This is NTNU

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.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

. Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0

About the Job

We have a vacancy for a temporary research position in Sustainability Assessments, at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU.  

We are looking for a researcher in a temporary position (for a duration of 10 months) to work in the EU project Up4Food (Upcycling side-streams for sustainable and healthy ingredients and new food concepts), focused on building knowledge to improve food resource utilization by using a system approach to upcycle processing side-streams from three selected value chains in Europe (potatoes, oil seeds and pelagic fish). The project consortium comprises researchers with different expertise from 5 countries that together with stakeholders in the food system and citizens aim at designing new value chains and food concepts and making toolboxes on technological solutions, sustainability and life cycle assessments for upcycling of side-streams from food production. 

In this research position, as a part of the project work, you are expected to contribute to successfully carrying out the research project by conducting research of good quality. You should conduct sustainability assessments using tools like the Sustainable Development Analytical Grid (SDAG), Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental, sociocultural, and economic aspects of novel food products from side-streams. Additionally, you will engage with stakeholders, generate knowledge that can be used in policy development, and provide insights to improve resource utilization within the food system.

You will work primarily together with the project participants at NTNU, located at the department of Biotechnology and Food Science at the NV faculty, NTNU located in Trondheim. And, you will be reporting to the project manager, and the task leader. 

Your immediate leader is Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Plan and perform research and analysis to answer given research questions within the research project Up4Food 

Required selection criteria

• Master's degree within the field of Sustainability, Environmental Science, Systems engineering, or a related discipline,  with experience and/or knowledge within food systems or Food Science.
• Experience with applying system analysis to environmental problems. 
• Familiarity with conducting MFA to track and analyze material flows, preferably related to food systems.
• Familiar with quantitative methods for estimating material flows and assessing resource efficiency.
• Familiarity with LCA 
• Experience with data collection, analysis, and modeling techniques
• Good written and oral English

Preferred selection criteria

• Familiarity with software and tools used in sustainability assessments (e.g., SimaPro, GaBi etc.)
• Familiarity with international sustainability standards and guidelines
• The ability to think critically about sustainability challenges and propose innovative solutions.

Personal characteristics

• Work independent
• Systematic
• Able to communicate and coordinate with others
• Motivated

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a Researcher (code 1108) you are normally paid depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund,

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite that you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily. 

About the application

The application and supporting documentation must be in English.

Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.  If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include;

• CV, certificates and diplomas 
• Academic works – published or unpublished – that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 10 works) 
• A description of the academic/artistic works that you regard as most relevant and that you particularly want to be taken into account in the assessment 
• Names and contact information for three relevant referees 
   

Joint work will also be considered. If it is difficult to identify your specific input to a joint project, you must include evidence of your contributions.  

In the assessment of the best qualified applicant, we will emphasize education, experience and personal suitability as well as your motivation for the position. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA. This means that we pay special attention to the quality and professional breadth of these works. We also consider experience from research management and participation in research projects. We place great emphasis on your scientific work from the last five years.

General information

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.  

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted. 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself 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 reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Ass.Prof. Eirin S. Bar, email : eirin.bar@ntnu.no.  If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Cecilie Skagfjord, e-mail: cecilie.skagfjord@ntnu.no 

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation. 

Application deadline: 22.06.2025