PhD Fellow in Border Studies

About the position

At Senter for Geopolitikk, fred og sikkerhet (GPS), Fakultet for humaniora, samfunnsvitenskap og lærerutdanning(HSL), there is a vacant position as a PhD Fellow in border studies.

The PhD fellowship is a training position and aims to complete research training up to a doctoral degree. Admission to a doctoral program is a prerequisite for employment, and the study period begins upon commencement of the position.

The position is for a period of 3 years and full-time PhD studies with the possibility of an extension through a completion grant. If the doctoral thesis is submitted within the standard study period of 3 years or within 3.5 years, the fellow qualifies for a completion grant of 12 or 6 months, respectively. The completion grant shall be used for qualification-promoting measures, including university pedagogical courses, teaching, and other tasks at the faculty. More about the completion grant scheme can be found here.

The place of work is UiT in Kirkenes and Tromsø. You must be able to start the position within a reasonable time after receiving an offer.

Senter for geopolitikk, fred og sikkerhet (GPS)

Senter for geopolitikk, fred og sikkerhet (GPS) gathers and highlights UiT's competence and research within geopolitics, peace, and security.

Job duties

The person appointed is expected to conduct research on themes related to Arctic borders and border areas. The research aims to strengthen our understanding of Arctic borders in today's geopolitical context. The PhD project should be in line with one or more of GPS's core areas: geopolitics, security, as well as peace and conflict studies.

The project must thematically fall within the framework of UiT's strategy and the faculty's strategic long-term plan and be linked to a research group at the center. The project shall be academically relevant to the center's research activity and must be able to be supervised by employees at the center.

Applicants must submit a project outline providing the academic basis for the doctoral project. The project outline must not exceed 5 pages, including literature references. It must contain a description of the theme, research questions, and a justification for the choices made. It should also describe which methods will be used. The final project outline will be developed in collaboration with the supervisor. It is important that the applicant has an appropriate background and is motivated to work on the project. A template for the project outline can be found here (bokmål)/here (nynorsk).

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Master's degree in border studies, geography, social anthropology, sociology, political science, or a closely related field. Documented completed master's degree is a condition for taking up the position. You can still apply if you have not yet received your master's diploma, but the master's thesis must be submitted for assessment by the application deadline for the position. You must attach the master's thesis and transcripts from the degree in the application.
• Documented ability to conduct independent research.
• Very good written and oral skills in English.
• Interest in and knowledge of border studies.
• Knowledge of the Arctic.
• Documented good knowledge of English. Nordic applicants can document this with high school transcripts.

Desirable qualifications:

• Skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language are an advantage.
• Skills in other languages relevant to the Arctic are an advantage.

Security clearance may be required.

In the assessment, emphasis will be placed on the applicant's potential to complete research training based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific works. The project outline will also be taken into account. In addition, professional practice and other experience of importance for the conduct of the doctoral studies will be considered.

In the evaluation, we will also emphasize personal suitability and motivation for the position. We are looking for candidates who, among other things, have:

• Good collaborative skills
• Abilities for good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Abilities and desire to contribute to a good working environment

As many as possible should be given the opportunity to undergo research training. If you have already obtained a doctoral degree or have equivalent competence, you are not eligible for employment in this position.

Admission to PhD programs

For employment as a PhD fellow, it is a prerequisite that you are admitted to the PhD program at Fakultet for humaniora, samfunnsvitenskap og lærerutdanning and that you participate in organized doctoral studies during the employment period.

Admission normally requires that the applicant has:

• A Bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a Master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated Master's degree of 300 ECTS.
• A Master's thesis with a scope equivalent to 30 ECTS or more if the applicant has a Master's degree of 120 ECTS.
• A Master's thesis with a scope equivalent to 20 ECTS or more if the applicant has an integrated Master's degree of 300 ECTS.

To be admitted, a grade point average equivalent to a B or better in the Master's degree is required. The grade point average also applies to integrated 5-year Master's programs where all subjects are included in the calculation. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.

For applicants with an international educational background, it will be assessed whether the education is equated with Norwegian higher education at the Master's level. The assessment follows national approval practices; see Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse. Applicants with education from certain countries must have more higher education to meet the admission requirements, for example, a 4-year Bachelor's and a 2-year Master's. UiT normally approves foreign higher education from countries that have ratified the Lisbon Convention.

Inclusive working life and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway has a personnel policy goal to be an employer that reflects the diversity of society and utilizes the potential in the population's collective competence. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength and want employees with different competencies, combinations of subjects, life experiences, and perspectives.

If you have a disability, gaps in your CV, or an immigrant background, we encourage you as an applicant to check this in the job application portal. If there are qualified applicants, we call in at least one from each group for an interview, and if you get the job, we will make arrangements for you if you need them. Aside from selecting the right candidates, we do not use the checkboxes for anything other than anonymized statistics. Read more in the Employer Portal: arbeidsgiver.dfo.no/strategisk-hr/inkluderingsarbeid/bli-bedre-pa-rekruttering/hvordan-skrive-stillingsannonser-som-inkluderer/positiv-saerbehandling-nar-man-soker-jobb-i-staten

We offer

• You will become part of an exciting research project
• Good career opportunities
• A good working environment with dedicated colleagues
• Good welfare schemes
• Good pension, insurance, and loan schemes in Statens pensjonskasse
• PhD fellows normally receive 550,800 NOK in annual salary with a 3% increase per year
• Opportunity to apply for a grant for a longer research stay abroad

The application

Please note that the application is only assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you attach all necessary documents that show your qualifications for the position.

Your application must include:

• A cover letter describing your research interests and motivation for the position
• CV
• Official diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the original language
• Official transcripts for Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the original language
• Official translation of diplomas and transcripts into English or a Scandinavian language, if applicable
• An explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English language skills
• Documentation of Norwegian language skills or another Scandinavian language, if available
• 2-3 references with contact information
• The Master's thesis, and any other scientific works
• Project outline (5 pages)

Documented completed master's degree is a condition for taking up the position. You can still apply if you have not yet received your master's diploma, but the master's thesis must be submitted for assessment by the application deadline for the position. You must attach the master's thesis and transcripts from the degree in the application.

All documentation to be assessed must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If documentation of English language skills is missing at the time of application, it must be documented before commencement.

Assessment

Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to perform an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the application documents and the announcement text. All applicants will receive a copy of the expert committee's assessment.

Applicants deemed to be the most qualified will be called for an interview. The interview will, among other things, clarify personal suitability and motivation for the position.

General information

Employment is carried out in accordance with the rules and terms that apply to state employees at any given time, and guidelines at UiT. On our websites, you can find more information for applicants to positions at UiT.

A PhD fellowship position is paid according to the state regulations, code 1017. A 2% contribution to Statens pensjonskasse will be deducted from the salary. You will become a member of Statens pensjonskasse, which provides many benefits in addition to lifelong old-age pension and AFP: you may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you are insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you receive good terms on home loans. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

A shorter employment period may be granted if the fellow has already completed parts of their research training program, or when the employment is based on previous employment in a training position, so that the total time for research training becomes three years.

Finnmark currently has a scheme where you can have part of your student debt to Lånekassen waived. It is possible to have 60,000 NOK waived per year if you live and work in the county.

Personal data provided is processed in accordance with the Act on the Processing of Personal Data. Applicants can request not to be listed on the public applicant list, but the university may nonetheless decide that the applicant's name shall be made public. The applicant will then be notified prior to publication.

About the employer:

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is an internationally leading broad-based university. Our vision is to be a driving force in the North. The North Sami concept *eallju*, which means industriousness, sets the tone for the driving force at UiT. Together with students, employees, and society at large, we shall utilize our location in Northern Norway and Sápmi, our academic breadth, and our interdisciplinary advantages to shape the future.

UiT has approximately 18,000 students, more than 4,000 employees, and is established on four main campuses and seven other study locations in Northern Norway and on Svalbard. Our largest campuses are Tromsø, Alta, Narvik, and Harstad. UiT has seven faculties, 40 institutes and centers, and leading research environments within various disciplines. The university has 269 study programs and focuses on educational quality.

Academic freedom, scientific, and research ethics principles form the basis of all UiT's activities. Participation, co-determination, openness, and good processes shall provide the decision-making basis we need to make wise and forward-looking priorities. Our students and employees shall have the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential. Founded on scientific integrity, we shall be brave, engaged, and generous - close to the subject, the people, and contemporary developments.

Read more about UiT's strategy towards 2030