The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a PhD Fellowship in esponsible leadership in the green transition at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Media and Social Sciences.
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 amounting 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.
Research topicThe selected candidate will conduct research on responsible leadership in the green transition. The environmental challenges associated with the climate and nature crisis generate a need for reconsidering what responsible leadership is – especially in organisations whose core activities need to be phased out if climate targets are to be met. The situation is made even more complex due to the fact that some of the means capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions are themselves generative of other environmental challenges – e.g. wind and hydro power, battery production, hydrogen plants, etc. Moreover, the climate crisis and the green transition create new issues of social and spatial justice. These are closely associated with broader patterns of inequality and exclusion that cut across class, gender, and ethnicity (i.e., intersectionality) while also traversing the dimensions of justice: distribution, recognition, and representation.
The purpose of the project will be to use methods from the humanities and/or social sciences to generate new knowledge on the development of responsible leadership practice in the context of climate crisis and green transition. Innovative combinations of methods and theoretical perspectives from fields and disciplines such as human geography, sociology, political science, change management, transition studies, organisational studies, and planning are particularly welcome. While open to a broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches, the project is nevertheless expected to be conducted with a high degree of engagement in the empirical field under study. This can be achieved through engaged methods – e.g. action research or ethnographic fieldwork – or through on-going constructive interaction with relevant external stakeholders. The purpose is to ensure that the project will make a difference by contributing to a green transition which is socially and spatially just.
Relevant thematic areas include, but are not limited to the following:
The PhD project will be associated with the cross-disciplinary research group in Social & Spatial Justice and the master programme in Change Management. The PhD fellow will be part of the newly established Green Transition PhD community.
Project proposalAs an applicant, you must prepare a preliminary project proposal (5 - 10 pages) 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.
Qualification requirementsWe are looking for applicants with a strong academic background who have completed a five-year master degree (3+2) within human geography, political science, sociology, social anthropology, change management, transition studies, organisational studies, planning, or 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 2023 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 subjects that are included in the education. You can use these conversion scales to calculate your points for admission.
Emphasis is also placed on your:
A good proficiency in English is required for anyone attending the PhD program. International applicants must document this by taking one of the following tests with the following results:
The following applicants are exempt from the above requirements:
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 women within the subject area. If several applicants are considered to have equal qualifications, female applicants will be given priority.
Contact informationMore information on the position (and project description) can be obtained from Head of department Oluf Langhelle tel: +47 51831508, e-mail: [email protected] or Associate professor Jens Kaae Fisker, tel: +47 91187719, e-mail: [email protected]
Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from HR-advisor Christina Storm, tel: +47 51831753, e-mail: [email protected]
ApplicationTo apply for this position please follow the link "Apply for this job". 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:
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.
General informationThe 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. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation, it will be rejected without further assessment.
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.
UiS - challenge the well-known and explore the unknownThe University of Stavanger (UiS) has about 12,000 students and 2,200 employees. The university has high ambitions. We strive to have an innovative and international profile, and be a driving force in knowledge development and in the process of societal change. Our common direction is driven by consideration for green and sustainable change and equitable social development, through new ways of managing natural resources and facilitating better cities and local communities. Energy, health and welfare, learning for life are our focus areas.
In constant collaboration and dialogue with our surroundings, regionally, nationally and internationally, we enjoy an open and creative climate for education, research, innovation, dissemination and museum activities. Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organised into six faculties comprising various departments/schools and National Research Centres, as well as the Museum of Archaeology. We are a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The university is located in the most attractive region in the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The Stavanger region has a dynamic labour market and exciting cultural and leisure activities.
Together with our staff and students we will challenge the well-known and explore the unknown.
The Faculty of Social Science s has about 2,400 students and 210 employees. The studies are based on a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, on interdisciplinarity and cooperation with public and private sectors. New knowledge is generated from both practical experience and systematic research, or a combination of them. The educational offer is varied and includes Hospitality and Tourism, Media, Sociology, Social Work and Child Welfare, amongst others. The Faculty consists of: Department of Media and Social Sciences, Department of Social Studies and the Norwegian School of Hotel Management.
The Department of Media and Social Sciences offers study programs and carries out research within Change Management, Energy/Environment/Society, Sociology, Documentary production, Television and Media Production and Journalism. There are currently 70 employees including research fellows and postdocs, and around 900 students at the department.
Deadline31st March 2023
EmployerUniversity of Stavanger
MunicipalityStavanger
ScopeFulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)
DurationTemporary
Place of serviceUllandhaug