Ph.D. Candidate in Geography with focus on climate resilience

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

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

About the job

The Department of Geography at NTNU is looking for a Ph.D. candidate to join the RETRACE project funded by the Belmont Forum and the Research Council of Norway. RETRACE is an international collaboration that seeks to investigate resilience to climate risks by drawing lessons from the lived experiences of indigenous Arctic and Pacific communities. The doctoral researcher will be part of an international team.

The Ph.D. candidate will be responsible for the collection and analysis of qualitative data on resilience and visions of climate risks from communities in Northern Norway. The candidate is expected to use a narrative approach, to collect and analyze testimonials, memories, experiences, sensitivities and expertise on climate resilience and visions of climate risks from minority/indigenous communities.
The Ph.D. candidate will also contribute to the collection, analysis and presentation of quantitative resilience indicators. RETRACE combines human geography, climate science and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This is a project involving partners in Norway, France and the United States of America, and it will be important that the candidate has a proactive stance toward cooperation with the partners. Based at the Department of Geography, the candidate will find an international, friendly and supportive environment. Some travel for fieldwork, conferences and project meetings is to be expected.

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.
Your immediate leader is the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.
• The candidate will plan and execute an independent research project under supervision that contributes to the goals of the RETRACE project.
• Conduct independent research and disseminate the results in international conferences and international scientific peer-reviewed journals.
• Participation in the Ph.D. programme at the Department and the Faculty

Required selection criteria

• You must have a Master’s degree in Geography or similar fields of study with experience in qualitative research methods, especially interviewing and/or focus groups;
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level;
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the Master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a Ph.D. education;
• Master's students in their final phase of studies can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before taking up the position;
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program.
• Good oral and written communication skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language;
• Good written and oral English skills;
• Flexibility on travel and fieldwork.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant

Preferred selection criteria

• A research background in indigenous studies, climate change and/or community resilience;
• Skills in quantitative research methods, potentially including the analysis of spatial data (GIS);
• Previous experience with NVivo software or similar.

Personal characteristics

Completing a doctoral degree can be demanding. Therefore, you ought to:
• Be self-motivated, enthusiastic, and creative;
• Have strong collaborative skills, present and discuss your research and engage with feedback from colleagues;
• Be goal-oriented and independent in research;
• Have an interest in multidisciplinary problem solving;
• Be willing to learn and think critically;
• Have a good ability and willingness to work in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team, with an interest in cross-disciplinary learning.

A positive and pleasant working environment is important to us. We strive for an atmosphere that is engaging, friendly, and characterized by collaborative relationships between our employees. The applicant is expected to contribute to the social activities.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

Ph.D. candidates in Norway are considered employees and have access to Employee benefits;

Salary and conditions

As a Ph.D. candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 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.

Appointment to a Ph.D. position requires that you are admitted to the Ph.D. programme specializing in Geography within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized Ph.D. programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and 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 to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The project proposal must be in English. Supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English or Norwegian/Scandinavian language.

Publications and other scientific work must accompany the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.
If you are in the final phase of your master's degree, we would like you to inform us when you are expected to have documentation of your completed degree.

The application must include:
• CV and certificates;
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted;
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you have recently submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position;
• Ph.D. project proposal (up to 5 pages), based on the RETRACE project description;
• Publications or other relevant research work, if any;
• A motivation letter that highlights your motivation for joining the RETRACE project and the Ph.D. program, describing your methodological experience and any other research-relevant information you think we should know about;
• Name and contact information of three referees.

Master's students in their final phase of studies can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before taking up the position.

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, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

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

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

Inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

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

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Martina Calovi, e-mail: martina.calovi@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR by Renate Lillian Johansen, e-mail: renate.johansen@ntnu.no

If you think this looks interesting and in line 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: 05.09.2024