PhD Fellow in Environmental and Resource Economics

About the position

At Norges fiskerihøgskole, there is a vacant position as a PhD Fellow in environmental and resource economics, affiliated with the Miljø- og Ressursøkonomi (MRØ) forskningsgruppen.

The position is for a period of four years. The Ph.D. studies are standardized to three years. The fourth year, distributed as 25% per year, shall be used for teaching or other tasks by agreement. The PhD fellowship is a training position and aims to complete researcher training up to a doctorate. Admission to the doctoral program is a prerequisite for employment, and the study period begins upon commencement of the position.

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

About the project / The position's research area

The Miljø- og Ressursøkonomi forskningsgruppa (MRØ) currently consists of five permanent scientific employees, one post doctor, and one doctoral student. The group develops and applies bioeconomic modeling, valuation, environmental economics, behavioral economics, as well as market and econometric analysis to address challenges related to the seafood industry, marine natural resources, and the environment. MRØ works closely with several research groups at Norges fiskerihøgskole, which constitute a solid multidisciplinary environment.

The PhD fellowship will operate within the research areas of the MRØ forskningsgruppen, where focus areas include aquaculture economics, climate and fisheries, small-scale fisheries, and seafood markets.

Applicants must submit a project description/project outline providing the academic basis for the doctoral project. The project description must not exceed 4 pages, including literature references. It must contain a description of the topic, research questions, and a justification for the choices made. It should also describe which methods will be used. The final project description will be developed in collaboration with a supervisor. It is important that the applicant has an appropriate background and is motivated to work on the project.

Contact

More information about the position can be obtained from Professor Claire Armstrong:

• telephone: +47 776 45 574
• e-mail: claire.armstrong@uit.no

Qualifications

Necessary qualifications:

• Master or foreign equivalent in economics, or a master in multidisciplinary Fiskeri- og havbruksvitenskap with a master's thesis in economics. For foreign education, equivalence will be assessed based on the academic content and relevance to the position.
• Good knowledge of fisheries and/or aquaculture.
• Experience in quantitative analysis.
• Applicants must have documented good knowledge of English and be able to work in an international environment. Nordic applicants can document this with transcripts from upper secondary school.

Desired qualifications:

• Background or experience in environmental and natural resource economics.
• Master's thesis related to fisheries or aquaculture.

In the assessment, emphasis will be placed on the applicant's potential to complete researcher training based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific works. The project description will also be taken into account. Additionally, other experience of significance for the conduct of the doctoral studies may 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 researcher training. If you have already obtained a doctorate or have equivalent competence, you are not eligible for employment in this position.

Admission to the Ph.D. program

For employment as a PhD fellow, it is a prerequisite that you are admitted to the Ph.D. program at the Fakultet for biovitenskap, fiskeri og økonomi 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 credits and a Master's degree of 120 ECTS credits, or an integrated Master's degree of 300 ECTS credits.
• A Master's thesis with a scope equivalent to 30 ECTS credits or more if the applicant has a Master's degree of 120 ECTS credits.
• A Master's thesis with a scope equivalent to 20 ECTS credits or more if the applicant has an integrated Master's degree of 300 ECTS credits.

The applicant must have achieved a B or better on the Master's thesis, and an average grade of B or better in subjects included in the Master's degree. For integrated Master's degrees, the applicant must have achieved a B or better on the Master's thesis and have an average of C or better in all subjects included in the integrated degree. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.

If you meet the admission requirements and are employed in the position, you will simultaneously receive provisional admission to the Ph.D. program. The application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after commencement of the position.

For applicants with a foreign educational background, it will be assessed whether the education is equivalent to 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 and a 2-year Master. UiT normally approves foreign higher education from countries that have ratified the Lisbon Convention.

Inclusive working life and diversity

UiT Norges arktiske universitet has a personnel policy goal to be an employer that reflects the diversity of society and utilizes the potential in the population's total 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 these boxes 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. Beyond 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 580,000 NOK in annual salary with a 3% increase per year

The application

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

Your application must include:

• A cover letter with a description of your research interests and motivation for the position
• CV
• Official transcripts for Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the original language
• Official grade transcripts for Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the original language
• Official translation of transcripts and grade sheets 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 proficiency
• 2-3 references with contact information
• The Master's thesis, and any other scientific works
• Project description/Project outline (max 4 pages)

Documented completion of a Master's degree is a condition for commencing the position. You can still apply if you have not received your Master's degree certificate, 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 proficiency 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 conduct 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 shall, 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 will find more information for applicants to positions at UiT.

The position of PhD fellow 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 PhD fellow has already completed parts of their researcher training program, or when the employment is based on previous employment in a training position, so that the total time for researcher training becomes three years.

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 Norges arktiske universitet is a broad university that contributes to knowledge-based development regionally, nationally, and internationally. We shall utilize our central location in the Arctic regions, our academic breadth and quality, and our multidisciplinary advantages to meet future challenges.

Credibility, academic freedom, proximity, creativity, and engagement shall characterize the relationship between employees, between employees and students, and between UiT and partners.

The Fakultet for biovitenskap, fiskeri og økonomi (BFE) consists of Institutt for arktisk og marin biologi, Norges Fiskerihøgskole, and Handelshøgskolen.

The Faculty's primary tasks are to conduct research, teaching, and dissemination at a high national and international level within its fields. Prioritized research areas are aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, climate, fish and animal adaptation to life in the Arctic, marine biotechnology/bioprospecting, aquaculture/fish health, marine food products, business and resource economics, resource and environmental economics, market research, and resource management. The Faculty's multidisciplinary profile provides good opportunities to develop research projects where several academic groups collaborate.