PhD Fellowship in Environment and sustainable development

The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a PhD Fellowship in Environment and sustainable development at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Media and social sciences. The position is vacant from spring 2022.

This is a trainee position that will give promising researchers an opportunity for academic development through a PhD education leading to a doctoral degree.

The hired candidate will be admitted to the PhD program in social sciences. The education includes relevant courses to about six months of study, a dissertation based on independent research, participation in national and international research environments, relevant academic communication, a trial lecture and public defence. Read more about the PhD education at UiS on our website.

The appointment is for three years with research duties exclusively, or four years with both research and 25% compulsory duties. This will be clarified in the recruitment process.

Securing ecological, social, and economic sustainability in society is one of the biggest challenges in the years to come. Changes in Anthropocene challenges both the diversity of species and the balance of the eco-system. Transformation into the climate neutral society and ecological sustainable economies and societies is necessary in order to be able to reduce the global warming with its consequences for future generations and for livelihood globally. Until recently, research efforts for solving the climate challenges have mainly been about developing technological solutions. Less attention has been given to the socio-political and cultural aspects of realizing solutions for the transitions.

Energy and how it is produced and consumed play a key role for our ability to transform into a climate neural society which also is experienced as just. This project therefore focuses specifically on the proposed three dimensions of Energy Justice: distribution of benefits and burdens, procedural justice, and recognition of the special interests of groups (Jenkins et al, 2016). This three-dimensional view rests on theoretical developments from the wider field of justice research, where the seminal work of Nancy Fraser (2009) is essential. She defined justice as parity of participation: every group in a given society should be able to participate as peers among equal others.

Method approach

We welcome project descriptions that combine a qualitative exploration of how affected parties experience and respond to green transformations, with documentary production/visual poetics, both as expression and experience/empirical material.

welcome project descriptions that combine a qualitative exploration of how affected parties experience and respond to green transformations, with documentary production/visual poetics, both as expression and experience/empirical material.

Possible themes and research problems can be, but are not limited to: 

• Cultural recognition and representations: How do green transitions projects evoke cultural and historical identities? How does this (re)activate latent conflicts?
• How is energy poverty understood and experienced across national borders?
• Energy justice: How can renewable-energy projects move forward in realizing more just solutions taking in the distributional, processual and recognition justice?
• How are policy processes for the green transition interpreted, negotiated and challenged through different discourses?
• How is local resistance to global solutions related sustainable development and environmental responsibilities, understood and expressed? How do local resistances organize and mobilize members across the globe?
• Sustainable development also entails protection of global natural resources and diversity of species. How does different dimensions related to sustainable resource management come into conflict with one another and how is this experienced in practice by those affected by it?
• How does new, global sustainability demands come into conflict with existing, local ways of living?

The PhD Fellow will be affiliated with the Change management program and the Documentary program at the Department of media and social sciences, in addition to relevant research groups. 

As an applicant, you must prepare a preliminary project proposal for a doctoral project within the subject area, which explains the problem, relevance, theoretical and methodological approach. Your preliminary project proposal will be included in the application assessment.

During the first three months of the employment period, the project proposal and progress plan will be further developed in cooperation with your supervisors and completed for the final plan for the PhD-project. A project proposal template can be found here.

We are looking for applicants with a strong academic background who have completed a five-year master degree (3+2) within social sciences, preferably acquired recently; or possess corresponding qualifications that could provide a basis for successfully completing a doctorate.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Stavanger both the grade for your master’s thesis and the weighted average grade of your master’s degree must individually be equivalent to or better than a B grade. If you finish your education (masters degree) in the spring of 2022 you are also welcome to apply.

Applicants with an education from an institution with a different grade scale than A-F, and/or with other types of credits than sp/ECTS, must attach a confirmed conversion scale that shows how the grades can be compared with the Norwegian A-F scale and a Diploma Supplement or similar that explains the scope of the subject that are included in the education. You can use these conversion scales  to calculate your points for admission.

Emphasis is also placed on your:

• ability to carry out a project that involves both qualitative research in a broad perspective and that includes artistic development work in the form of documentaries as a basis for experience and as involvement
• motivation and potential for research within the field
• motivation and potential for research within the field
• professional and personal skills for completing the doctoral degree within the timeframe
• ability to work independently and in a team, be innovative and creative
• ability to work structured and handle a heavy workload
• having a good command of both oral and written English

• a PhD education in a large, exciting and socially important organisation
• an ambitious work community which is developing rapidly. We strive to include employees at all levels in strategic decisions and promote an informal atmosphere with a flat organisational structure.
• colleague-based guidance programme (NyTi ) if teaching is a part of your position
• salary in accordance with the State Salary Scale, l.pl 17.515, code 1017, NOK 491 200 gross per year with salary development according to seniority in the position. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• automatic membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund , which provides favourable insurance- and retirement benefits
• favourable membership terms at a gym and at the SIS sports club  at campus
• employment with an Inclusive Workplace organisation which is committed to reducing sick leave, increasing the proportion of employees with reduced working capacity, and increasing the number of professionally active seniors
• "Hjem-jobb-hjem"  discounted public transport to and from work
• as an employee in Norway, you will have access to an optimal health service, as well as good pensions, generous maternity/paternity leave, and a competitive salary. Nursery places are guaranteed and reasonably priced
• relocation programme
• language courses : On this page you can see which language courses you may be entitled to (look up “language courses” under employment conditions)

University of Stavanger values independence, involvement and innovation. Diversity is respected and considered a resource in our work and learning environment. Universal design characterises physical and digital learning environments, and we strive to provide reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities.

You are encouraged to apply regardless of gender, disability or cultural background.

The university aims to recruit more men within the subject area. If several applicants are considered to have equal qualifications, male applicants will be given priority.

More information on the position and project description can be obtained from Oluf Langhelle, tel: 51831508, e-mail: [email protected] or Kristiane Lindland, tel: 51833704, e-mail: [email protected] .

Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from HR-advisor Annette Falch Lothe, tel: 51 83 13 61, e-mail: [email protected] .

To apply for this position please follow the link "Apply for this job" at Jobbnorge.no . Your application letter, relevant education and work experience as well as language skills must be registered here. In your application letter, you must state your research interests and motivation for the position.

The following documents must be uploaded as attachments to your application:

• project proposal, a project proposal template can be found here . 
• CV with a full summary of your education and experience
• references, certificates/diplomas and other documentation that you consider relevant
• Diploma Supplement or similar and a confirmed conversion scale if this is required
• documentation on competence in English if this is required
• publications or other relevant research work

Applications are evaluated based on the information available in Jobbnorge at the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above and that you have attached the necessary documentation. 

The documentation must be available in either a Scandinavian language or in English. If the total size of the attachments exceeds 30 MB, they must be compressed before upload.

Please note that information on applicants may be published even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the official list of applicants - see Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act . If your request is not granted, you will be notified.

UiS only considers applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, 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 UiS. 

Employment as PhD Fellow is regulated in "Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for the posts of post-doctoral research fellow and research fellow, research assistant and resident ".

Your qualifications for the position, based on documentation registered in Jobbnorge, will be assessed by an internal expert committee. Based on the committee's statement, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview before any recommendations are made. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. More about the hiring process on our website.

The appointee will be based at the University of Stavanger, with the exception of a stay abroad at a relevant centre of research.

It is a prerequisite that you have a residence which enables you to be present at/available to the academic community during ordinary working hours.

The position has been announced in both Norwegian and English. In the case of differences of meaning between the texts, the Norwegian text takes precedence.