Job description

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 topic

The 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 role of the state in enabling and/or hindering just and green transitions. 
• The potential of organising for and with nature in support of just and green transitions.
• Handling discrepancies between organisational goals and societal interests in economic sectors whose core activities are in conflict with climate goals.
• The potential of (local) communities for leading the way from the bottom-up.
• The possibilities of academia for influencing the tempo and character of the green transition.

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 proposal

As 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 requirements

We 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:

• 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

Requirements for competence in English

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:

• TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based Test (IBT). Minimum result: 90
• IELTS – International English Language Testing Service. Minimum result: 6.5
• Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) from the University of Cambridge
• PTE Academic – Pearson Test of English Academic. Minimum result: 62

The following applicants are exempt from the above requirements:

• Applicants with one year of completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA
• Applicants with an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma
• Applicants with a completed bachelor’s and / or master’s degrees taught in English in a EU/EEA country

We offer

• a PhD education in a large, exciting and societally 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 501 200 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)

Diversity

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 information

More information on the position (and project description) can be obtained from Head of department Oluf Langhelle tel: +47 51831508, e-mail: oluf.langhelle@uis.no or Associate professor Jens Kaae Fisker, tel: +47 91187719, e-mail: jens.k.fisker@uis.no.

Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from HR-advisor Christina Storm, tel: +47 51831753, e-mail: christina.storm@uis.no.

UiS

Application

To 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:

• 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.

General information

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. 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.

Morten Berentsen

UiS – challenge the well-known and explore the unknown

The 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 Sciences 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.

Read the job description at the university homepage

Apply for this job

Deadline

31st March 2023

Post expires on Friday March 31st, 2023