Doctoral Candidate position - Offshore wind farm infrastructure in a changing climate.

The BETTER project, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Doctoral Network) calls for applications for 11 fully funded Doctoral Candidates (DC), with attractive complementary training activities and associated research and travel budgets and the enrollment in graduated schools with the opportunity to get the PhD title. The aim of BETTER is to form a new generation of professional experts on Offshore Wind Farming (OWF). This team will address the noticeable knowledge and technological gap that exists in comprehending how marine ecosystems respond to the ongoing and anticipated extensive expansion of Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) and how to incorporate these considerations into the optimised design. BETTER will conduct comprehensive research spanning multiple disciplines and sectors, across various functional and operational scales, to quantify the intricacies and nuances inherent in current designs related to OWF and assess their corresponding environmental impact. By doing so, we can outline a trajectory for expanding our offshore renewable energy capacity while steering the design and development of OWFs with the forces of resiliency and an even wider spectrum of sustainability, thereby mitigating environmental disturbances and socioeconomic impacts.

The BETTER consortium is formed by experts in geology, oceanography, marine ecology, marine biology, geotechnical engineering, computation modelling, offshore engineering, underwater acoustics, data science and mathematics across 7 European countries. The whole network comprises 15 academic partners and 3 industry partners. The successful candidates will be hosted by the BETTER Consortium consisting of universities, research institutions and companies in Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, France, Portugal and UK. They will also benefit from an excellent scientific environment, up-to-date technologies and supervision by international leaders in the field. They will learn to integrate academic and industrial aspects in their research work and they will sharpen their experimental and complementary skills in a well-designed and diversified and unprecedented training program Below is a list of the 11 DC projects / PhD positions that are available. Project specific requirements can be found in each individual project description.

Work description
The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) is seeking a highly motivated doctoral candidate for a PhD position focused on offshore geohazards and their impact on offshore wind farm (OWF) infrastructure in a changing climate. This position will be within Section of Climate Adaptation and Hydrodynamics, under NGI's Market Division Natural Hazards. The selected candidate will also be enrolled in the PhD program at the University of Oslo (UiO), Department of Geosciences. The position is designated Doctoral Candidate DC4 within the Horizon Europe project BETTER which is a Doctoral Training Network under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), including structured training of 15 individual Doctoral Candidates.

OWF structures are subject to significant environmental loads, including ocean and wave currents, as well as extreme weather events such as extratropical cyclones and storm surges. Their patterns (frequency, intensity) may be influenced by climate change linked to global warming. A changing climate also leads to warmer oceans, rising sea levels, and changes in ice loading, all of which may impact an already dynamic seabed environment. These hazards may affect seabed stability, leading to shifts in submarine gravity mass flows (SGMFs), sediment mobility, and resulting changes in seafloor morphology (from scouring or burial).

The main goals of this PhD project are to (i) develop an observation-based analysis of how (selected) OWF infrastructure may be affected by shifts in geohazard frequency, intensity, and probability under various climate scenarios; and (ii) conduct a probabilistic assessment and risk analysis of the resulting impact loads on OWF structures, considering the geohazards as well as the uncertainties in climate scenario predictions. The project will integrate data from various sources-observations, monitoring, numerical modelling, and uncertainty quantification. The doctoral candidate will assess how SGMF frequency and intensity, and sediment transport, are expected to evolve under a high-emission climate scenario and explore strategies to reduce the risks to offshore infrastructure. The candidate will also be encouraged to analyse the status of international research in the field.

The candidate will join a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of early-career researchers, and the work will complement other DC projects addressing technical, ecological, and environmental aspects of OWF infrastructure as well as the vulnerability of coastal areas and hence contribute to design and mitigation strategies for future resilient OWF foundations, turbines, and landfall areas. The doctoral candidate will participate in research visits (secondments) with BETTER consortium partners for up to six months and take part in network-wide training activities.

Pre-requisites and mandatory documents

The successful candidate will be employed by NGI and enrolled as a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at UiO. Applicants are expected to have strong academic credentials.

Applicants must hold a Master's degree or equivalent (minimum 4 years, according to the Norwegian education system) in one or more of the following areas: continuum or fluid mechanics, oceanography, meteorology, physics, geophysics, effects of climate change, engineering, or related disciplines.

Applicants must also demonstrate fluency in spoken and written English. Details on English language requirements (and exemptions) for non-EU/EEA applicants are available here.

Academic Requirements and Fellowship Details

To qualify, applicants must meet the following (based on the Norwegian grading system):

• Bachelor's degree courses: Average grade C or better

• Master's degree courses: Average grade B or better

• Master's thesis: Grade B or better

The fellowship supports research training leading to a PhD. Admission to the UiO PhD program is required within two months of starting. More information is available on these pages:

• https://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/research/doctoral-degree/phdforskreng.html

• http://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/

• http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

Competence Requirements

In addition to formal qualifications, experience in any of the following is considered a strong asset:

• Oceanography, meteorology

• Continuum/fluid mechanics, material rheology

• Geophysics, physics

• Numerical modeling and scripting (e.g., Python, C++, Fortran, Linux)

• Climate change prediction, adaptation strategies, or related engineering skills

We welcome enthusiastic individuals with an interest in collaborative, international research environments, and a passion for making meaningful contributions to future energy systems.

Information and Application

Please submit your application by Aug 10th, 2025

Details about mandatory application documents can be found at the link above.

Additional Info:

Benefits

The successful applicant will receive a competitive salary aligned with MSCA Doctoral Candidate regulations. This includes a living allowance, mobility allowance and a family allowance (if applicable).

The position is funded for 36 months.

The salary consists of the gross Monthly Living Allowance of 3.400,00 EUR per month pondered by the EU correction coefficient (specific for the countries where the enrolling Institutions are located, available at link); in addition, a Mobility Allowance of 600,00 EUR per month will be paid, and also possibly another 495,00 EUR per month of Family Allowance depending on marital status.

The DC salary is subject to local tax, social benefit and other deductions following national regulations.

Eligibility criteria

The 11 PhD positions as Doctoral Candidates are open to applicants of all nationalities fulfilling with the following eligibility requirements:

- should have - at the date of recruitment - LESS than 4 years of a research career, and not have a doctoral degree. The 4 years are measured from the date when the applicant obtained the degree which would formally entitle him/her to embark on a PhD, either in the country where the degree was obtained or in the country where the PhD is provided;

- should NOT have - at the date of recruitment - resided in the country where the research training takes place for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment, and NOT have carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in that country;

- should satisfy the eligibility requirements to enrol on a PhD degree. This includes i) master degree compliant with the research fields described in the individual research project; ii) excellent/good oral and written English language skills, iii) good skills in scientific writing and results presentation.

We wait for young ambitious and friendly people who are willing to work in the international team of scientific and practical experts in forest ecology and engineering.

Selection process

For each of the Doctoral Candidates positions a recruitment panel adhering to strict gender equality and equal opportunity rules will be set up consisting of the two supervisors and a third BETTER representative.

After a first evaluation based on the provided documents, an online interview will follow.

Selection criteria will encompass the potential as researchers, creativity, level of independence, teamwork ability, knowledge, communication experience and availability for the intended start date. Start date of the positions can be as early as July 2025 but all positions must be filled by November 2025.