PhD fellowship in Environmental humanities

The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a PhD Fellowship in environmental humanities at the Faculty of Arts and Education, Department of Cultural Studies and Languages. The position is vacant from 01.04.2022.

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 education and humanities. 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. If the candidate can speak Norwegian or another Scandinavian language, it is possible to extend the employment period to four years with included 25% compulsory work. This will be clarified in the recruitment process.

The position is funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Research topic

The PhD Fellow will be affiliated with the project Histories of animals, technological infrastructure, and making more-than-human homes in the modern age (AtHOME), which is led by Professor Dolly Jørgensen. The AtHOME project has a central question: How have animals used things that people have made and how have people reacted to animals who make their homes near them? The project group will examine how animals domesticate technologies, how animal use technologies for their own purposes, and how infrastructure becomes a part of animals’ lives. Since conflicts occur increasingly often between people and animals in our increasingly technological world, we need a more nuanced understanding of how animals can create a home with technology just like humans. The PhD Fellow will be part of the work package on artificial reefs as a technological infrastructure that animals use as homes. The PhD Fellow will identify and analyse debates about artificial reefs made of various materials such as concrete, tires, and subway cars in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In the project proposal (maximum 3 pages), the candidate should outline how the project will be undertaken, with a focus on the geographical area, time period, actors, artificial reef type(s), archives, and other source material that might be used in the PhD thesis.

Project proposal

As an applicant, you must prepare a preliminary project proposal for a doctoral project within the research topic, 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 history or another relevant discipline, 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 2021. 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:

  • 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

We offer

  • 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)

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.

Contact information

More information on the position can be obtained from Head of Department Kjetil Thengs , tel: 51831337, e-mail: kjetil.v.thengs@uis.no or Professor Dolly Jørgensen, tel: 48498930, e-mail: dolly.jorgensen@uis.no.

Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from HR advisor Annette Falch Lothe, tel: 51831361, e-mail: annette.f.lothe@uis.no.

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. 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.

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