PhD Candidate in drainage-enhanced flow condensation in micro structured surfaces

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About the position

A 3-year PhD position is available at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering as part of the HORIZON Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Network “SurPhase”.

Efficient boiling and condensation are fundamental to thermal management in refrigeration, air conditioning, electronics cooling and energy systems. The transition toward slow Global Warming Potential refrigerants is essential for reducing environmental impact, but these fluids introduce new challenges associated with altered wetting behaviour, nucleation, liquid and vapour transport, dryout and flooding. This PhD project will experimentally investigate droplet shedding, film breakup, flooding, heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in ribbed and finned micro structured surfaces during flow condensation of low surface tension refrigerants.

The successful candidate will work at the Thermal Two-Phase Flow Laboratory (http://folk.ntnu.no/fernandi/) at NTNU’s main Gløshaugen campus in Trondheim, Norway. Experiments will be conducted with state-of-the-art equipment and experimental techniques. The candidate will be part of a friendly working environment, with close interaction with our postdoc, PhD and MSc candidates working in our group. The position will be supervised by Professor Maria Fernandino.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project

SurPhase is a Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network training 12 doctoral candidates in surface engineering and phase-change heat transfer for low-global-warming-potential refrigerants. SurPhase brings together four academic beneficiaries: the University of Birmingham, Sabanci University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and University of Padova, supported by Ericsson, Arçelik, Fraunhofer IFAM, ANSYS and Hexxcell. The programme combines academic and industrial research, international mobility, network-wide training and cross-sector secondments.

Duties of the position

• Design, planning and running of condensation experiments
• Contribute to academic publications, project reports and other dissemination activities
• Participate in meetings with supervisors and colleagues
• Engage in secondments as part of the project training activities
• Participate in structured training programs and network events organized by the consortium
• Collaborate with other doctoral candidates in the consortium

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

To apply for this MSCA Training position, applicants must fulfil the following criteria:

• At the time of recruitment by the host organisation, candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity, such as work or studies, in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding their recruitment date.
• Applicants must be willing and able to undertake the planned international academic and industrial secondments within the SurPhase network.

General required selection criteria:

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the Faculty's Doctoral Programme, see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in mechanical engineering, thermal engineering, applied physics or equivalent. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a Master’s thesis.
• Master students can apply, but the Master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than June 2027.
• You must have a strong and relevant 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 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 have good oral and written presentation skills in English.

Specific requirements for the proposed project:

• You must have an academically relevant background within fluid mechanics and heat transfer, demonstrated through projects, activities, and/or theses.
• You must have good experience in experimental work.
• You must have programming experience with Matlab, Python or similar.

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience conducting fluids and heat transfer experiments (e.g. scientific imaging techniques, IR cameras).
• Experience with image processing
• Strong fundamentals in condensation and two-phase flow heat transfer will be considered an advantage
• Previous experience writing and contributing to peer-reviewed journal articles will be considered an advantage

Personal characteristics

• Enthusiastic and highly motivated
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Able to work independently and in a team
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
• Flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• State-of-the-art laboratories and equipment
• A strong group of researchers focused on fluid mechanics and heat transfer
• A strong and international professional environment
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)
• Free, optional 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.

The Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT) has established EPT Women in Science. The group is focused on supporting female Research Assistants, PhD Candidates, Postdoctoral Fellows and permanent academic employees within the Department. This support aims to help develop the academic careers of female employees, and is also made visible to our student body, to encourage them to consider an academic path. As part of the EPT Women in Science initiative we continue to build on our international network, inviting prominent female academics within and beyond the field of Engineering to speak at our events.

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.

Salary and conditions

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 3 years for the doctoral work.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in engineering 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 be in 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 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 the application portal. 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. If you have not completed the Master's degree, you must submit the most up-to-date transcript you have.
• CV
• A “research statement” briefly describing your Masters research or other previous research experience. This document should not exceed 1 page.
• A “qualifications document” explicitly listing each of the “position specific criteria” and “preferred selection criteria” with a brief description of how you meet each one. This document should not exceed 2 pages.
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees.

An application missing any of the above may be considered incomplete by the selection committee and the candidate may thus not be considered further.

If all, or parts, of your education have 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 Professor Maria Fernandino, maria.fernandino@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Megan Norris, hr@ept.ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 27.11.2026

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage.

The city of Trondheim is located on the Trondheim Fjord in mid-Norway. It is a modern, Scandinavian city with a unique cultural scene. Trondheim has a growing and increasingly diverse population, currently of around 200 000, and is known as the tech capital of Norway. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools and kindergartens, is among the best of its kind in the world. Professional, subsidized wrap-around care for school children in grades 1-4 is easily available. Trondheim has two International Schools, and the public school system offers Norwegian language support to international children whose families have relocated to Trondheim. Trondheim has low crime rates, clean air and water, and offers great opportunities for enjoying nature and culture.

Further information

The SurPhase project is a Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network (Grant Agreement No. 101311533): Sustainable Surface Engineering with AI, Multiscale Modeling, and Additive Manufacturing for Enhanced Phase-Change Heat Transfer

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 Energy and Process Engineering

We conduct research and teaching covering the entire energy chain, from resources to the end-user. We look at how energy is produced and used by humans and machines in a sustainable way with regard to health, climate change and the resource base. The Department of Energy and Process Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.