About the position
A fixed-term 100 % position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Engineering and Science, as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Intelligent Engineering, affiliated to the Department of Engineering Sciences, for a period of three years. The position is located at Campus Grimstad.
The starting date is negotiable with the Faculty.
A Post-doctoral Research Fellowship is a qualification position in which the main objective is to qualify for work in higher academic positions.
The position is hosted by the Intelligent Mechatronics (iTron) research group, whose work focuses on AI-assisted methods for engineering design, and is affiliated with WP4 (Smart Design), the AI-assisted engineering work package in SFI CELECT (Centre for Effective Engineering and Learning in Complex Systems), a national Centre for Research-based Innovation (SFI) funded by the Research Council of Norway and industrial partners. CELECT is led by the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) in close collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and UiA, and a broad consortium of companies across the defence, maritime, and manufacturing sectors. Running from 2026 to 2034, the centre will educate more than 30 PhD and postdoctoral researchers across the partner universities.
Responsibilities
The Post-doctoral Research Fellow will help shape and advance the iTron group’s research agenda on intelligent engineering: AI-assisted methods for designing complex mechatronic systems. These methods are maturing rapidly in software engineering – agentic coding, tool-using agents, human–AI orchestration – where code is machine-readable and instantly testable. They are only beginning to reach mechatronic system design, where the design knowledge an AI would need, and the means to evaluate against it, are rarely available in a form AI can work with. Closing this gap is the central aim of the position.
We are looking for a researcher to take a leading role in this agenda – bringing deep AI-agent and software-engineering expertise into iTron and WP4 of SFI CELECT and working alongside the connected PhD candidates who bring the engineering domain knowledge. The central research thrust is to develop AI agents and human–AI orchestration methods that help engineers design mechatronic systems, which raises two enabling research questions:
- How can the engineering design knowledge such agents need – the trade-offs, failure modes, rationale (the 'why'), and uncertainty that are often tacit and specific to particular machines and firms – be captured in a form an AI agent can use directly, rather than only a human reader or a symbolic tool?
- To what extent can large language models take engineering reasoning on their own, and when should they be combined with other methods such as dynamic simulation models and reinforcement learning?
The methods are intended to be application-agnostic. Concretely, an agent would turn a system’s requirements and constraints – say, a heavy-duty offshore manipulation or motion-control system – into candidate design concepts, evaluate them through high-fidelity dynamic simulation, and use AI-built reduced-order and surrogate models to make simulation-based optimisation tractable. The result is virtual prototypes that can later become digital twins on industrial hardware, where trust depends on how well uncertainty is captured.
This is fundamental, enabling research rather than direct industry deliverables: the connected PhD projects and CELECT’s industry-as-laboratory approach supply real cases – from industry partners and from UiA’s own systems – that are both the source of this tacit design knowledge and the testbed for the methods.
The position is anchored in Mechatronics at the Department of Engineering Sciences, while iTron’s research reaches across the Faculty. It is carried out in close collaboration with the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR), UiA’s centre for fundamental AI research, which adds complementary depth in machine learning and reinforcement learning.
Working with researchers across the CELECT partner universities (USN, NTNU, and UiA), the Research Fellow will:
- lead high-quality publications;
- contribute to research-funding applications; and
- co-supervise PhD candidates
Required qualifications
- A doctoral degree (PhD) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a closely related field
- Documented, hands-on experience with AI agents and state-of-the-art agentic coding tools and frameworks – such as Claude Code or OpenAI Codex – including tool-using agents, multi-agent systems, and human–AI orchestration
- A solid software-engineering background, with experience designing, building, and deploying software systems
- A strong academic track record and a relevant publication record
- Excellent written and oral English skills
- Ability to work both independently and in multidisciplinary teams, including with engineers from other domains
Candidates in the closing stages of their doctoral degree are encouraged to apply, including those expecting to complete it in 2026; the doctoral degree must be approved before taking up the position.
Criteria for positions as Post-doctoral Research Fellow (in Norwegian).
Desired qualifications
The working language at the University of Agder is Norwegian. Proficiency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language, both written and oral, is desired.
- Experience applying and extending AI agents in software engineering – AI-assisted development, agentic coding, agent frameworks and skills (e.g., OpenClaw, SKILL.md-style definitions), and custom tools – and, even better, toward physical or engineering systems
- Familiarity with the broader AI toolbox – reinforcement learning and the NVIDIA AI ecosystem (e.g., Omniverse, Isaac) for simulation and physical AI
- Engineering experience from industry or academia – for example in mechatronics, mechanical, electrical, or control engineering – is an advantage, but not a requirement
- Familiarity with engineering design and analysis tools – for example generative CAD, CAE, modelling and simulation, digital twins, or MBSE – and scientific programming in Python or Julia
- Experience with acquiring research funding and/or supervising students
- Ability to communicate research results to academic audiences
- It is hoped that applicants will have completed their doctoral degree within the last five years
Emphasis will be placed upon the applicant’s documented qualifications, motivation, and suitability for the position and the research environment at the Faculty.
Personal qualities
- Motivated to take a leading role in an ambitious, long-term research agenda
- Drawn to the co-intelligence vision of engineers as orchestrators of AI
- Independent and self-driven, able to carry out goal-oriented work
- A strong collaborator and communicator – across disciplines and institutions
- Interested in mentoring and co-supervising PhD candidates
We offer
- professional development in a large, exciting and socially influential organisation
- a positive, inclusive and diverse working environment
- modern facilities and a comprehensive set of welfare offers
- membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- integration into the SFI CELECT research centre and its broad network of industry partners and international research collaborators
- membership in the Intelligent Mechatronics (iTron) research group and access to the UiA Motion Laboratory, national research infrastructure since 2013
- the opportunity to take a leading role in shaping a frontier research agenda – extending AI-assisted engineering from software into full mechatronic system design – within a national centre (SFI CELECT) and alongside its WP4 PhD team
- structured career development as part of a qualification position, with the opportunity to build an independent research profile and gain research-leadership and supervision experience
More about working at UiA.
The position is remunerated according to the State Salary Scale, salary plan 17.510, code 1352 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, NOK 625 000 – 675 000 gross salary per year. Higher salary grades may be considered for particularly well-qualified applicants. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the pay according to current statutory provisions.
General information
UiA is an open and inclusive university. We believe that diversity enriches the workplace and makes us better. We, therefore, encourage qualified candidates to apply for the position independent of gender, age, cultural background, disability or an incomplete CV.
Women are strongly encouraged to apply for the position.
The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the position, and organisational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected. The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning the acts relating to Control of Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Appointment is made by the University of Agder’s Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions. A background check may be conducted to verify information that appears in available documents. Background checks are always done with the applicant’s consent, and employment in the position requires an approved background check. Relevant applicants will receive further information.
Short-listed applicants will be invited for interview. With the applicant’s permission, UiA will also conduct a reference check before appointment. Read more about the employment process.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act § 25 (2), applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the names of applicants. Applicants will be advised of the University’s intention to exercise this right.
Application
The application and any necessary information about education and experience (including diplomas and certificates) are to be sent electronically. Use the link “Apply for this job”.
The following documentation must be uploaded electronically:
- Certificates with grades
- List of publications
- Doctoral thesis (or a description of the ongoing PhD)
- Up to 10 academic articles and R&D projects which the candidate wishes to particularly emphasise for the assessment process
- A statement (maximum 2 pages) covering the applicant’s motivation, relevant background and skills, and a brief outline of how they would approach the research agenda of the position
- Any other relevant documentation
The applicant is fully responsible for submitting complete digital documentation before the closing date. All documentation must be available in a Scandinavian language or English.
Application deadline: 30.06.26
Contact
For questions about the position:
- Associate Professor Daniel Hagen, tel. +47 372 33 384, mobile +47 920 13 462, e-mail [email protected]
- Head of Department Paul Ragnar Svennevig, tel. +47 372 33 254, mobile +47 916 21 235, e-mail [email protected]
For questions about the application process:
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