PhD Fellow in Sociology

About the position

At the Institutt for samfunnsvitenskap (ISV), Fakultet for humaniora, samfunnsvitenskap og lærerutdanning (HSL), there is a vacant position as a PhD fellow within the field of sociology. The PhD fellow will be affiliated with the research group Robuste fellesskap.

The PhD fellowship is a training position and aims to complete research education up to the doctoral degree. Admission to the 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 PhD 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 Tromsø. You must be able to start the position within a reasonable time after receiving an offer.

The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education has approximately 630 full-time positions and about 3000 students distributed across several institutes and centers. The faculty conducts research, teaching, and outreach in a variety of humanities and social science subjects/disciplines. Within several fields, the faculty has the strongest research environments in Norway and the region, and large parts of the teaching offerings are also unique in a Northern Norwegian context. The faculty conducts professional education in social sciences and has primary responsibility for the university's total portfolio within teacher education.

The Institute of Social Science (ISV) has about 65 employees in permanent and temporary scientific positions. Teaching is offered at all levels; from bachelor's level to PhD level (doctoral level). The institute conducts research, teaching, and dissemination within sociology, political science, social anthropology, and urban and regional planning. The institute also offers subjects in teacher education and has extensive activities in continuing and further education. The organization of the institute's research takes place largely through established research groups where most employees are members.

The position's tasks/about the project

This is an invitation to talented candidates to apply for an open PhD fellowship in sociology! The PhD fellow will be supervised by permanent employees, and we recommend that the project be linked to research and expertise among employees in the faggruppen i sosiologi to ensure sufficient supervision capacity and academic community.

Among the permanent employees, Stine W. Adrian works with sociological studies of medical technologies in connection with life and death in the Arctic. Daniel V. Rød is concerned with geographic variation in health and care services and education, as well as prioritization in health services. Jeanette Skoglund's research interests include family life, parenthood, childhood, child welfare and foster care, social inequality, the welfare state, gender, and emotions. Marit Aure's research interests include critical migration and integration studies, urban and rural coastal communities, volunteering, creative, qualitative, and participatory methods. Truls T. Kristiansen's research interests include community and collective action, digitalization and society, document analysis, and digital methods. Gunnar Aakvaag is concerned with freedom and limitations in the Norwegian model, sociological contemporary diagnoses, sociological theory, and positive sociology. We encourage applicants to contact employees in the subject group to prepare the project outline.

Applicants must submit a project outline with the academic foundation for the doctoral project. The project outline must not exceed 7 pages, including literature references. It must contain a description of the topic, research questions, and a justification for the choices. The final project outline will be developed in collaboration with the supervisor. It is important that the applicant is motivated to work on the project. A template for the project outline can be found here (bokmål)/here (nynorsk).

Contact

More information about the position can be obtained from Professor Marit Aure:

• e-mail: marit.aure@uit.no

or Deputy Head of Research Stine Willum Adrian:

• e-mail: stine.willum.adrian@uit.no

Qualifications

We are seeking a talented and motivated candidate with great research potential!

Necessary qualifications:

• The position requires a master's degree in sociology or an equivalent social science subject, with a requirement for a grade average corresponding to a B. In special cases, admission may be granted with a lower grade average than B if the candidate can document scientific production in addition to the master's degree. Documented completed master's degree is a condition for commencing the position. You can still apply if you are close to submitting or have recently submitted your master's thesis. You must attach a draft of the thesis and a statement from the supervisor or the institution regarding when the thesis is expected to be completed. You must submit transcripts for the degree, even if it is not completed.
• Applicants must document good knowledge of English and be able to work in an international environment. Nordic applicants can document this with transcripts from upper secondary school.

Desirable qualifications.

• Knowledge of Norwegian society

In the assessment, emphasis will be placed on the applicant's potential to complete a research education 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 completion 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 abilities for independent work and management of their own time
• Good collaborative skills
• Abilities for good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Abilities and desire to contribute to a good working environment
• Willingness to familiarize themselves with issues related to AI in a research context

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

Admission to the PhD program

For employment as a PhD fellow, it is a prerequisite that you are admitted to the PhD program at the 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 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.

To be admitted, a grade average corresponding to a B or better in the master's degree is required. The grade average also applies to integrated 5-year master's degree programs where all subjects are included in the calculation. 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 PhD program. The application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after commencing the position.

For applicants with an international 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 practice; 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 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 have the opportunity to carry out your own defined 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 will only be 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 with a description of 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 proficiency
• 2-3 references with contact information
• The master's thesis, and any other scientific works
• Project outline (max 7 pages, including reference list)

Documented completed master's degree is a condition for commencing the position. You can still apply if you are close to submitting or have recently submitted your master's thesis. You must attach a draft of the thesis and a statement from the supervisor or the institution regarding when the thesis is expected to be completed. You must submit transcripts for the degree, even if it is not completed.

All documentation to be assessed must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If documentation of English language 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 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 who are assessed 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 takes place 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 position as a PhD fellow is remunerated according to the state's regulation code 1017. From the salary, a 2% contribution is deducted to Statens pensjonskasse. You will become a member of Statens pensjonskasse, which gives you 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 get good terms on home loans. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

A shorter employment period may be given if the PhD fellow has already completed parts of their research education program, or when the employment is based on previous employment in a training position, so that the total time for research education 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 The Arctic University of Norway is an internationally leading broad 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 in 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 subjects. 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