PhD Research Fellow

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences has a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow (PhD position) in Digital and Green Resilience in European Labour markets

 

About the position:

The Western Norway University of Applied Sciences has a PhD scholarship available, for a period of 3 years, on "Digital and green resilience in European labour markets within the fields of economic geography and sustainability transitions", with affiliation to the Innovation Section at the HVL Business School, Campus Bergen.

The PhD research fellow will be part of the PhD program “Responsible Innovation and Regional Development" (RESINNREG) in the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, within i period of 3 years.  RESINNREG is a cross-disciplinary PhD program focusing on intersections between ‘understanding' (i.e. academic) and ‘doing' (i.e. practicing) responsible innovation.

The PhD scholarship is a recruitment position that will contribute to an active research environment at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.

About the PhD project:

The PhD research fellow will be integrated in the Horizon Europe research project “SkillResilience4EU: Resilience through re-skilling and upskilling for European labour markets in transition" funded by the European Commission. 

The project will focus on the interplay between the twin transition and labour market dynamics, with a particular emphasis on resilience-building through re-skilling and up-skilling. Among its objectives is the development and validation of a novel conceptual framework for describing and understanding the impacts of the twin transition on European labour markets, in particular job creation and job destruction processes, and the interplay between the twin transition and other micro and macro drivers of change (i.e. COVID-19 or energy crisis).

 

We are looking for applicants with interest of joining an international research team exploring the impact of the twin transition and other drivers of change on jobs and skills in European labour markets through: 

• Developing a comprehensive understanding of European labour market resilience under the prism of green and digital transitions
• Analysing labour market data, regional case studies, and the impacts of digital and green transformations
• Exploring and identifying labour market mismatches due to the twin transition and the influence of other micro and macro determinants on labour market resilience
• Studying the implications of job creation and destruction processes on different settings and contributing with policy recommendations

 

The application must contain a project description of up to five pages, explaining the topic, the problem, the choice of theory and method, as well as the plan for implementation of a potential project. The project description will be used in the assessment of the applicants' qualifications. A final project description for the PhD project will be developed in consultation with the supervisors.

An application for enrolment in the PhD programme should first be submitted after an appointment is made and the supervisor(s) will help with this procedure.  Normally the candidate apply for enrolment within three (3) months after the start of the employment.

Qualifications:

Requirements:

• Applicants should have a master's degree of 120 credits in economic geography, regional development, innovation, sustainability studies, or in a related social sciences field. Alternatively, eligible will be applicants with a Master's degree on data science, with strong interest in labour market dynamics, sustainability transitions, and innovation processes
• The applicants are expected to demonstrate strong analytical skills, including experience with quantitative (and/or qualitative) research methods
• Excellent communication skills in English (oral and written)
• Ability to work both independently and as part of an international, interdisciplinary team

 

The master's thesis must be submitted for assessment by the application deadline, and the master's degree must be approved no later than 4 weeks after the application deadline. The master's dissertation should be of at least 30 credits.

The PhD research fellow must enrol in the PhD programme “Responsible Innovation and Regional Development"  at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and must meet the formal admission requirements for this PhD programme.

 

The following qualifications will be particularly emphasized:

• Academic qualifications within the advertised area
• Quality of the master's thesis
• The project description

 

Additional qualifications:

• Candidates with data processing skills will be prioritized
• Scientific publications (if any)
• Experience with EU-funded research projects or knowledge of European labour market policies is advantageous
• Proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish is desirable

Applicants who cannot document proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish at level A2 upon employment, must complete Norwegian language training equivalent to at least 15 ECTS credits by the end of the term of appointment. For terms shorter than four years, the term can be extended accordingly.

The candidate must be diligent and display the ability to work independently, supplemented with regular guidance, and is expected to carry out high-quality research and to publish the results in national seminars, international workshops, conferences, and journals.

Application procedure:

Applications will be evaluated by an expert panel of three members.

Applicants are asked to submit their application and CV online. Please use the link “Apply for this job" (“Søk stillingen").

Applications must include:

• A cover letter detailing your motivation for applying and your research interests in relation to the position
• A CV including academic and professional achievements
• A project's description
• A copy of your Master's thesis and other relevant academic publications (if available)
• Certified copies of diplomas and transcripts
• Copies of selected academic publications (no more than 5)
• Names and contact information of two referees

Applicants should indicate which publications or parts of publications should be given special consideration in the evaluation. If the documents submitted are not in a Scandinavian language or in English, the applicants must submit certified translations of these. The transcripts must specify the topics, the course works, and the grades at the bachelor`s and master`s degree levels. 

Applicants with a degree from a country other than Norway, need to attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcripts of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, in addition to the original documents, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant encloses a recognition document showing that their degree is equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor's degree, master's degree, or PhD. You can read more about applying for recognition of foreign higher education here. (https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education/education-from-outside-of-norway/recognition-of-foreign-higher-education-bachelor-master-and-phd)

The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) offers an automatic recognition document for certain degrees from selected countries. If the applicant's degree is covered by the automatic recognition, it will be sufficient to attach this document. Read more about automatic recognition here. (https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education/education-from-outside-of-norway/recognition-of-foreign-higher-education-bachelor-master-and-phd/automatic-recognition-a-quicker-alternative)

As the HK-dir application process may take some time it is recommended to apply to HK-dir as soon as possible. If you have not received a recognition document from HK- dir within the  application deadline, please enclose documentation from HK-dir showing that they have received your application.

Applicants should note that the evaluation will be based on the documentation submitted electronically via Jobbnorge within the submission deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date. It is of utmost importance that all publications to be considered in the evaluation are uploaded as an attachment with the application, since these are sent electronically to the expert panel. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at the college.

Salary:

• Good occupational pension, insurance and loan schemes from The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Exciting academic environment with the possibility of competence enhancement and development
• Opportunities for training within the working hours 

The Research Fellow position is compensated according to position code 1017 Research Fellow.

There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no for more information). The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time.

General information:

The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte)". Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected.

State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Bergen has therefore adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that we achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons of various ethnic backgrounds.

Information about the applicant may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected.

Short-listed applicants will be called in for an interview.

Employment is subject to
work and residence permit (must be considered individually).

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications. 

Inclusion, challenging norms, collaboration

See our websites for more information about PhD programs and research fellowsships:

Homepage (http://www.hvl.no)

Appointment to a research fellowship (https://www.hvl.no/en/research/phd-programmes/phd-fellow-at-hvl/appointment-to-a-research-fellowship/)

PhD fellow at HVL (https://www.hvl.no/en/research/phd-programmes/phd-fellow-at-hvl/)

PhD programmes and PhD handbook (https://www.hvl.no/en/research/phd-programmes/)