Kristiania University of Applied Sciences, Norway's largest independent comprehensive university college, is offering a fully funded PhD fellowship in Applied Information Technology. The position is based at the School of Economics, Innovation, and Technology in Oslo, which hosts internationally recognized research groups and labs. The university is committed to problem-driven and applied knowledge development, with a strong emphasis on digitalization, information technology, and the interaction between technology and human beings.

This PhD project focuses on establishing software engineering foundations for LLM-enabled agentic systems, covering architecture, assurance, and operations. The candidate will define architecture and design patterns (such as planner–executor–critic, retrieval-first/tool-first, escalation trees), introduce specification and guardrailing mechanisms (schema/contract DSLs, policy-aware tool use, pre/postconditions), develop testing methods for non-deterministic multi-step workflows (unit tests, scenario tests, metamorphic and differential oracles, agent fuzzing), and engineer configuration policies for accuracy–latency–energy trade-offs. Quantitative evaluation will be performed on canonical software engineering tasks, including code generation/repair, log analysis, and vulnerability triage.

The expected outcomes include a validated pattern catalog, a spec/guard toolkit, an agent test harness with coverage metrics, an open telemetry schema and replay tool, and a public benchmark with multi-objective metrics (accuracy, robustness, safety, latency, energy/CO₂). These will be released as open-source artifacts and demonstrated in at least one industry-grade case study.

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree (120 ECTS or equivalent) in a relevant subject area with a grade B or better, and a relevant 180 ECTS bachelor’s degree. Required skills include solid software engineering (clean architecture, testing, version control, CI/CD), strong programming in Python (TypeScript/Java helpful), practical experience with modern ML/LLM stacks (PyTorch/Transformers and agent frameworks), basic statistics/experimental design, analytical thinking, and proficiency in English. Ideal candidates will also have competence in empirical evaluation, reproducible research, familiarity with MLOps, cloud/GPUs, exposure to security/compliance, energy/latency measurement, or IoT/digital twins. Personal qualities such as curiosity, motivation for independent interdisciplinary research, communication and cooperation skills, and project completion orientation are valued.

The fellowship offers a high salary (NOK 550,800 per year), NOK 50,000 per year for travel and running costs, free health and travel insurance, pension plan, equipment, and strong labour laws (fully paid parental and sick leave, 25 paid vacation days). The PhD period is 3 years, with the earliest start date of 01.09.2026. The application deadline is 13.04.2026. Kristiania University encourages applications from diverse backgrounds, especially women and persons with minority backgrounds.

To apply, candidates must submit a motivation letter, diplomas and transcripts, CV, at least two references, master’s thesis, and a project proposal (up to 4 pages, max. 2,000 words) outlining their intended PhD research. Admission to the PhD programme is required within three months of the start date. Only applications received through the university’s application portal will be considered. All educational credentials and certificates will be verified, and background checks are part of the recruitment process. For further information, contact Ahmet Soylu (Dekan, School of Doctoral Studies) or Asle Fagerstrøm (Head of program/Professor).

For more details, visit Kristiania University and PhD in Applied Information Technology. Application portal: Apply here.