PhD fellow in Societal Security and Disaster Research

The position

A PhD position is available at the Department of Technology and Safety (ITS), Faculty of Science and Technology for candidates interested in technology, natural hazards, and the lived experience of communities. This position offers the opportunity for a candidate to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) working as part of a project funded by the Faculty of Science and Technology.

The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % each year and will consist of teaching and other duties. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.

ITS is organized under the Faculty of Science and Technology and is located at three campuses: Tromsø, Bardufoss and Harstad. The department has approximately 90 employees and approximately 600 students. It offers undergraduate, master, and PhD programs as well as research in the areas of nautical science, aviation, societal safety, environment, and international preparedness.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The project / The position’s field of research

This PhD position is funded by the Faculty of Science and Technology (NT Faculty) to pursue cutting-edge research aligned with the Faculty Strategy. One of the key strategic priorities for the NT Faculty is the development of knowledge aimed at resolving critical societal challenges, particularly those related to natural hazards, technology, and the environment in the Arctic and beyond. In Norway, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) continuously monitors numerous sites that pose a high risk of rock avalanches. In this context, technology plays a pivotal role in the everyday lives of exposed communities and is central to guaranteeing their safety. While there exists a considerable body of knowledge on the technical aspects of monitoring equipment, there is a research gap concerning how this knowledge production takes place in practice and what its social implications are once it is disclosed to exposed communities. The SlowRisk project will address this gap, with special attention to how instrumentation mediates our relationship to the world. 

The project takes as its starting point the idea that instrumentation in the context of disaster risk and high-visibility early warning systems (EWS) reveals the world anew and is therefore both a generative and a revelatory force in the social realm. The candidate is invited to formulate a proposal that zooms in on one or more aspects of the social lives of catastrophic scenarios and prognoses, and how these travel, or are represented, produced, perceived, negotiated, denied, amongst other dynamics. Cases may be based on Norwegian sites continuously monitored by NVE, or on comparable cases globally, including in more resource-constrained settings. More specifically, of key interest is the interface between technical knowledge production and everyday life in communities at risk.

The candidate is expected to propose a research approach that engages with the project theme and to work closely not only with communities at the proposed research sites but also with technical experts, including scientists, technicians, modelers, and municipal planners. The project draws on phenomenological perspectives, including post-phenomenology, but relevant perspectives also include science and technology studies (STS), social studies of
science, sociology of knowledge, philosophy of technology, as well as perspectives from risk science, geography, and anthropology. In particular, the project invites an “instrumental realist” approach, which takes the mediating role of instrumentation seriously in considering the lived experience of disaster risk. The candidate is also expected to collaborate on research design, data collection and analysis, co-author scientific papers, and represent the institution at relevant conferences and workshops.

The applicants must present a description outlining the academic basis of the PhD project. The project description shall not exceed five pages, literature references included. It must include a description of the topic, the suggested theoretical approach, the research question(s), and the reasoning behind these choices, including the selection of cases (particularly if new cases are proposed, the role of instrumentation or technology must be specified). The proposal should also indicate the methodologies to be employed. The final project description will be developed in cooperation with the supervisor team after the position has been assumed.

Want to know more about the position?

For further information about the project scope and objectives, or for further information about the position, please contact associate professor Reidar Staupe:

Qualifications

The candidate must have completed a master’s degree or equivalent in one of the following or related fields, before commencement in the position:

Experience with fieldwork research and methodologies is an asset.

Applicants must document fluency of in English and be able to work in an international environment. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

In addition, it would be advantageous for the candidate to have relevant work-experience from scientific projects or research.

In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work enclosed. The project description will also be considered. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration.

We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who:

• Have good collaboration skills
• Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Wants to contribute to a good working environment

As many people as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.

Admission to the PhD programme

For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Science and Technology and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.

Admission normally requires:  

In order to gain admission to the programme, the candidate must document sufficient potential for research. The applicant must have a grade point average of C (strong 3.0) or better for the master’s degree, which must contain an independent work. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here. 

If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position. 

Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree. UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project 
• Good career opportunities 
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund 
• PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 550 800 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase
• If you have to relocate to Tromsø then the Faculty of Science and Technology may reimburse your moving costs. Further details regarding this matter will be made available if you receive an offer from us.

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

More practical information about working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility

How to apply

Your application must include: 

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and fit with the project aims
• CV
• Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
• Official transcripts of grades/academic record for bachelor's and master's degree
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• 2-3 references with contact information
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works and/or publications if any
• Project description (maximum 5 pages, inclusive of references)

Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. You may still apply if you are in the final stages of the master’s degree, but the master’s thesis must be submitted for evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis and transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

General information 

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants. 

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: 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 become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years. 

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure. 

Assessment 

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants. 

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position.