through a moving medium (liquid or gas). The problem is formulated via partial differential equations that are analysed and solved numerically. Special emphasis will be on cases where there are non-constant flow velocity and/or speed of sound. The application and implication of the numerical results for the practical cases within subsea flow metering and ocean acoustics will also be a main focus.

When oil and natural gas are sold, it is usually measured while flowing through a pipe. In the last decades, ultrasonic technology has become more and more common for such measurements. Flow meters have to be calibrated and maintained in order to provide good measurements over years. Industry now considers placing such metering stations on the sea bottom. This requires more autonomous and robust flow meters. Results from a detailed study of the interaction between acoustic wave propagation and a flowing liquid or gas can provide input for development of updated flow algorithms in ultrasonic flow meters.

Acoustic waves are also widely used in ocean environmental monitoring. In passive acoustics, sensors listen to noise and life in the ocean. In active acoustics, acoustic waves are propagated over short or long ranges for detecting objects or measuring environmental parameters like temperature. Furthermore, autonomous sensors deployed in the ocean may use ultrasonic wireless communication. Common for these examples is propagation of acoustic waves through the ocean. The ocean is continuously in motion and is inhomogeneous with respect to temperature, pressure and salinity. The three latter effects are often included in models for acoustic wave propagation in the ocean. However, precise studies of acoustics through a moving ocean can improve models for interpretation of acoustic signals.

Research environment

The computer science research environment at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) has a strong focus on use-inspired and applied research, and on ICT as an enabling technology. The research environment has cooperation with many national and international research groups, and with national and regional industry partners. The programme includes the research themes of software engineering, engineering computing, communication systems and sensor networks, and grid computing and physics data analysis. The prospective PhD candidate will work in close collaboration with our current PhD students in engineering computing and sensor networks. The successful candidate will be provided with an annual work expense funding that can be used for research visits and meetings, international and national conference/workshop/PhD school participation, and smaller equipment.

Qualifications:

The PhD research fellow should have master's degree in acoustics, applied mathematics or numerical analysis, with a strong emphasis on computing, or in computer science or in a closely related field.

Candidates who have submitted a master’s thesis (but who has not yet been awarded a master’s degree) may also qualify for the position provided that the master`s degree is awarded within 4 weeks after the application deadline.

A solid background in theoretical acoustics or in numerical solution of partial differential equations will be considered an advantage. In addition to the required educational background, the following criteria will be evaluated: competence and grades on completed course work, quality of the master's thesis (excellent grade, equivalent of grade B or better on the ECTS grading system), publications (if any), research and teaching experience, practical software engineering skills and experience. A possible outline of a research plan for a potential PhD project will also be taken into account.

The candidate must be diligent and display the ability to work independently, supplemented with regular guidance, and is expected to carry out high-quality research and to publish the results in international workshops, conferences, and journals.

The PhD research fellow must enrol in the PhD programme in Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and must meet the formal admission requirements for admission into the PhD programme. 25% of the 4-year period will be designated to duties such as teaching, development and administrative tasks. The employment period may be reduced if the successful applicant has held previous employment as a research fellow.

The PhD candidate will be assigned three academic supervisor(s) at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. An application for enrolment should first be submitted after an appointment is made and the supervisor(s) will help with this procedure. The candidate must be enrolled as a PhD student within 3 months from the start of the employment.

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:

• Master thesis
• Copies of selected academic publications (no more than 15)
• A CV with a complete list of academic publications
• Diplomas and certificates

Applicants should indicate which publications or parts of publications should be given special consideration in the evaluation. The applications will be assessed by the information entered in www.jobbnorge.no at the application deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date, including the scientific work (up to 15 pieces), complete publication list, certificates and diplomas. If the diplomas, transcripts or other documentation are not in a scandinavian language or English, the applicant must upload the certified transactions himself. The transcripts must specify the topics, the course works, and the grades at the bachelor`s and master`s degree levels. If the attachments exceed 15 MB, they must be compressed before uploading or attaching as a link.

The applications will be sent electronically to the expert committee. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.

We offer:

• 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

Initial salaries will be offered at grade 51 (nok 449.400) (code 1017) in the Civil Service pay grade table scale.

There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no/en 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.

Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Homepage

http://www.hvl.no

http://ict.hvl.no/

Contacts:

• Professor Kjell-Eivind Frøysa (main supervisor)phone: (+47) 55 58 78 29, e-mail: Kjell.Eivind.Froysa@hvl.no
• Professor Oana Silvia Sereaphone: (+47) 55 58 70 21, e-mail: oss@hvl.no
• Professor Håvard Helstrup, Coordinator of PhD Program on Computer Science,phone: (+47) 55 58 75 61, e-mail: Havard.Helstrup@hvl.no

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