PhD Research Scholar positions - Department of Economics (# of pos: 2)

NHH Norwegian School of Economics  is one of the leading business schools in Europe. We are internationally recognised for our research environment, and we educate the leaders of the future. NHH is the first choice for students who want to study economics and business administration in Norway. We have about 3,600 students and 450 employees.

At NHH we work together for sustainable value creation. High quality, solid ethic standards and efforts for common goals characterise all our activities. Our core values committed, open and ambitious are central for employees and students.

NHH – for you who aspire to more!

The PhD specialisation

NHH is pleased to announce vacancies in the PhD specialisation in Economics. Candidates admitted to the PhD Programme at NHH will receive the title of PhD Research Scholar. Females are particularly encouraged to apply.

The Department of Economics is looking for highly motivated and talented individuals. The PhD specialisation in economics aims to give dedicated graduates a solid training in performing high quality scientific research in economics, making use of state of the art empirical and theoretical techniques. The programme prepares students for the international academic job market, for positions at national and international policy institutions, central banks and research organisations.

PhD research scholars are provided with personal computers, printer access, extensive library resources, and a wide range of software.

NHH and the Department of Economics received their first National Centre of Excellence from the Norwegian Research Council in 2017 - Centre for Experimental Research on Fairness, Inequality and Rationality (FAIR ). Other NHH research centres have also received particular support and focus due to their high research quality, such at the Centre for Business Economics (CBE ) and the Centre for Macroeconomics, Risk and Sustainability (MRS ).   

Researchers at the department are actively engaged in the following research areas:

• Behavioural economics
• Development economics
• Economic history
• Experimental economics
• Industrial organisation
• International economics
• Labour economics
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Natural resources and environmental economics
• Public economics

The department encourages interaction between PhD research scholars and faculty through social gatherings and a wide variety of seminars and workshops in which the PhD research scholars are fully involved.  

Further information on the Department of Economics  and on the PhD specialisation in Economics .

Start date: August 2022

The PhD programme

The PhD programme at NHH  is a four-year fully-funded programme, which combines an intensive course component with research and relevant work experience, preparing the school’s graduates for competitive careers towards national and international academic institutions and industry.

Former PhD graduates have been hired by renowned institutions such as HEC Paris, NOVA SBE, Tilburg University, University of California, Norwegian universities and business schools, as well as in the government, banking, finance and consulting industries.

The PhD research scholars will be included in a highly stimulating and rewarding research environment, working closely with faculty members and other PhD research scholars at the department. The PhD research scholars receive feedback on their work through regular interaction with their supervisor and other faculty members during seminars. PhD research scholars are expected to participate actively in faculty and research seminars, as well as in workshops. The place of work will be at NHH in Bergen where the PhD research scholars will receive their own office space in their department.

The scholarship includes 25% teaching and/or research assistance responsibilities, and the PhD research scholars must take one basic module of the programme for university pedagogy in the course of the fixed-term period. The PhD programme gives preference to applicants who addresses research problems that fit the research interests of the department and available resources for supervision. As the school aspires gender balance and diversity, female applicants will be given preference if applicants are otherwise equally qualified.

The annual salary for the PhD research scholar position is set according to the Norwegian State Salary, which currently is NOK 490 800 (equivalent to approximately EUR 49 500 or USD 56 750). The salary ensures a fair standard of living in Norway and is subject to Norwegian taxes and benefits, including public health care benefits and pension savings.

The city of Bergen offers a mild coastal climate and hosts rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities, as well as a family-friendly environment. To explore the city, go to visitnorway.com .

Application requirements

General requirements:

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements  for the PhD programme.  

You are required to upload the following electronically with your application:

• Certificate of a Master of science degree or equivalent (please include transcripts of grades)
• Certificate of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (please include transcripts of grades)
• Other relevant certificates or transcripts (e.g. courses completed at the PhD level)
• If the issuing authority of grades and degrees does not use the ECTS grading scale, please include an official description of the applied grading scale system
• Statement of purpose describing your motivation for applying this position (250-300 words)
• Tentative research project outline (2000-4000 words) describing the aims, objectives, research questions, and elaborating on your motivation for pursuing the proposed area of research. Please note that your research project is tentative and often needs adjustments after acceptance into the programme
• Curriculum vitae
• A list of all publications and/or other documented research activities
• Contact details of two referees

Please upload the documents in separate files, not combined in one single file.

Specific requirements:

The Department of Economics requires you to have an adequate level of academic and English language proficiency by adequate GMAT or GRE scores, TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic test scores, or documenting equivalent skills in other ways.

• If you use GMAT/GRE or TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Academic test scores to document your skills, you must upload a scanned copy of your unofficial test results in Jobbnorge (online portal) when you apply. If you are one of the selected candidates, you must ask the test centres to send your test scores electronically to NHH without delay due to the time lag at the test centers. It is also possible to give NHH access to your results when you apply.
• You are waived from the GMAT/GRE tests if you hold a qualifying master’s degree from a Nordic school.
• You are waived from TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Academic if you are a native English speaker, have a qualifying Master’s degree from a Nordic school or you have a qualifying Master’s degree where the language of tuition was English.
• Please consult the NHH PHD website  for detailed information on how to submit test scores and to see whether you are waived from these requirements.

Letter of recommendation:

Letters of recommendation may strengthen your application, but it is not mandatory. The referees should send their letter of recommendation (in PDF file format) to [email protected]  by latest 15 January 2022.  

General information

For more information on the PhD programme and the submission procedure, please consult the NHH PHD website . Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please note that applicants for the PhD research scholar position do not need to apply separately for admission to the PhD programme.

In accordance with §25 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, note that the list of applicants may be made public even if the applicant has requested not to have his/her name entered on the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected.

For questions and inquiries about the NHH PhD programme, please contact [email protected] .

Applications must be submitted online. To open the application, please click ‘Apply for this job’. For English version, go to the menu at the top right side.

Application deadline: 15 January 2022