PhD Research Fellow in Criminology - "HARZOTROPH"-project

UiO/Anders Lien
2nd October 2026
Languages
English

• Norsk Bokmål
• English

English
PhD Research Fellow in Criminology - "HARZOTROPH"-project
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About the position 

A position as a PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017) is available as part of the project (HARZOTROPH) “Denying Harm? Neocolonial Conservation through Trophy Hunting and Zoos”, funded by the Research Council of Norway. The candidate will be responsible for their own research and will work closely with the project leader, Ragnhild Sollund, at the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law. The project will commence in autumn 2026, and the PhD Research Fellow will be part of an international project team.

The appointment period is for three years without other career-enhancing work, or four years with 25% other career-enhancing work. Career-enhancing work will normally consist of teaching. A four-year appointment requires that the candidate can contribute to the Faculty of Laws current teaching needs. 

PhD fellowships are recruitment positions intended to lead to a PhD degree at the Faculty of Law. Applicants must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Law. More information about the doctoral programme is available here .

The candidate is expected to be an active participant in and contributor to the research environment at the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law and will have the opportunity to participate in one of the many interdisciplinary research groups at the Faculty of Law.

More about the position 

“Denying Harm? Neocolonial Conservation through Trophy Hunting and Zoos (HARZOTROPH)” will explore the legitimacy of the trophy hunting industry and zoos, as expressed through the industries’ own accounts of their activities and as experienced by people who hunt trophies and visit zoos.

HARZOTROPH will generate knowledge from countries with different colonial histories and varying prevalence of trophy hunters and zoos. Using different analytical approaches from criminology, sociology of law, social anthropology and political science, the project will examine whether arguments in favour of trophy hunting and zoos are rooted in neocolonialism, or whether a shift in attitudes towards animal rights can be identified.

Through qualitative methods such as ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, surveys in Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as literature reviews and content analysis of websites, HARZOTROPH will explore who benefits from trophy hunting and zoos; whether trophy hunting and the keeping of wild animals in captivity contribute to protecting species from extinction; or whether they instead deplete countries of endangered species and primarily benefit commercial enterprises.

The PhD Research Fellow’s project will be thematically connected to, and form part of, a work package on trophy hunting. The final description of the PhD project will be developed in consultation with the project leader, Ragnhild Sollund, following appointment.

The PhD Research Fellow will also be expected to participate actively in the project group’s activities, including both digital and in-person seminars and workshops, in collaboration with the international team.

The Research Fellow is expected to:

• Complete, within the period of appointment, a dissertation of a standard worthy of defense for the PhD degree.
• Assist the project leader with the academic implementation of project activities, including workshops and seminars.
• Participate in the dissemination of research findings at national and international conferences.

Qualification requirements

• The position requires a Norwegian five-year Master’s degree in sociology of law, criminology, or an equivalent qualification that has been recognised by the faculty as forming a sufficient basis for admission.
• Normally, the applicant should have grades that place them in the top tier. This requirement also applies to the master’s thesis.
• Applicants should have good command of English, both spoken and written.
• Knowledge of and experience with qualitative methods is a prerequisite.

Desired qualifications: 

• Knowledge of Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language) is an advantage.
• Experience with, or an interest in, green criminology and human–animal relations is an advantage.

Personal suitability: 

• You must have good administrative skills.
• You must be able to work independently and in a structured manner.
• You should have good collaborative skills and demonstrate the ability, willingness and commitment to contribute to the development of the research field.
• You should be able to take initiative and be willing to participate actively in an international and interdisciplinary research team.

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Assessment of the applicants

Applicants must submit a project description of 5–7 pages outlining the research topic, its significance, and its relevance to the development of criminology and/or sociology of law. The proposed project should combine theoretical and empirical ambitions with feasibility.

In assessing applicants, emphasis will be placed on the project description, grades, any previous written work, and the applicant’s academic and personal qualifications for carrying out the project. The candidate is expected to be able to complete the project within the period of appointment.

Applicants are assessed by an assessment committee that ranks them according to the above criteria and interviews with the most suitable candidates. A separate interview committee may be used. The final decision is made by the faculty’s appointment board. 

We offer

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
• A pleasant and stimulating work environment.
• Good welfare benefits.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities. 
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse , which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Salary in position as Doctoral Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK 575.000 - 625.000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal .

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The application must include

• Cover letter.
• A CV providing a comprehensive overview of education, previous positions, practical experience, academic work and publications.
• Complete list of publications.
• Project description of 5–7 pages on trophy hunting based on HARZOTROPH.
• Copies of diplomas with all grades included in the degree, and certificates (If the original language of diplomas/certificates is not English or a Scandinavian language, an English translation must also be provided in addition to a copy of the original). Foreign diplomas must include official documentation about the grading system, together with the official grading scale.
• Up to three academic works, such as a Master’s thesis, articles or other texts (published or forthcoming), may be included with the application. If the works have been authored by multiple individuals, the distribution of work must be documented by a co-author statement.
• Contact information for 2–3 references.

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no . If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

We need different perspectives in our work 

The University of Oslo is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. Read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion and diversity at uio.no .

We fulfill our social mission best when we draw on our diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues – could you be the next one? 

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical or physical adjustments, or other practical measures

If you have an immigrant background, a disability or CV gaps, we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified applicant from each group to an interview. In this context, disability refers to an applicant who indicates having a disability that would require accommodation in the workplace or employment relationship. Read more about the requirements on the  Employer portal .

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include s in their annual reports. More information about equality and inclusion measures at UiO can be found here.

General information

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.

According to the Norwegian Freedom Information Act § 25 information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list. . You may request an exemption from publication. You must provide reasons for requesting an exemption, after which we will consider whether the request can be granted. If we are unable to grant your request, we will notify you.

Please see the Regulations relating to the Universities and University Colleges Act , the Guidelines for appointments to recruitment positions at UiO , and the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo .

UiO has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results, etc.

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University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

The Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law is part of the Faculty of Law. The Department is Norway’s only department dedicated to research and education in criminology and sociology of law. Research, teaching and dissemination in both fields are conducted at the highest international level. The Department has approximately 40 employees and 300 students.

Questions about the position

Ragnhild Sollund

Professor

[email protected]

Victoria Hatløy

Rådgiver

[email protected]

Apply for this job
Deadline

2nd October 2026

Employer

University of Oslo

Municipality

Oslo

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Kristian Augusts gate 17, 0164 Oslo

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