Student projects - MAI

Master Projects

Master Projects

Opportunities for students

The centre offers a wide range of opportunities for master’s and PhD students who want to explore the intersection of AI, engineering, and maritime innovation.

You can take part in:

  • Master’s projects – Work on real industrial cases in collaboration with partners such as Kongsberg, DNV, VARD, Equinor, and the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
  • PhD projects and postdoctoral research – Join our network of more than 25 research fellows focusing on AI for the maritime sector. List of open position at JobbNorge.
  • Student teams and internships – Contribute to ongoing research, prototype development, and innovation activities across Norway’s maritime clusters.

How to get involved

Most student opportunities are hosted through NTNU, University of Oslo, AHO, and Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (RNNA).

Ongoing master student projects 2026/2027

Below are ongoing student projects listed (per 07.09.2026). 

AI Enabled Prediction of Ship Technical Performance

Student: Bjørn Ferdinand Solbakken Berntzen
Affiliation: IMT, NTNU
Main supervisor: Ekaterina Kim
Co-supervisors: Bingjie Guo and Yi (Edward) Liu, DNV
External stakeholder: DNV
 

Robust Classification of Operational Modes

Student: Theodor Frostad Poll
Affiliation: IMT, NTNU
Main supervisor: Ekaterina Kim
Co-supervisor: Armin Pobitzer, VARD
External stakeholder: VARD
 

MPC- and AI-based Energy and Emission Management for Ships with Batteries

Students:

  • Irene Sævik — IMT, NTNU
  • Eline Sofie Hestsveen — IMT, NTNU

Main supervisor: Roger Skjetne
Co-supervisor: TBD, possibly SINTEF Nordvest
External stakeholders: Corvus, Havila Kystruten
MAI use case: UC10

Teaching AI the Language of Ship Brokers

Students:

  • Tora Johanne Fredheim — ITK, NTNU
  • Lule Haugsbø Øyberg — ITK, NTNU
  • Åsmund Løvoll — IDI, NTNU

Main supervisors: Tor Arne Johansen (ITK); Benjamin Kille (IDI)
External stakeholder: Astrup-Fearnley
MAI use case: UC13

Ghost Ship Tracking Using Satellite Sensors, Machine Learning and Sensor Fusion

Student: Vegard Mitsem Heggland
Affiliation: ITK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Tor Arne Johansen
External stakeholders: Kystverket, FOH
MAI use case: UC2

Predicting Port Congestion for Chemical Tankers Using Machine Learning

Students:

  • Alexander Edvard Aschehoug — ITK, NTNU
  • Christian Naustvik Økland — ITK, NTNU
  • August Hopstad Nykvist — IMT, NTNU
  • Matiss Podins — IDI, NTNU

Main supervisors: Tor Arne Johansen (ITK); Ekaterina Kim (IMT); Benjamin Kille (IDI)
Co-supervisor: Thordis Thorarinsdottir
External stakeholders: Astrup-Fearnley, Utkilen
MAI use case: UC13

Machine Learning-based Prediction of Ship Trajectories for Collision Avoidance

Students:

  • Arthur Leiv Claude Prévault Aabakken — ITK, NTNU
  • Synne Marie Alstergren — ITK, NTNU
  • Erik Alexander Standal — ITK, NTNU

Main supervisor: Tor Arne Johansen
External stakeholder: Kongsberg Maritime
MAI use cases: UC2, UC7

Dark Ship Tracking Using Satellite Sensors, Machine Learning and Sensor Fusion

Students:

  • Jesper Nilsson Lybeck — ITK, NTNU
  • Julian Martens Meyer — ITK, NTNU

Main supervisor: Tor Arne Johansen
External stakeholders: Kystverket, FOH, Norcontrol
MAI use case: UC2, MHOB

Modular Structured State Space Architecture for Nonlinear Maritime Market and Operational Field Modeling

Student: Atle Sund
Affiliation: ITK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Tor Arne Johansen
Co-supervisor: Thordis Thorarinsdottir
External stakeholders: Astrup-Fearnley, Utkilen
MAI use case: UC13

Image-based Satellite Tracking of Dark Ships Using In-orbit AI

Student: Maya Erica Frafjord Saint-Victor
Affiliation: ITK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Tor Arne Johansen
Co-supervisor: Torstein Solberg, VAKE
External stakeholder: VAKE
MAI use case: UC2, MHOB, RS-MAPS

Multi-hypothesis Tracking for Maritime Surveillance

Student: Bjørn Magnus Sætrom
Affiliation: ITK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Edmund Brekke
Co-supervisors: Tor Arne Johansen; Brita Gade, FFI
External stakeholder: FFI
MAI use case: -

Data Collection and AI Model Exploration for Predictive Power Source Protection

Student: William Haugland
Affiliation: IIR, NTNU
Main supervisor: Ottar L. Osen
Co-supervisors: Erlend M. Coates; Henning Sandbakk, Vard Electro AS
External stakeholder: VARD
MAI use case: UC6

A Condition-Monitoring Dashboard with Uncertainty-Aware Predictive Maintenance for Marine Vessels and Equipment

Student: Kenneth A. Bekkeli
Affiliation: IIR, NTNU
Main supervisor: Agus I. Hasan
Co-supervisor: Stig Espeseth, Seaonics AS
External stakeholder: Seaonics AS
MAI use case: UC6

Autonomous Maritime Mothership: Coordinated UAV/ROV Deployment and GNSS-Free Navigation

Students:

  • Ansgar Korsæth — MTP, NTNU
  • Mikkel Bølset Gisleberg — MTP, NTNU
  • Nadine Issa — MTP, NTNU
  • Stian Sandanger — MTP, NTNU

Main supervisor: Martin Steinert
Co-supervisors: Kim Christensen, Øystein Bjelland
External stakeholder: Maritime Robotics

Cyber Risk Perception in Maritime AI Data Sharing

Student: Selma Marie Gjeset
Affiliation: IIK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Marie Haugli-Sandvik

Securing Maritime AI Models: Detecting and preventing attacks on AI used in navigation, vision and autonomy

Students: 

  • Nora Altamimi
  • Even Johan Pereira Haslerud

Affiliation: IIK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Marie Haugli-Sandvik

Cybersecurity Threath and Risk Analysis for Autonomous Maritime Vessels using Open-Source Tools

Student: Vanessa Aileen Wold-Hansen
Affiliation: IIK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Ahmed Amro

Using AI to Verify Cybersecurity Compliance with Maritime Regulations and Classification Requirements

Student: Emil Farstad Bjerknes
Affiliation: IIK, NTNU
Main supervisor: Ahmed Amro