PhD Candidate with a focus in Environmental Psychology

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

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.

   

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About the position

The position has its base in the highly international research group for “Citizens, Environment, and Safety” at the Department of Psychology, which is one of Europe’s leading research environments for policy-relevant environmental psychology. You will do cutting-edge research on the edge between environmental psychology and other disciplines with high relevance for national and international policies. The position will also be connected to the newly started research center NOTRAP for co-creation of energy transition of energy policies led by Prof. Christian A. Klöckner.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

Your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department.

About the project

The position is funded by the Focus Area “The Renewable Revolution” under NTNU’s Strategic Research Area Energy and is announced together with PhD positions connected to the other Focus Areas. Specifically, we are looking for a candidate who will contribute to developing an assessment system to quantify and compare social, economic, biodiversity, and energy system effects of the rapid transition to renewable energy in the energy system. With a main focus on developing indicators for psychological and societal effects, the aim of the position is also to integrate these indicators with biodiversity indicators, economic indicators, and energy system performance indicators to work towards a comprehensive evaluation framework, which in the long run should empower public decision-makers (e.g., in municipalities) to handle trade-offs and synergies between these dimensions and support informed decision-making. As such, the position has its disciplinary home at the department of psychology, but requires strong interaction with other research fields, which is also reflected in the large and interdisciplinary group of supervisors. The project’s main supervisor will be Prof. Christian A. Klöckner (psychology), but co-supervisors from other fields join the supervision team (Dr. Govert Valkenburg, Science and Technology Studies; Prof. Anders G. Finstad, biodiversity; Magnus Korpås, energy systems; Niki Gaitani, planning). 

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of excellent quality within the framework described above, including literature reviews, design and implementation of empirical research
• Connecting to the disciplines of the non-psychological supervisors and involving these perspectives in the research
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group “Citizen, Environment, and Safety” 
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Participate in joined activities of the Strategic Research Area Energy and the NOTRAP research center
   

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background within environmental psychology or closely related behavioural sciences. 
• You must have a Master's degree or equivalent in psychology or closely related behavioural sciences. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program. 
• Very good oral and written presentation skills in English.

 

For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

If you cannot document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2 upon employment, you must complete Norwegian courses corresponding to at least 15 credits before the end of the employment period. NTNU will facilitate this. 

As a result of the new Act relating to universities and university colleges with associated regulations of 01.08.2024, NTNU has, during a transitional period (for decisions on employment in recruitment positions before 1 August 2025), chosen to use the terms of employment in the old regulations of 31 January 2006 no. 102 on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, scientific assistant and specialist candidate

If the appointment in the recruitment process occurs after 01.08.2025, the appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

In the assessment of the candidates the following qualifications will be emphasized:  

• Grades from the master’s degree or cand. psychol.
• Strong experience in quantitative research methodologies. 
• Experience with / ability to interdisciplinary collaboration (especially with research in energy systems, economics, ecology, biodiversity, sociology, and/or political science) and ability to understand quantitative evaluation systems from other disciplines.
• Research relevant experience such as publications in peer-reviewed journals and being involved in research.
• Recommendations/references.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian equivalent to level A2.

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to: 

• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed
• Interdisciplinary curiosity and ability to engage in methodologies from other disciplines

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality. (delete if not applicable)

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 536,200 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 3 years. If learning Norwegian (level A2 corresponding to at least 15 credits) is to be completed before the end of the employment period, the employment period can be extended by 10 weeks. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Social Sciences – specialization in psychology within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance withthe principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control(legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technologyand services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English. 

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include: 

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
• CV
• Copy of 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.
• A letter of motivation outlining the candidate’s qualification / motivation for working on the edge of psychology and the other relevant disciplines named above (max. 800 words/2 page).
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, you must attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), attach this as well. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and is committed to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and the commitments in CoARA (responsible research assessment and recognition of a broader range of academic contributions in line with NTNU's societal mission).

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt 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 exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Christian A. Klöckner, telephone +47 73591977, christian.klockner@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Kristin Skogen, e-mail: kristin.skogen@ntnu.no. 

 

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

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

 

 

Application deadline: 30.04.2025