This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus on professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 44,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

About the position

The Department of Computer Science at NTNU Gjøvik campus is looking for a candidate for an Associate Professor position in near-Real-Time Interactive Systems Development. The position focuses on advancing research and education in the engineering of near-real-time interactive software systems, with games and immersive technologies as the primary application domain.

The successful candidate will be associated with the Games and Immersive Technology Lab, which serves as the primary research home for this position. The lab brings together expertise in interactive systems engineering, game platform development, and immersive virtual environments. Its research spans game engine architecture and platform-level development, the design and construction of near-real-time interactive software, extended reality and immersive simulation (VR/AR/MR). The successful candidate is expected to contribute actively to the lab's research agenda, strengthen its profile in games and interactive systems engineering, and build open research artefacts (prototypes, tools, and systems) that connect research with practice and community.

Your immediate leader is the head of the Intelligent Systems and Analytics unit.

Duties of the position

The candidate is expected to:

• Play a leading role in research and research-based education in games and near-real-time interactive systems.
• Help shape the department's research direction within the Games and Immersive Technology Lab, including game engine architecture and platform-level development, software design and construction for interactive and performance-constrained systems, extended reality and immersive simulation contexts.
• Contribute to the department's educational profile and an excellent learning environment in collaboration with colleagues, students and external stakeholders.
• Deliver high-quality teaching at undergraduate, graduate and PhD levels, primarily in systems programming, real-time and interactive systems programming, and game development, and supervise BSc students, MSc students, PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows.
• Engage in applications for external funding, e.g. from the Research Council of Norway, European research and educational agencies, the industry sector and other available sources.
• Build and maintain open-source prototypes, tools, and artefacts that support research, teaching, and community engagement.
• Communicate relevant parts of their research through public outreach, industry engagement, and dissemination activities.
• Participate in the management of research, education and other relevant academic activities in agreement with the Head of Department.

Required qualifications 

• Must have a PhD in computer science or a related field.
• Must document a relevant research track record (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, active collaborations, and evidence of research independence) in games and interactive systems, with a demonstrated focus on the engineering and architecture of near-real-time interactive software.
• Must demonstrate strong programming skills and experience including the languages at the lower abstraction level, such as C.
• Must demonstrate hands-on competence in the design and construction of near-real-time interactive software systems, including familiarity with software architecture patterns characteristic of game and interactive systems.
• Should demonstrate excellent teaching skills and the ability to teach and develop courses in systems programming, real-time and interactive systems programming, and game development across bachelor and master programmes, and contribute where needed to foundational computer science courses (e.g., programming, algorithms, software development).
• Norwegian language skills at level B2. New employees who do not speak a Scandinavian language by appointment is required, within three years, to demonstrate skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level B2 of the course for Norwegian for speakers of other languages at the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU.
• You must document relevant basic competence in teaching and supervision at a university/higher education-level, as referenced in the NTNUs guidelines for academic positions. If this cannot be documented, you will be required to complete an approved course in university pedagogy within two years of commencement. NTNU offers qualifying courses.

Preferred qualifications

• Development experience with game engine architecture, platform-level game development, or interactive simulation systems, demonstrated through code repositories, or shipped software.
• Hands-on experience with one or more industry-standard game development engines or frameworks (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity, Godot, or equivalent), with preference for demonstrated use in a research or advanced development context.
• Experience constructing, refactoring, and evolving performance-constrained interactive software, including the application of secure and defensive coding practices appropriate to game and interactive application contexts.
• Experience with extended reality (XR) platforms and immersive simulation systems (VR/AR/MR), including relevant APIs and toolchains.
• Familiarity with performance-oriented and systems-level software development, such as C++ or C#.
• Experience with modern functional paradigms, such as Rust, Kotlin, or Haskell.
• Experience teaching systems programming, game development, immersive or XR systems, mobile or IoT programming courses in higher education.
• Experience in collaboration with industry or public-sector partners in game technology, simulation, or interactive systems contexts.

Personal qualities

• Enthusiastic: Has the drive to take the extra step to include all students and support a good dialogue with them.
• Willing to learn: Will develop excellent competence over the duration of employment and will learn from experience and feedback from others.
• Team player: Will work perfectly together with colleagues, students, and external stakeholders.
• Communication: The successful candidate will be able to relay information with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing, and solve any challenges that may appear using transparency and honesty.
• Taking initiative: The successful candidate will seek out new opportunities at work, initiate activities and projects by working independently.

We offer 

• Exciting and challenging 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

As an Associate Professor (code 1011), you are normally paid from gross NOK 690.000 – 885.000 NOK per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. As required by law, 2% of this salary will be deducted and paid into the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

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 that you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

Application Process

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

About the application

Your application and supporting documentation must be in English. 

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. Publications and other scientific work must follow the application.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

Your application must include:

• Application letter containing the experience, competence and motivation for the position.
• CV, diplomas, and certificates.
• A description of the scientific/academic works you consider most relevant, which you particularly wish to be factored into the assessment (up to 10 items).
• Research plan.
• A teaching portfolio in which your teaching competence is compiled and presented systematically (See guidelines for applicants: Documentation of teaching qualifications in applications and appointments to positions at NTNU).
• Link(s) to code repositories or other artefacts demonstrating programming experience.
• Students’ evaluation of teaching (if applicable).
• Details of the projects you have managed, with information about funding, duration and size.
• Names and contact information for three relevant referees.

It is important that you both document and reflect on your competence. You are encouraged to use the NTNUs competence matrix as a guide for  documentation of your competence.

Joint work will also be considered. If it is difficult to identify your specific input to a joint project, you must include evidence of your contributions.

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. Our assessment of the pedagogical skills will be based on documented pedagogical material, forms of presentation in your academic works, teaching experience, PhD, and Masters supervision, and any other relevant pedagogical background. Both quality and scope will be taken into consideration, and an open scientific practice will be recognized.

NTNU is obliged by the evaluation criteria for research quality in accordance with The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA and the obligations in the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment ( CoARA) on responsible assessment of research and recognition of a wider range of academic contributions to science and society. This means that we will pay particular attention to the quality and academic range demonstrated by your scientific work to date. We will also pay attention to research leadership and participation in research projects. Your scientific work from the last five years will be given the most weight.

Your application will be considered by an expert committee. Candidates of interest will be invited to an interview, and to deliver a trial teaching session.

General information

The city of Gjøvik has a population of 30 000 and is a town known for its rich music and cultural life. The beautiful nature surrounding the city is ideal for an active outdoor life! The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world.

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse, and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability, and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time. 

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must continually maintain and improve your professional development and be flexible regarding any organizational changes. 

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.

For the sake of transparency, candidates will be given expert evaluations of their own and other candidates. As an applicant you are considered part of the process and are stipulated by rules of confidentiality.

If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Deepti Mishra, e-mail deepti.mishra@ntnu.no.
If you have questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR, e-mail hr@idi.ntnu.no
 

Application deadline: 24.10.26

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 Computer Science 

We are the leading academic IT environment in Norway, and offer a wide range of theoretical and applied IT programmes of study at all levels. Our subject areas include hardware, algorithms, visual computing, AI, databases, software engineering, information systems, learning technology, HCI, CSCW, IT operations and applied data processing. The Department has groups in both Trondheim and Gjøvik. The Department of Computer Science is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .