Post-doctoral position within Science and Technology Studies (STS): Beyond the fossil fuel era

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NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

     

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About the position

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture (KULT) at NTNU, is announcing an exciting new 3-year post-doctoral position at the intersection of Science and Technology Studies and sustainability transitions research. The position will be part of a cohort of PhD and post-doctoral researchers funded through NTNU’s strategic research area Energy. Here, the candidate will be part of the new focus area “Beyond the fossil fuel era”.

KULT is an interdisciplinary unit with a staff trained in humanities and social sciences, with a vibrant community of committed scholars who engage in a combination of research and teaching across all levels. The candidate will be part of the CLEEN research group. 

The position is funded by NTNU’s strategic research area on Energy. Additional opportunities linked to this initiative can be found at https://www.ntnu.edu/energy/announcements.

The ambition of the focus area Beyond the fossil fuel era is to develop a research agenda that tackles head-on the social, economic, technological and cultural challenges that are involved in truly moving beyond a fossil fuel era. Potential themes involve challenges for exnovation and phase-out, fossil fuel industry reorientation, understanding the dominant culture of petroleum nations and industry actors, as well as exploring what truly fossil free societies might look like. In other words, the ambition of the position is to explore what it would take to move beyond the fossil fuel era as well as the social, economic and environmental consequences of not doing so.

To this end, the candidate will be part of a newly established project group that spans five departments at NTNU, mobilizing expertise across the social sciences, humanities and engineering. The post doc will on the one hand pursue research within the domain of the research area. On the other hand, the candidate must take an active role in developing this theme as a visible, important and growing research domain at NTNU. This means that the candidate should be keen on organizing and developing events, pursuing funding opportunities and developing a strong network of academics and non-academics interested in the topics described. 

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department. 

Duties of the position

• Conduct empirical and conceptual research that develops new understandings related to moving beyond the fossil fuel era
• Publish peer-reviewed publications, conference participation and popular dissemination
• Play an active role in institutionally developing the research theme “Beyond the fossil fuel era” within NTNU Energy. This includes activities such as organizing events, applying for research funding, developing a network and in other ways advancing and disseminating the topic at NTNU and beyond. 
• Be able to be an active and contributing participant in the day-to-day activities at KULT, the CLEEN research group, NTNU Energy and other relevant initiatives. 

Required selection criteria

• Submitted PhD in Science and technology studies (STS) or sustainability transitions research. A PhD in another relevant social scientific or humanities discipline may be considered. Examples include geography, innovation studies, political science, human geography, or anthropology. 
• If you are in the final phase of your doctorate and can document that the thesis has been submitted or that the defense date has been confirmed, your application can be considered even if you have not defended. NOTE: Documentation of the obtained doctorate must be presented before you can take up the position. 
• Experience with and motivation for organizing activities such as workshops, and conferences. It will be an advantage if this work has been conducted in interdisciplinary contexts. 
• Excellent English skills (written and oral) is a requirement
• Basic understanding of and communication skills in  a Scandinavian language is a requirement 

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

If you do not already have educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as associate professor in Norway, NTNU will arrange for you to acquire such competence during the employment period. In such cases, you will also be assigned relevant teaching as part of the career-promoting work.

If you cannot document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2 upon employment, you must complete Norwegian courses corresponding to at least 15 credits before the end of the employment period. NTNU will facilitate this.  

As a result of the new Act relating to universities and university colleges with associated regulations of 01/08/2024, NTNU has, during a transitional period (for decisions on employment in recruitment positions before 1 August 2025), chosen to use the terms of employment in the old regulations of 31 January 2006 no. 102 on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, scientific assistant and specialist candidate.

Preferred selection criteria

• Domain knowledge relevant to the position will be a strong competitive advantage. This includes knowledge of and experience with researching the fossil fuel industry, its activities, structures and culture. 
• A strong and documented theoretical interest across academic domains will be a strong competitive advantage, as will an appetite for playful theory development across disciplines. 
• A documented history of collaborative research activities will be a strong competitive advantage. Examples include experience with developing co-authored research papers and participation in research projects.

Personal characteristics

Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you

• Can work independently 
• Work structured, set goals and make plans to achieve them 
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals 
• Are able to engage constructively in teamwork, in this case also across disciplinary boundaries.
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject 
• Are flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer 

• An exciting job with an important social mission
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment 
• Career guidance throughout the postdoctoral program and together with you we will prepare a career plan, which containsthe skills and knowledge you will acquire
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues 
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU 
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. 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 essential for us to achieve our goals.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 594.500 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important to keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and to adapt to them. 

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed. 

About the application 

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above.

The application must include:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's-, Master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or confirmation that your PhD thesis has been submitted. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• CV
• A max 4-page project proposal, indicating key research themes and to be covered during the project period.
• 3 references.
• A list of publications 

If all or parts of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

If you have had leave or another break in your career, it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account and that the amount of your research may be reduced as a result.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal qualities. Motivation, ambitions and potential for research will also be emphasized in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and is committed to follow evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment DORA and the obligations in CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public list of applicants, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Tomas Moe Skjølsvold, email: tomas.skjolsvold@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR-rådgiver Elisabeth Leite email: elisabeth.leite@ntnu.no.

If you find this position interesting, and in accordance with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

Application deadline: 01.04.2025

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000.The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.