Norges Teknisk-naturvitenskapelige Universitet Ntnu

Trondheim

Eli Meistad

Seniorrådgiver HR

<h2>This is NTNU</h2><p>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.</p><p>At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.</p><p>You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/vacancies/" rel="nofollow">here.</a></p><p>   </p>. Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0<br /><h2>About the position</h2><p>We have a vacancy for a PhD Candidate at the Department of Geosciences (IGV) in Well Plugging and Abandonment (P&amp;A) Technology and within the framework of the ongoing industry sponsored research program SFI – Center for Subsurface Well Integrity, Plugging and Abandonment (SWIPA) <a href="https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2020/new-research-and-innovation-center-to-provide-climate-friendly-value-creation-on-the-norwegian-continental-shelf/" rel="nofollow">https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2020/new-research-and-innovation-center-to-provide-climate-friendly-value-creation-on-the-norwegian-continental-shelf/</a></p><p>Cement is the traditional material used in the well construction phase and in the well plugging and abandonment phase to seal off any leak paths between the reservoir and surroundings. Improved sealing performance using cement includes, among other things, the use of additives to make the cement more flexible and reduce crimping when the cement sets.  In some types of clay formation, the bore hole diameter will shrink and make a tight seal against the casing in the well bore. Bismuth can be an alternative material for improved sealing of wellbores. The metallic material, which has a typical melting point between 140 – 270 0C depending on material composition, is typically expanding 0,5 - 3% when it sets. For some applications, this material can be applied to avoid or reduce leaks and thus improve the integrity of the well. </p><p>The PhD research work will focus on the use of expanding materials like Bismuth, and investigate how this material affects the interaction between the casing, cement (if any) and formation, and further how this will affect sealing along the bore hole section. </p><p>The PhD-position&#39;s main objective is to qualify for work in research positions.</p><p>You will report to the head of Department.</p><br /><h2>Duties of the position</h2><ul><li>Developing numerical models to simulate the thermo-mechanical behavior of bismuth-based alloy plugs during placement and cooling.</li><li>Simulating the expansion process of the plug and its interaction with surrounding casing, cement, and formation under downhole conditions.</li><li>Implementing and calibrating material models (e.g., elasto-visco-plastic or elasto-plastic-damage models) using tools such as Abaqus, COMSOL, or ANSYS.</li><li>Validating simulation results with experimental data from material characterization and thermal expansion tests.</li><li>Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate.</li></ul><br /><h2>Required selection criteria</h2><ul><li>You must have an academically relevant background within petroleum and/or mechanical engineering or equivalent education (Rock mechanics / Geotechnical / Geological Engineering, Applied Physics, Civil Engineering with geomechanics or materials specialization).  </li><li>You must have a Master&#39;s degree in petroleum and/or mechanical engineering or equivalent education (Rock mechanics / Geotechnical / Geological Engineering, Applied Physics, Civil Engineering with geomechanics or materials specialization). Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master&#39;s level. </li><li>You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master&#39;s degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to <a href="https://i.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/English/Grading&#43;scale" rel="nofollow">NTNU&#39;s grading scale</a>. 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.</li><li>You must meet the requirements for admission to faculty’s doctoral program <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/iv/doctoral-programme" rel="nofollow">Doctoral Programme - PhD - Faculty of Engineering Science - NTNU</a></li><li>The candidate must engage in SWIPA activities as required</li><li>The candidate must commit to follow and complete the courses selected for his/her PhD programme</li><li>Good written and oral English language skills</li></ul><p>--------------------------------------------</p><p><strong>PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.</strong></p><p>The appointment is to be made in accordance with <a href="https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/2024-06-28-1392/" rel="nofollow">Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)</a> for general criteria for the position.</p><br /><h2>Preferred selection criteria</h2><ul><li>Relevant industrial and / or research experiences </li><li>Knowledge of plasticity, damage mechanics, and thermo-mechanical coupling.</li><li>Understanding of wellbore and casing behavior under thermal load.</li><li>Desired skills:<ul><li>Finite Element Analysis software: Abaqus, COMSOL Multiphysics, or ANSYS</li><li>Python (for data analysis, automation, scripting simulations) and Fortran /C /C&#43;&#43;.</li></ul></li></ul><br /><h2>Personal characteristics</h2><p>To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to: </p><ul><li>High level of personal responsibility and initiative</li><li><p>Work independently as well as part of a team in accordance with the project objectives</p><p>Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.</p></li></ul><br /><h2>We offer</h2><ul><li>Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment</li><li>Open and <a href="https://innsida.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/Norsk/Inkluderende&#43;arbeidsliv" rel="nofollow">inclusive work environment</a> with dedicated colleagues</li><li>As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the <a href="https://www.spk.no/en/membership-in-spk/" rel="nofollow">Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)</a> </li></ul><p>You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to <a href="https://i.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/English/Benefits&#43;and&#43;discounts" rel="nofollow">employee benefits and discounts</a></p><br /><h2>Diversity</h2><p>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&#39;s collective skills. Our vision is <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/strategy-2018-2025" rel="nofollow">Knowledge for a better world</a> and <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/vision-values-social-mission-key-challenges-and-main-objectives#values" rel="nofollow">our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful</a>. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p><p>At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/genderequality" rel="nofollow">measures</a> to promote equality.</p><br /><h2>Salary and conditions</h2><p>In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK  536 200,-  per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. </p><p>The employment period is 3 years. </p><p>For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/iv/doctoral-programme" rel="nofollow">Engineering</a> within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.</p><p>The position is conditional on external funding.</p><p>As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.</p><p>For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.</p><p>The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the <a href="https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2017-06-16-67" rel="nofollow">State Employees Act</a>, and <a href="https://www.regjeringen.no/en/topics/foreign-affairs/export-control/id754301/" rel="nofollow">Export control</a> (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.</p><br /><h2>About the application</h2><p>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 English.</p><p><strong>Please note:</strong> 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 The application must include:</p><ul><li>Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor&#39;s and Master&#39;s degrees</li><li>CV </li><li>Copy of Master&#39;s thesis</li><li>A one-page research proposal outlining how you would approach the research challenge</li><li>Academic works – published or unpublished – that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 5)</li><li>Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)</li><li>Names and contact information of three relevant referees</li></ul><p>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&#39;s and Master&#39;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 <a href="https://www.ntnu.no/stillinger/dokumentasjon-av-utenlandsk-utdanning" rel="nofollow">here</a>. If you already have a statement from <a href="https://hkdir.no/en" rel="nofollow">Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)</a>, please attach this as well. </p><p>Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.</p><p>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.</p><p>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&#39;s social mission).</p><br /><h2>General information</h2><p>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 <a href="https://lovdata.no/lov/2006-05-19-16/%C2%A725" rel="nofollow">current legislation</a>. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.</p><p>If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.</p><p>If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Sigbjørn Sangesland, email: <a href="mailto:sigbjorn.sangesland&#64;ntnu.no" rel="nofollow">sigbjorn.sangesland&#64;ntnu.no</a> or Associate Professor Behzad Elahifar, email: <a href="mailto:behzad.elahifar&#64;ntnu.no" rel="nofollow">behzad.elahifar&#64;ntnu.no</a>, telephone &#43;47 73592028. </p><p>If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Senior Adviser HR Eli Meistad, email: <a href="mailto:eli.meistad&#64;ntnu.no" rel="nofollow">eli.meistad&#64;ntnu.no</a>. </p><p><strong>Application deadline: 14.07.2025</strong></p><p>-----------------</p><p>For practical information about <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/nirs" rel="nofollow">working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. </a><br /> </p><p><a href="https://www.trondheim.kommune.no/english/" rel="nofollow"><strong>The city of Trondheim</strong></a> is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. <a href="https://workintrondheim.no/" rel="nofollow">Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway</a> 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. </p><br />

PhD Candidate in Well Plugging and Abandonment - IV-80/25