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. 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.

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.

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.

The position

At the Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS), the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) at UiT the Arctic University of Norway, we are pleased to announce that we have a vacant PhD position within the governance of offshore renewable energy. The position will be affiliated with the research groups MARA and BRIDGE.

The position is a fixed term position for a duration 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.Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.

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

The position’s field of research

The PhD fellow will be primarily affiliated with the Horizon Europe research project “Multi-layer governance performance of marine policies” (PERMAGOV). PERMAGOV will contribute to the realization of the EU Green Deal objectives by improving implementation and performance of EU marine policies. PERMAGOV will develop a framework for assessing policy performance and will enhance understanding of how institutional barriers, formal and informal collaborations and egovernance tools enable and constrain the capability of actors to implement EU marine policies. This work will focus on European case studies within the areas of Marine Energy, Maritime Transport, Marine Life, and Marine Litter.

The PhD project relating to the offered position will focus on the development and governance of offshore renewable energy production in Norway, such as offshore wind. It will develop knowledge about the requirements for improved governance integration across different scales and (marine) policy domains. The candidate will collaborate with UiT researchers in a case study about offshore energy in the PERMAGOV project. Arctic Energy Partners (AEP) is a partner in this case study together with UiT researchers. The case study will address how digital tools can enhance governance of offshore renewable energy production, and this issue could also be addressed in the PhD project.

The PhD project will build on, and contribute to, relevant social science theory and concepts for example within governance theory, organization studies, Science and Technology Studies, or theories of socio-technical change. The project should also contribute to the practical field of marine renewable energy governance.

The PhD fellow will be supervised by a team that includes, but may not be limited to, Maaike Knol-Kauffman and Kåre Nolde Nielsen.

The applicants must present a description of a relevant and realistic PhD project. The project description shall not exceed 4 pages, literature references included. It must include a description and motivation of the research focus, the research question(s) and methods to be pursued, and a (simple) time plan. It can be considered that a PhD thesis within this field at UiT will normally be expected to include a strategic compilation of 3-4 published or publishable manuscripts, which are integrated through a common introduction. Note that the project description mainly serves to provide a basis for evaluating applicants. The selected candidate will develop a final project description in cooperation with the supervision team.

We recommend that the PhD research includes a stay abroad with one of the partner institutes, making strategic use of available competence at that institution.

Qualifications

Qualifications requirements:

  •  A MSc degree in sociology, political science, geography, environmental science/management, marine science/management, sustainability studies, or another field with clear relevance for the described PhD topic
  •  Qualitative research skills
  • A project description within the given topic (min 2 pages, max 4 pages, incl. figures/tables and references)
  • Documented fluency of English. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

Desired qualifications:

  • MSc thesis with specialization within or with relevance for marine governance
  • Experience with N-Vivo or other software supporting qualitative and semi-qualitative research
  • Experience with relevant social science methods (e.g. semi-structured interviews and the use of focus groups)
  • Experience with structured review approaches
  • Scientific publications/manuscripts
  • Strong scientific writing skills
  • Proficiency of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language or willingness to learn Norwegian
  • Experience with, and motivation for, working with stakeholders
  • Good oral communication and presentation skills
  • A willingness and motivation to travel within Norway and Europe
  • Ability to work independently under supervision
  • Ability to collaborate in a research team

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. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration.

Personal qualifications and suitability will be emphasized; the candidate’s personal qualifications should include excellent interpersonal and communication skills and an enthusiasm to work as a member of a collaborative research team.

As many 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.

Application

Your application must include:

  • Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests (max 1 page)
  • A description (2-4 pages, incl. figures/tables and references) of a realistic PhD project about the governance of offshore renewable energy in Norway
  • CV
  • Diploma for bachelor’s and master’s degree
  • Transcript 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
  • If you have: documentation of proficiency in Norwegian (or a Scandinavian language)
  • Contact information of 2 references
  • Master’s thesis

In addition, we encourage you to attach the relevant published academic works you have led or contributed to (if applicable).

Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcripts 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. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

Admission to the PhD programme

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

Admission normally requires:

  • 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 corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master’s degree of 120 ECTS.
  • A master’s thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master’s degree of 300 ECTS.

Grade requirements applies both to the master thesis as well as courses part of the master’s degree. The minimum requirements are grade C or better on the master’s degree, and grade C or better on courses that are part of the master’s degree. A grade lower than C in one course may be compensated by a higher grade than C in another course. If the applicant has two subjects with the grade D or lower, the applicant is not qualified for admission. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.

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 NOKUT. 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.

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 six weeks after taking up the position.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact:

  • Associate Professor Kåre Nolde Nielsen: kare.nolde.nielsen@uit.no
  • Researcher Maaike Knol-Kaufmann: maaike.knol@uit.no

You can also visit this website.