Doctoral fellowships in economics or business

About the position

Four positions as doctoral fellows in economics or business are available at the School of Economics and Business at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) outside Oslo, at the most beautiful campus in Norway. 

The fellowship period is 3 years, with the possibility of extension for up to one year. Starting date: August 15, 2025. 

The positions are funded by NMBU. Priority will be given to candidates interested in one of the topics listed below, but other well-qualified applicants will also be considered (Open topic). 

• Behavioral Economics
• Financial Forecasting and Risk Management
• Role of uncertainty in green transition
• Economics of managing biological invasions - Valuing ecosystem service impacts from marine invasive alien species
• Efficient and sustainable use of energy and natural resources
• AI-driven research in strategy and/or organization science
• Open topic

All topics (and contact persons) are described in more detail here: Priority topics for applications for PhD Research Fellowships 2025 | NMBU (https://www.nmbu.no/en/faculties/school-economics-and-business/priority-topics-applications-phd-research-fellowships-2025)

Main tasks

The purpose of the fellowship is to ensure that the candidate is qualified for a position at a well-recognized research institution upon graduation. 

The successful candidate is expected to enter a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with a view to completing a doctorate within the PhD scholarship period. 

The School of Economics and Business has an ambitious research strategy and currently has around 30 doctoral students who conduct research in several areas, including finance, strategy and management, taxes, environment, climate, energy, natural resources, development, food, commodity markets, and entrepreneurship and innovation.

Competence

An application for a doctoral fellowship is also an application for admission to the PhD program at the institution. The documentation that is necessary to ensure that the admission requirements are met must therefore be uploaded as an attachment.

Required academic qualifications:

• The applicant must have an academically relevant education corresponding to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where 120 credits are at master's degree level. 
• Relevant academic backgrounds will be a master's degree in economics, economics and business administration, entrepreneurship and innovation, or similar programmes relevant to the research project. An MBA degree does not fulfil the requirements for admission.
• Candidates without a master's degree have until 30 June 2025 to complete the final exam.
• An average grade of B or better for the overall master's degree and a grade of B or better on the master's theses are required.
• The applicant must be able to document proficiency in both written and oral English. For more detailed information on the admission criteria, please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD programme description (https://www.nmbu.no/en/research/regulations-and-guidelines-doctoral-degrees-nmbu). 

As for personal skills, emphasis is placed on analytical ability, motivation, creativity, and ability to work independently. Any evidence that candidates can supply in this regard will be helpful for the assessment committee (e.g., participation in research projects, publications, etc.). It is an advantage if the applicant speaks and writes a Scandinavian language.

Remuneration and further information

Fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 532 200) on the Norwegian Government salary scale. The employment contract follows national guidelines for university and technical college doctoral fellows. The period of appointment is three years but may be extended to four years if the doctoral student contributes to teaching or supervision.

For further information, please contact the supervisors listed under each topic, or alternatively: 

• Associate dean for research, Professor Nicolay Worren, e-mail: nicolay.worren@nmbu.no
• Dean, Casper Claudi Rasmussen, e-mail: casper.claudi.rasmussen@nmbu.no

Alse see information for PhD applicants (https://www.nmbu.no/en/research/applying) and general Information to applicants (https://www.nmbu.no/om/adm/poa/rekruttering/viktig-informasjon-for-s-kere/information-for-jobseekers-at-nmbu)

Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: February 15, 2025

Your CV must be entered in JobbNorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

Applicants who have not marked the topic they are applying for or who supply insufficient documentation will not be considered.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Motivation letter: Statement of motivation and research interests and an outline of the proposed doctoral research project (maximum 2 pages). The motivation letter must be marked with the topic of interest (topic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or Open Topic).
• CV (summarizing education, prior positions and any publications). 
• Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. Documents that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. A certified English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to attach a document that describes the study program and grading system.
• Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with NMBU PhD regulation section 5-2 (3) (https://lovdata.no/dokument/SFE/forskrift/2020-01-30-1471). 
• Names and contact details of two references.

About the School of Economics and Business

The School of Economics and Business is one of seven faculties at NMBU. Our mission is to create knowledge across the fields of economics and business administration, and to develop professionals and leaders who combine an economic mindset with multidisciplinary knowledge equipped to address real-world problems with sustainability as a guiding principle. The School of Economics and Business offers bachelor and master programmes in Business Administration and in Economics, a master programme in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Bioeconomy, and a PhD program in Economics and Business. These degree programmes have approximately 700 students. The School has 55 faculty and staff members and more than 40 PhD students. For more information, see www.nmbu.no/en/faculty/hh (https://www.nmbu.no/en/faculty/hh)