Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Technology

Oslo Metropolitan University is Norway's third largest university with almost 22,000 students and over 2,500 employees. We have campuses in central Oslo and at Romerike. OsloMet educates students and conducts research that contributes to the sustainability of the Norwegian welfare state and the metropolitan region.

The Faculty of Technology, Art and Design (TKD) offers higher education and research and development (R&D) activities within technical subjects, arts and design. The Faculty has approximately 4.000 students and 400 staff members and is situated at Pilestredet Campus in downtown Oslo and at Kjeller Campus in Viken.

The Department of Built Environment offers bachelors and master’s degree programs in engineering, in addition to research and development activities. The department has approximately 60 staff members and 850 students.

Call for Expression of Interest for a joint application under the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship programme  

Sustainable Built Environment (SustainaBUILT) (oslomet.no/en/research/research-groups/sustainabuilt) research group at the Department Civil Engineering and Energy Technology has a strong experience on a broad range of topics within HVAC systems in buildings, renewable energy systems, and embodied energy and GHG emissions for building materials and fittings. The research group has a strong collaboration with academic and research institutions (national and international), as well as local and national private and public sector organizations.

We hereby invite experienced curiosity-driven researchers of any nationality, who have a PhD degree and less than eight years of research experience after having obtained their PhD degree, to develop an application and apply for the EU-funded Marie Skłodowska Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship (call HORIZON-MSCA-PF-2022) to conduct research at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University for a period of two years.  

Area of research

The building sector consumes a large part of the world's total energy use in order to satisfy the energy demand for space heating/cooling, domestic hot water production and power lights and electronic devices.  Therefore, in order to reduce energy consumption and the associated GHG emission from buildings, it is important to develop a simple and robust model that forecast buildings’ energy demand, and optimize the energy systems (including electricity, biomass, solar collectors, PV, district heating/cooling) at district level.

The purpose of the postdoc research is to develop energy model and optimize the energy performance of buildings having different energy use profiles at district level. The main objectives of the research work:

  • Develop energy system and optimization models to minimize energy use of buildings.
  • Compare the developed model with existing models.
  • Investigate the different factors that affect energy utilization at district level.

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Associate Professor Habtamu Bayera Madessa. With this call for Expression of Interest, we invite researchers to submit their application accompanied by CV (including publication list) and a one-page project description, that will be the basis for selecting a maximum of two candidates with whom we will collaborate for developing competitive MSCA-PF proposals. The cooperation for the proposal development will be carried out remotely, with regular online communication via email and virtual meeting platforms. Applicants who are successful in getting their proposals funded by the EU, must relocate to work in the Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Technology, at OsloMet.

Starting Date of the fellowship

The EU shall inform the results on the MSCA-PF-2022 applications in February 2023. Successful applicants are expected to be available to start the fellowship project within the period from 1st of April and no later than end of  September 2023.

Main duties of the position

The successful candidate will primarily work on the MSCA fellowship funded project, but will be integrated in the department in general, taking part in regular meetings and discussion groups. The candidate will specifically be introduced with Associate Prof. Habtamu Bayera Madessa’s national and international network of researchers. In agreement with the candidate, he/she would be included in other ongoing projects and/or in the development of grant applications processes.

Expected qualification of applicants

Candidates must have a PhD in Energy engineering, Mechanical engineering, Electrical engineering, or related field. We are primarily looking for experienced researchers who wish to use this period as an opportunity to further develop their research, and to develop longer term research collaborations with OsloMet and other organisations conducting research in the field. The candidates must be eligible for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship: have a PhD successfully defended by the submission deadline (14 September 2022), a maximum of eight (8) years research experience after PhD, and not having worked/studied in Norway more than 12 months in the last three years.

We are looking for applicants who have

  • A good track record in research and publications
  • Commitment to develop a competitive MSCA-PF grant application
  • An open and cooperation-oriented nature, with strong abilities for independent academic work
  • Excellent command / highly proficient spoken and written English

Assessment and selection of candidates

Evaluation will be based on the qualifications and project idea. Interested candidates must submit with their application the following documents:

  • CV (including research track record and list of publications)
  • A one-page description of the project idea for which a MSCA-PF grant will be applied (no predefined structure and excluding references)

Short-listed candidates will be invited for a virtual interview to select candidates that will be invited to develop the full MSCA-PF application with deadline on 14 September 2022, to work under the supervision of Associate Prof. Bayera and with the support of the professional research administration staff at OsloMet.

Under this call announcement a maximum of five candidates will be interviewed and two candidates will be invited to write applications with the endorsement of OsloMet. Candidates will be informed of the results of the internal pre-selection to apply by the end of March 2022.

Original documents about your qualification must be presented if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet performs document verification in order to give you as a candidate a proper evaluation and to ensure a fair competition. Proposals will be pre-selected based on internal evaluation and the availability of suitable supervision. All documents that you hand in to OsloMet, including your proposal idea, will be handled in full confidentiality, and strictly following GDPR regulations.

Selected candidates must participate in the virtual masterclass on MSCA-PF, a two-day workshop organised by OsloMet on 20-21 April 2022 to provide applicants with detailed information and explanation of the application template to complete their proposal in compliance with the EU Commission requirements.

The postdoctoral position

Successful applicants who obtain a MSCA-PF grant will be offered a position at OsloMet to be hired as postdoctoral researchers, in conditions as explained below.

We offer

OsloMet offers assistance in developing competitive Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals. Then, to successful applicants who are awarded the MSC-PF grant, we offer:

  • Flexible working conditions
  • An inclusive and friendly work environment at Norway’s third largest and most urban university
  • Unique academic network with the possibility for the right candidate(s) to pursue his/her academic goals under the auspices of Associate Professor Habtamu Bayera Madessa (oslomet.no/en/about/employee/habama/)
  • Norwegian language classes
  • Working location in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers
  • Onboarding assistance for relocation and other services

Practical information about relocation to Oslo and living in Norway (oslomet.no/en/work)

The position adheres to the Norwegian Government’s policy that the national labour force should to the greatest extent possible to reflect the population diversity, all qualified candidates from any nationality are welcomed to apply.  OsloMet is an IA (Inclusive Workplace) organisation and operates in compliance with the Norwegian IA agreement. We make our active endeavour to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. If there are periods in your career when you have not been working, under education or training, you are also eligible to apply. Questions may be directed to the contact persons (per below).

Remuneration

The competitive fellowship opportunities are 100% funded and include living and mobility allowances.

  • Type of employment: Temporary position
  • Contract type: Full time
  • Annual Salary: Approx. EUR 60,000
  • Starting day of employment: Expected starting date 1 April 2023
  • Number of positions: 1 – 2
  • Working hours: 37.5 hours/week

Contact

  • Habtamu Bayera Madessa, Associate professor, habama@oslomet.no
  • Jostein Kandal Sundet, Ph.d Head of R&D, jostein.kandal.sundet@oslomet.no

Address: Pilestredet 35, Oslo 0130, Norway

Last day of application - Call closes on 31st January, 2022

Reference number: 21/13102

Type of employment Temporary position (shorter than 10 days)
Contract type Full time
First day of employment Per agreement
Salary Annual Salary: Approx. EUR 60,000
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Oslo
County Oslo
Country Norway
Reference number 21/13102
Published 22.Dec.2021
Last application date 31.Jan.2022 11:59 PM CET

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