PhD Candidates in Psychology (# of pos: 4)

We have vacancies for one to three four-year PhD-positions at the Department of Psychology. The positions are related to the field of psychology in the PhD program in social sciences at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences. 

We are looking for PhD candidates who, together with supervisors from the Department, want to formulate and investigate innovative research questions within the field of psychology. 

You will report to the Head of Department.

• The PhD-position's main objective is to qualify for work in research positions. The qualification requirement is that you have completed a master’s degree, or equivalent education, in psychology. Candidates with a lower degree in psychology and a master’s degree in adjoining fields can be considered if the project proposal has a solid foundation in psychology.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you are unable to meet these criteria, you may be considered only if you can document that you are particularly suitable for education leading to a PhD degree.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral programme .

When hiring PhD candidates, the following criteria will be emphasized:

• The project proposal’s quality and feasibility. It is expected that the applicant has made a significant contribution to the development of the proposal.
• The project’s relevance to the research strategy described in NTNU’s strategy 2018-2015 – Knowledge for a better world  and the strategy of the Department of Psychology
• Grades from master’s degree / cand.psychol.
• Relevant research experience such as scientific publications
• Recommendations / references
• The quality of the group of supervisors in terms of publications and external funding

You must establish contact with a potential main supervisor at the Department of Psychology. The main supervisor must comment on the project and its feasibility. If you are an applicant without educational background from NTNU, you must approach potential supervisors at the Department. The Department will assist candidates to establish contact if necessary.

You must be fluent in a Scandinavian language or in English. 

Personal qualities such as determination, flexibility, a good cooperative spirit and motivation to contribute to an including working environment, will be strongly emphasized.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience, personal suitability and the candidate’s motivation for the position. 

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 482 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 4 years; 25% of the position is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities or bachelor project supervision according the Department of Psychology’s need. 

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Social Sciences with specialization Psychology  within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period. If the applicant has not been admitted to the PhD program or has applied for it, an application for such admission must be submitted together with the application for the PhD position and the project description. Application forms can be found at: https://innsida.ntnu.no/wiki/-/wiki/Norsk/Doktorgrad+-+skjemaer

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, the Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant , 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 you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

Working at NTNU

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. 

The city of Trondheim  is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

Under the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Head of Department Ute Gabriel, telephone 73591778, email [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Nine Jonstad, e-mail: [email protected] . 

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language) or English.  

The application must include the following:

• A project description (5-10 pages) including a progress plan. The project description must have a solid foundation in the group of supervisors. A description of the novelty of the proposed project in relation to previous research must be included, and how the project advances research. The proposal must also contain a brief account of the applicant’s contribution to the preparation of the proposal.
• CV, certificates and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees
• Publications and other relevant research work
• The application for admission to the PhD programme if this has not already been applied for.
• Letter from at least two supervisors (main and co-supervisor, the main supervisor must hold a permanent scientific position at the Department of Psychology) including:
  •  Confirmation that they will supervise the project
  •  Argumentation for the project and its feasibility (see no. 18 in the application for admission to the PhD programme )
  •  CV with an overview of publications and funding of the group of supervisors
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you have submitted your master's thesis recently, you can attach a draft of the thesis. It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

Submit your application and supporting documentation electronically via jobbnorge.no. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI) .

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and diplomas. 

Please refer to the application number SU-593 when applying. 

Application deadline: 15.09.2021

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 Psychology

Our research and teaching are based on five perspectives: biological, cognitive, social, personality and developmental psychology. We offer a clinical programme in psychology as well as study programmes in the psychology of learning and in work and organizational psychology. We have also three outpatient clinics in which we treat patients as part of the clinical programme. The Department of Psychology  is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences .