PhD Fellow in Sport Science

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About the position

Are you motivated to take the step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD candidate at the Institutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap, you will work towards obtaining a doctorate, while simultaneously gaining valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, both within and outside academia.

This PhD position in sport science offers an excellent opportunity for scientific development through designing, conducting, and communicating research on a topical theme. The goal of the PhD position is to complete doctoral education and obtain a doctorate.

The position lasts for 4 years, including one year of teaching and other dissemination tasks. The candidate will be part of the active research group Ferdighets- og prestasjonsutvikling i idrett og skole (SPDSS) at the Institutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap and will be part of a broader international network of researchers working within the field of sport psychology.

For more information about the research group, visit our website

Your immediate supervisor will be the Head of Department.

About the project

In elite sports, there is a widespread perception that athletes should push their bodies to the limit and accept the risks this entails for body and health—a phenomenon often described as a 'risk culture'. This culture stands in stark contrast to the Norwegian Sports Confederation's ethical guideline to always 'put health before performance'. This tension is particularly evident in handball, a sport characterized by high physical intensity, extensive body contact, and a high injury frequency. Additionally, handball is Norway's second largest sport and is characterized by a strong performance culture with significant international success. Handball therefore serves as a topical context for investigating the sport's risk culture. The project will contribute important knowledge on how to facilitate safe and healthy development environments in handball. The project consists of four sub-projects within elite handball, using different methodological approaches (mixed methods):

1. A quantitative study of elite handball players' willingness to prioritize performance over health.
2. A qualitative study of elite athletes' experiences of prioritizing performance over health in handball.
3. A qualitative study of micro-stakeholders (coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, medical staff) and their reflections on athletes prioritizing performance over health in elite handball.
4. A qualitative study of macro-stakeholders (key figures in clubs and federations) and their reflections on athletes prioritizing performance over health in elite handball.

Tasks

• complete doctoral education until a doctorate is obtained
• conduct research of high quality
• academic publications and popular science dissemination
• participate in the research group Ferdighets- og prestasjonsutvikling i idrett og skole (https://www.ntnu.no/iss/spdss)
• participate in international activities such as participation in conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• teaching in relevant study programs at the institute

Please be prepared that changes to your tasks may occur after employment.

The fellow is committed to following the regulations related to changes and development in the position and/or organizational changes related to the operations at NTNU.

Qualification requirements

• You must have a relevant social science master's degree in sport science or equivalent. Your educational path must correspond to a five-year Norwegian study, where normally 120 ECTS credits are obtained at the master's level, including a master's thesis or equivalent work with a scope of at least 30 ECTS credits. Master's students may apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies, and have an average grade from the master's degree studies, or equivalent education, that is a B or better in accordance with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally strong academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suited for PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program (https://www.ntnu.no/su/phd-utdanning)
• The project outline is of high quality.
• Experience with quantitative statistical analysis and qualitative analysis (mixed methods).
• Good written and oral skills in English.

NOTE: For detailed information on what the application should contain, see the section “About the application”.

We refer to NTNU's guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Desired qualifications

• Knowledge of software such as R (or Stata) and NVivo (or equivalent software for qualitative analysis).
• The position includes one year of dissemination work such as teaching, and good written and oral skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is an advantage.

Personal qualities

To complete a doctorate (ph.d.), it is important that you are able to:

• Show curiosity and strong motivation for the subject
• Work independently and structured
• Set goals and create plans to achieve them
• Approach the subject matter creatively, as well as present and discuss your research and engage constructively with feedback from colleagues.
• Actively contribute to the academic and social work environment in SPDSS.

Personal suitability will be emphasized.

We offer

• an exciting job with an important societal mission
• developing tasks in a strong and international academic environment
• career guidance and follow-up during the doctoral period
• an open and inclusive work environment with engaged colleagues
• operating funds that can be used to carry out the project
• a mentor scheme for new employees at NTNU
• favorable terms in Statens pensjonskasse

You will be employed as a PhD Fellow at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits.

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU, we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity of society and utilizes the potential in the population's collective competencies. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is crucial for us to achieve our goals together.

We seek employees with different competencies, combinations of subjects, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better task solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you find this position relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, disability and cultural background, or if you have been outside the workforce for a period.

Salary and terms

In the position as PhD Fellow code 1017, your salary will normally be gross NOK 550,800 per year depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, a 2% statutory contribution is made to Statens Pensjonskasse.

The employment period is 4 years, including 1 year of career-promoting work such as teaching. For employment in a PhD fellow position, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD program within Social Sciences (https://www.ntnu.no/studier/phsv) within three months after starting, and that you participate in an organized doctoral program within the employment period.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you stay updated on academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis. The employment is carried out according to the principles in the Civil Servants Act, and legislation regulating the export of knowledge, technology and services. Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are deemed to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter law, will not be able to be employed.

The employment is carried out according to the principles in the Civil Servants Act, and legislation regulating the export of knowledge, technology and services. Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are deemed to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter law, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The application and attachments, (incl. description of your scientific work) must follow the application as these form the basis for the assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/Scandinavian or English.

We point out that the application will only be assessed based on the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, ensure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above.

If you have used AI when applying for this position: You must specify in the application how AI has been used when writing the application.

The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring confirmed copies of diplomas and certificates upon request.

The application must contain:

• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees
• CV
• copy of master's thesis. If you have recently submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• project outline containing a proposal for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and a progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages)
• a short cover letter specifying your motivation for the position (400 words/1 page)
• any publications etc. other relevant research work
• any certificates
• name and contact information for three relevant references

If all or part of your education was taken abroad, we ask you to additionally attach documentation on the scope and quality of your entire educational path, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to any other higher education. If your institution offers a "diploma supplement" (common for most European educational institutions), please attach this. A description of other necessary documentation can be found here. If you have a statement from HK-dir, it would be good if you attach it as well.

We take into account work you have done together with others. If it is difficult to identify your contribution in collaborative work, you must attach a short explanation of your participation.

When assessing the most qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience, as well as personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and the commitments in CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a wider range of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's societal mission).

General information

A public applicant list with name, age, job title and municipality of residence will be prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to reserve yourself from being listed on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current law. You will be notified if the reservation is not granted.

If you have questions about the position, you can contact Professor Stig Arve Sæther, e-mail: stigarve@ntnu.no.

If you have questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR advisor Renate Lillian Johansen, e-mail: renate.johansen@ntnu.no

Application deadline: 01.09.2026

For practical information about working at NTNU, please see this page.

Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is Norway's technology capital with a population of over 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and general equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized childcare is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers good educational opportunities (including international schools) and opportunities to enjoy nature, culture and family life, and has low crime and clean air quality.

About the employer:

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

At NTNU, Norway's technical-scientific university, knowledge is created for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Institutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap

We conduct research, teaching and dissemination within the fields of sociology, political science, media, communication and information technology, and sport science. The institute offers teacher education in social sciences and in physical education and sport sciences. As a social science institute, we have a special commitment to contributing to the public debate on important societal issues. Institutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap is one of six institutes at the Fakultet for samfunns- og utdanningsvitenskap.