PhD in Predictive AI-Based Maintenance and Optimization of Building Energy Management Systems

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About the position

The Norwegian Center on AI for Decisions (aiD) has vacancy for a PhD fellowship in Predictive AI-Based Maintenance and Optimization of Building Energy Management Systems. aiD is one of the new Norwegian AI research initiatives, funded by the Research Council of Norway and industry partners. It consists of 13 research partners and more than 60 partners from industry and public sector led by NTNU and SINTEF. All open positions will be cross-linked on the aiD website aid-center.no 

About the Position

Are you passionate about artificial intelligence, digital twins, and energy management systems in buildings? We are offering a fully funded, three-year PhD position to develop a cutting-edge AI decision-support tool for predictive maintenance and optimization of building energy management systems and technologies (i.e., Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning - HVAC). Partnering with Statsbygg, the Norwegian Government’s Building Agency, your research will be deployed across a massive portfolio of public buildings. Moving beyond outdated calendar-based maintenance schedules, your mission is to solve a critical economic and environmental timing problem: knowing exactly when it becomes cost-optimal to intervene in degrading or overloaded systems. You will overcome the scarcity of real-world fault data by combining Simulation-Based Inference (SBI) and Building Performance Simulation (BPS). By integrating historical facility management (FDVU) records with live building sensor data, you will train AI models to recognize abnormal performance patterns, quantify quality-adjusted service life, and autonomously recommend whether a system needs maintenance, recalibration, or a capacity upgrade. 

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

This position is hosted at the aiD Center, a premier research hub dedicated to advancing the role of artificial intelligence in complex decision-making processes. Hosted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and SINTEF aiD bridges technological, organizational, and human-centric gaps to foster a society where AI-driven value creation is safe and ethical. As an aiD-PhD candidate, you will collaborate closely with academic experts and industry leaders ensuring your research translates directly into portfolio-scale impact for the future of national real estate. You will be working with a multidisciplinary team of experts in building systems, artificial intelligence and decision-making. The supervision team includes:

• Prof. Ivan Depina – main supervisor and coordinator, probabilistic modelling, scientific machine learning
• Prof. Mohamed Hamdy – building performance simulation, building automation systems, and multi-objective optimization.
• Prof. Freja Nygaard Rasmussen – life cycle assessment
• Prof. Sebastien Gros – decision-making, energy use, AI and machine learning
• Dr. Signe Riemer-Sørensen - AI and machine learning, hybrid analyses
• Prof. Ahmed Kedir Mohammed – data analysis and machine learning

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the aiD research network and engage with Statsbygg
• Contribute to research and knowledge exchange activities at the department
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays abroad
• Contribute to supervision activities if required

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant master’s degree in civil engineering, mechanical power engineering or a related field. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong 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 grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the Doctoral Programme - PhD - Faculty of Engineering Science - NTNU
• Good written and oral communication skills in English 

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Machine Learning Expertise: A robust foundation in probabilistic modeling, Bayesian inference, deep learning, and/or anomaly detection
• Modeling & Simulation Experience: Familiarity with Building Performance Simulation (BPS) tools, such as EnergyPlus or IDA ICE
• Building Automation System (BAS) and Building Energy Management (BEM)
• Data Integration Proficiency: Ability to work with complex, heterogeneous data streams
• Domain Knowledge Advantage: Familiarity with building energy systems, HVAC operations, or fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) is considered a strong asset
• Work Experience: Relevant work experience in operation and maintenance of buildings
• Communication skills: Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level B2-C

Personal characteristics

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

• Work independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity 
• Show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions 
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

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 550 800,-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.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme PhD in Engineering (Doctoral Programme) 3 years - Trondheim - NTNU within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding.

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) 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:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• 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 Associate Professor Ivan Depina, 40389387, ivan.depina@ntnu.no and Professor Mohamed Hamdy, mohamed.hamdy@ntnu.no  

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Ragne Matberg (HR Consultant), email: ragne.matberg@ntnu.no

Application deadline: 16.08.2026

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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.