PERSEUS - PhD Candidate in Human, Ethical and User Experience Aspects in Critical Sectors

Norwegian University of Science and Technology
April 26, 2023
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The Department of Information Security and Communication Technology have a vacancy for a

PERSEUS - PhD Candidate in Human, Ethical and User Experience Aspects in

Critical Sectors

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

About the job

At the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology we have a vacancy for a PhD candidate in the area of Human, Ethical and User Experience Aspects in Critical Sectors. For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

Efforts to strengthen cybersecurity and resilience of critical sectors such as healthcare, smart districts, manufacturing,… go hand in hand with technological innovations and novel approaches and measures. For instance, the advanced use of AI and big data analytics leads to increased intelligence capabilities (e.g., for video-based or digital traces-based surveillance, remote monitoring). In addition, technologies enabling remote presence like Extended Reality (XR) are seen as a key enabler allowing to reduce physical human involvement, for instance in dangerous or life-threatening environments. XR technologies also pave the way for novel, immersive experiences in critical sectors (e.g., remote caregiving, …).

While these innovations and technologies create new opportunities and enable a range of cybersecurity measures, they also often have an invisible flip side: their ethical implications (e.g., related to trust, transparency, control, privacy, digital inequality, bias, …) are to date still under-adressed.

The position is part of SFI NORCICS, the research-based innovation Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity in Critical Sectors. These sectors include electricity production and distribution, oil & gas production and distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, industrial production, smart districts. NORCICS follows a holistic, comprehensive and systemic approach addressing people, processes and technology to protect critical sectors throughout the cybersecurity core functions (identify, protect, detect, respond, recover). NORCICS has partners from academia, research, the public sector and the industry.

This PhD project is a part of the PERSEUS doctoral programme: A collaboration between NTNU- Norway's largest university, 11 top-level academic partners in 8 European countries, and 8 industrial partners within sectors of high societal relevance. Within PERSEUS we will recruit 40 PhD candidates who want to contribute to a smart, safe and sustainable future. We are looking for highly skilled PhD candidates motivated to approach societal challenges within one of the following thematic areas:

  • Big data and AI
  • Digital Twins
  • Internet of Things
  • Extended Reality
  • Information and Cyber Security
  • All participants in the PERSEUS network bring unique and important qualities with them into the doctoral programme. The PERSEUS PhD candidates will have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers in the partner institutions and in other project consortia, and benefit from these collaborative research and education activities.

    As part of the PERSEUS team you will work alongside other highly motivated and talented PhD candidates and researchers. You will also have access to the knowledge base, state-of-the-art research infrastructure, and impact orientation of the partners in the team.

    In addition to your education and development within the thematic research area, you will gain transferable skills within project development and management, science communication, research ethics, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, as well as basic university didactics.

    As a PERSEUS PhD candidate, you will be employed by NTNU. During your stay, you will do a 2–3 month international stay and a 1-2 month national stay with one of the PERSEUS partners. This will allow you to extend your network within academia and industry, and to learn about your research area from an academic, innovation, and societal perspective.

    The duration of the PhD employment is 36 months

    Starting gross salary is 501.200 NOK/year (equal to approx. 46.000 EUR/year by the exchange rate of February 2023)

    We are looking for PhD candidates from all nationalities, who want to contribute to our quest to create knowledge for a better world. PERSEUS recruits candidates according to the EU's mobility rule, i.e. applicants cannot have spent more than 12 months in Norway during the last 3 years, be within the first four years of their research careers and not yet be awarded a doctoral degree.

    We believe in fair and open processes. All applications will be considered through a transparent evaluation procedure, with independent observers involved.

    We look forward to welcome you to the PERSEUS team.

    The position's working place is NTNU campus in Trondheim.

    Your immediate leader is Head of Department.

    Duties of the position

    In this project, the PhD candidate is expected to perform a critical analysis of ethical challenges and implications that arise as a flipside of technological innovations and novel approaches to strengthen the resilience and cybersecurity of critical services. This analysis will be centered around selected use cases and adopt an inherently human-centered perspective. Secondly, the goal is to better understand what the identified ethical challenges may imply for human stakeholders and user experiences. One potential use case in this respect might be the use of XR in critical sectors and the human, ethical and UX-related challenges this introduces. Depending on the skills and interests of the candidate, different aspects (Human, Ethical, UX) may be emphasized. The duties include:

  • Undertaking the necessary courses (30 ECTS) as part of the PhD programme;
  • Submitting an application for admission and a relevant research plan within the scope of the position no later than 3 months after the employment and conducting the proposed research activities accordingly;
  • Conducting high quality research and report progress on a regular basis and in agreement with the supervisors;
  • Writing conference and journal papers;
  • Participate in professional communities within areas relevant to the position.
  • Required selection criteria
  • International mobility requirements : Applicants of any age and any nationality will be eligible as far as they fulfil the mobility requirement of the COFUND programme, namely, the applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the host organization (Norway) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline of PERSEUS. Candidates must at the date of the call deadline be within the first four years of their research careers and not yet be awarded a doctoral degree. Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when the candidate obtained the degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctorate (e.g. from the Master's degree).

  • Education requirements : 5 years of higher education (BSC and MSC) or education equal to (300 ECTS). The grade requirements are B or higher (based on NTNU's grading scale). Master degree must be completed by the call deadline. Education will have to be documented by diploma supplement or equivalent documentation in English and include a description of the educational system. International Relations do require Chinese diplomas to be verified using CHSI. The NTNU Office of International Relations will evaluate degrees and diplomas.

  • Language skill requirements : The applicants will be asked to provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following certificates may be used as such evidence: TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE).

  • Export of Knowledge Control : The PhD candidates who, based on a comprehensive first-hand assessment, might come into conflict with legislation governing exports of knowledge, technology and services will not advance further from the first stage in the recruitment process. For further information, please refer to the Export Control Act.

  • In addition, the candidate must have:

    A strong academic background in

  • Communication- and Information technology with a specialization in or documented background in human-centered research, or
  • Human-Computer Interaction or human-centered computing, with a specialization in or documented background in ICT, or
  • Social sciences, Psychology or Cognitive sciences, with a strong and documented interest in, or previous experience with research at the intersection of people and technology.
  • And

  • Relevant and documented experience with user research and user research methods (qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed-method approaches)
  • A strong documented interest in ethics of technology and/or digital ethics more broadly
  • The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant

    Preferred selection criteria
  • Publication activities in the aforementioned disciplines will be considered an advantage.
  • The applicant should have good communication skills and be willing to collaborate with other researchers in the cross-disciplinary group of people connected to this project.
  • Experience or education in the area of immersive technology will be considered an advantage
  • Personal characteristics
  • High motivation for fundamental scientific research of societal relevance
  • Well organized and with interest in wider context than own research and ability
  • Eager to disseminate research results through publications and presentations at international conferences.
  • Flexible and reliable, with ability to work effectively independently and as part of a team, also in in a multidisciplinary setting
  • Commitment and delivery with respect to deadlines
  • 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

    PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017 and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 501 200 per annum before tax, however it may be negotiable (increased) depending on high level of qualifications and research experience of the candidate. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

    The period of employment is 3 years.

    Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in subject area (Link to website, if applicable) within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

    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. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

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

    About the application

    The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

    Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. 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.

    The application must include:

  • CV including information relevant for the qualifications, submitted together with an identification document.
  • Name, current affiliation and email address of at least 2 persons that will provide reference for you.
  • Certified copies of academic diplomas and transcripts.
  • Applicants from universities outside of Norway will be requested to send a diploma supplement (or a similar document) which describes in details the study and grading system, and the rights for further studies associated with the obtained degree. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).
  • A research interest description (maximum 2 pages) that includes a short presentation of the motivation for a PhD study, suitability for the position and the applicant's view towards listed research challenges as well as the theoretical and methodological approach to the challenges.
  • Scientific publications (if any). Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.
  • 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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

    In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

    NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

    General information

    Working at NTNU

    NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees' needs.

    NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

    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 Associate professor Katrien De Moor ([email protected]). If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Katrine Rennan ([email protected]).

    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: 26.04.2023.

    NTNU - knowledge for a better world

    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 Information Security and Communication Technology

    Research is vital to the security of our society. We teach and conduct research in cyber security, information security, communications networks and networked services. Our areas of expertise include biometrics, cyber defence, cryptography, digital forensics, security in e-health and welfare technology, intelligent transportation systems and malware. The Department of Information Security and Communication Technology is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .

    Deadline

    26th April 2023

    Employer

    NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

    Municipality

    Trondheim

    Scope

    Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

    Duration

    Temporary

    Place of service

    NTNU Campus Trondheim

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