The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a PhD Fellowship in Petroleum Technology with the topic “Structuring decision models – Decision model framework/tool” at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Energy Resources.
The position is vacant from 1 July 2023.
This is a trainee position that will give promising researchers an opportunity for academic development through a PhD education leading to a doctoral degree.
The hired candidate will be admitted to the PhD program in Science and Technology. The education includes relevant courses amounting to about six months of study, a dissertation based on independent research, participation in national and international research environments, relevant academic communication, a trial lecture and public defence. Read more about the PhD education at UiS on our website.
The appointment is for three years with research duties exclusively.
The position is funded with funds from a NORCE-led KPS-K project called REMEDY.
Research topicThe PhD candiate will be associated with the research project "REMEDY: Reduced Emissions and Improved Energy Efficiency on the NCS (Norwegian Continental Shelf)".
Remedy is a competence building project for business supported by the Research Council of Norway and industry partners. The main objective of REMEDY is to deliver a workflow to reduce CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency at NCS while maximizing NPV (net present value). Furthermore, this workflow must be delivered ready for implementation in the operator's tools. Ensemble- based reservoir management systems are now the standard tool for developing and managing oil reservoirs. Therefore, it is important to mature the workflows and their algorithms for applications that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. REMEDY expands the traditional ensemble workflow to an ensemble reservoir and emissions management workflow for managing and reducing CO2 emissions on the Norwegian continental shelf.
In the project, the PhD student will work together with researchers from UiS and NORCE and contribute to the overall workflow. The PhD project will concentrate on the decision-making part of the workflow by conducting research that can be used to strengthen the fundamental/conceptual decision quality framework The framework will be realized by the development and implementation of a Bayesian decision network (influence diagram) based integrated decision-making system which allows for intuitive and logical definition of the three important decision basis pillars: what do we want, what are the alternatives, and what do we know, as framed by Howard and Abbas (2015).
Although a variety of approaches have been explored for developing more efficient algorithms for inference in Bayesian decision network (BDNs), the disadvantage with many of them is that the size of the joint distribution and hence the computational effort is combinatorial in the number of variables. This is likely to be fatal if there are more than a dozen or so uncertain variables. Thus, there are several research challenges in defining, scoping and developing such a framework including the development and implementation of a robust interactive BDN interface that includes an efficient inference assessment from the BDN. In this project we will implement and evaluate methods to improve computational efficiency for inference in BDN by taking advantage of conditional independence specified by the network topology, and so find ways of propagating the impact of new evidence locally without having to calculate the entire joint distribution explicitly.
This project will implement and evaluate of a mixed BDN/Decision Tree (DT) model. The BDN representation of a model allows the analyst to explicitly express her beliefs in the probabilistic dependencies that exist between the events. A logic associated with BDNs provides conditional independence statements that are implied by the chosen model structure. The disadvantage of BDN models compared with DT models mainly concern the fact that BDN models do not distinguish individual event sequences. Hence, this work will focus on the development, use and evaluation of mixed BDN/DT models that combine the advantages of both modeling techniques.
Project proposalAs an applicant, you must prepare a preliminary project proposal for a doctoral project within the subject area, which explains the problem, relevance, theoretical and methodological approach. Your preliminary project proposal will be included in the application assessment.
During the first three months of the employment period, the project proposal and progress plan will be further developed in cooperation with your supervisors and completed for the final plan for the PhD-project. A project proposal template can be found here.
The proposal must be a maximum of one page.
Qualification requirementsWe are looking for applicants with a strong academic background who have completed a five-year master degree (3+2) within a topic related to the energy transition including geoscience or petroleum engineering, statistics, machine learning and which includes skills in modelling and programming, preferably acquired recently; or possess corresponding qualifications that could provide a basis for successfully completing a doctorate.
To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Stavanger both the grade for your master's thesis and the weighted average grade of your master's degree must individually be equivalent to or better than a B grade.
Applicants with an education from an institution with a different grade scale than A-F, and/or with other types of credits than sp/ECTS, must attach a confirmed conversion scale that shows how the grades can be compared with the Norwegian A-F scale and a Diploma Supplement or similar that explains the scope of the subjects that are included in the education. You can use these conversion scales to calculate your points for admission.
Emphasis is also placed on your:
A good proficiency in English is required for anyone attending the PhD program. International applicants must document this by taking one of the following tests with the following results:
The following applicants are exempt from the above requirements:
University of Stavanger values independence, involvement and innovation. Diversity is respected and considered a resource in our work and learning environment. Universal design characterises physical and digital learning environments, and we strive to provide reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities.
You are encouraged to apply regardless of gender, disability or cultural background.
The university aims to recruit more women within the subject area. If several applicants are considered to have equal qualifications, female applicants will be given priority.
Contact informationMore information on the position (and project description) can be obtained from Head of Department Alejandro Escalona, tel: +47 51832259, e-mail: [email protected] or Professor Reidar B Bratvold, tel: +47 97651969, e-mail: [email protected]
Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from senior HR advisor Margot A. Treen, tel: +47 51831419, e-mail: [email protected]
ApplicationTo apply for this position please follow the link "Apply for this job". Your application letter, relevant education and work experience as well as language skills must be registered here. In your application letter, you must state your research interests and motivation for the position.
The following documents must be uploaded as attachments to your application:
Applications are evaluated based on the information available in Jobbnorge at the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above and that you have attached the necessary documentation.
The documentation must be available in either a Scandinavian language or in English. If the total size of the attachments exceeds 30 MB, they must be compressed before upload.
Please note that information on applicants may be published even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the official list of applicants - see Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act. If your request is not granted, you will be notified.
UiS only considers applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge.
General informationThe 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. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation, it will be rejected without further assessment.
Employment as PhD Fellow is regulated in "Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for the posts of post-doctoral research fellow and research fellow, research assistant and resident".
Your qualifications for the position, based on documentation registered in Jobbnorge, will be assessed by an internal expert committee. Based on the committee's statement, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview before any recommendations are made. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. More about the hiring process on our website.
The appointee will be based at the University of Stavanger, with the exception of a stay abroad at a relevant centre of research.
It is a prerequisite that you have a residence which enables you to be present at/available to the academic community during ordinary working hours.
The position has been announced in both Norwegian and English. In the case of differences of meaning between the texts, the English text takes precedence.
UiS - challenge the well-known and explore the unknownThe University of Stavanger (UiS) has about 12,000 students and 2,200 employees. The university has high ambitions. We strive to have an innovative and international profile, and be a driving force in knowledge development and in the process of societal change. Our common direction is driven by consideration for green and sustainable change and equitable social development, through new ways of managing natural resources and facilitating better cities and local communities. Energy, health and welfare, learning for life are our focus areas.
In constant collaboration and dialogue with our surroundings, regionally, nationally and internationally, we enjoy an open and creative climate for education, research, innovation, dissemination and museum activities. Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organised into six faculties comprising various departments/schools and National Research Centres, as well as the Museum of Archaeology. We are a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The university is located in the most attractive region in the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The Stavanger region has a dynamic labour market and exciting cultural and leisure activities.
Together with our staff and students we will challenge the well-known and explore the unknown.
The Faculty of Science and Technology offers study programs at bachelor, master and doctoral level. The faculty has established close cooperation on research with NORCE (Norwegian Research Centre AS) and the regional industry. A number of master's and doctoral theses are made in collaboration with the industry. The faculty has established research collaborations with universities in the US and Europe, and has developed several academic environments that are at the forefront internationally. The faculty has about 2,800 students and approximately 500 employees at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Structural Engineering and Materials Science, Department of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, Department of Energy Resources and the Department of Safety, Economics and Planning.
The Department of Energy Resources boasts an international environment for staff and students. The research is associated with societal challenges and opportunities stemming from environmentally-friendly energy and climate. This includes production and storage of energy resources and disposal of waste products in the subsurface, geosciences, technology for improved oil recovery (IOR), and decision & data analytical methods and applications. The department offers study programs relevant for exploration, storage and production of natural resources and modeling for improving decision-making and value creation.
We have broad collaboration with other universities, research institutes and industry. The department has an international focus with a large degree of English as teaching language and mobility of students and staff. The Department of Energy Resources has ca. 45 members of staff, including PhD students and post-doctoral fellows.
Deadline23rd March 2023
EmployerUniversity of Stavanger
MunicipalityStavanger
ScopeFulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)
DurationFixed Term
Place of serviceUllandhaug