Satyanarayana Kokkula

This PhD research fellow position is based at the Department of Science and Industry Systems , University of South-Eastern Norway , campus Kongsberg. The project sits within SFI CELECT – the Centre for Effective Engineering and Learning in Complex Systems – and links the candidate to a wider doctoral and research network across USN, NTNU, and the University of Agder. The fellow will also be part of the Industrial Research School in Complex Systems (INRESCOS) and the Norwegian Industrial Systems Engineering Research Group (NISE) . The doctoral project focuses on how Norwegian industry can build and develop competencies for systems engineering, AI, and business innovation . The aim is to develop and validate a competency framework and translate it into work-integrated learning for industry. The student will work with CELECT partner companies and academic collaborators to explore competency gaps, effective learning formats for engineers, and ways universities and companies can co-develop learning that has lasting impact. The research is strongly applied and collaborative. The successful candidate will work closely with companies through interviews, surveys, workshops, and pilot courses, and will help shape the final research questions together with the supervisory team and industry partners. The project is embedded in a technology-rich environment at Kongsberg, with connections to major industrial sectors including maritime, defence, aerospace, energy, and subsea technology. The position is part of a larger centre effort that aims to feed results directly into training for engineers across partner organisations. The candidate will contribute to research outputs, participate in common workshops and learning events, and engage in international activities such as conferences and research stays abroad. The project therefore combines systems engineering with competence development, learning design, and industry engagement in a setting where research and practice are intended to inform each other closely.