About the position 

The Department of Psychology announces a postdoctoral fellow position for a period of 2 years. The working place will be at the Department of Psychology, and you will report to the Head of Department.

The position is part of a five-year interdisciplinary research project funded by the Norwegian Research Council. NTNU is a partner in this project and Prof. Dr. Christian A. Klöckner represents the Department of Psychology in this project. Below you can find a short description of the project:

During 2019 and 2020 a substantial police force has been engaged in protecting the construction site of a wind-turbine plant from people resisting the implementation, at the small island Frøya in Mid-Norway. The situation is similar at several constructing sites in Norway. The protesters claim they have to bear the cost of the green shift locally while others make profit from it, and that their democratic rights are being violated, among other things. When a Facebook group against wind power was formed, it gained 100 000 members in a week. An NGO was formed by people resisting the implementation of smart meters in homes claiming health related concerns. People resisting toll roads formed their own political party and put their mark on the municipality election in 2019. Innumerable Facebook groups are formed promoting hate towards technology associated with the green shift, such as Tesla and other electric cars (which do not pay road toll). All these events, attempts and examples of active resistance to stop energy policy and technology associated with the green shift show that the resistance is heterogeneous and seem to be grounded in many different reasons, concerns and life situations. While some protests against energy policy and technology seem to be fair and necessary, extremist and anti-democratic tendencies are also present in these debates, and the amount of hate and confrontation is high. This makes difficult both to understand and act upon such challenges.

Things threatens to spin out of control. The design and implementation of energy policy faces something much more severe than simply lack of acceptance, it deals with, and stirs up forces that even can threaten democracy itself, not to mention belief in scientific knowledge. Understanding these forces and this dynamic is essential, not only for the successful design and implementation of energy policy, but for the well-being of democracy itself. CURE aims to understand the dynamics of resistance towards energy policy and technology and suggest ways to include different concerns and actors making the implementation of energy policy and technology more democratic.

CURE will examine the phenomenon of active resistance to low-carbon transitions based on a synthesis of studies at micro-, meso- and macro-level and across different technologies and policies. CURE will contribute to the research community by clarifying and demarcating the concept of resistance for operational use. This involves identification of actors, forms, concerns, practices and voices of resistance, as well as, their effects on policy efficiency.

Drawing upon the insights gained through the project, CURE aims to (1) develop policy recommendations on how to make low carbon transitions more democratic and responsive to social diversity and vulnerability. (2) CURE will examine and contribute to the public dialogue around low-carbon societies and thus, contribute to the strengthening of the democratic legitimacy of sustainable energy transitions.

The Department of Psychology is responsible for studying individual factors and attitudes to technology and policy resistance. It will both analyse existing data from time series on political attitudes and plan and conduct a large-scale quantitative survey.

Duties of the position

• Coordination with the other national and international partners of CURE
• Development of a theory-based framework model of resistance on the micro-level (person level)
• Analysis of existing quantitative datasets
• Design, implementation, and analysis of a quantitative survey
• Writing scientific publications about the research results
• Representation of the project on international conferences
• Representation of the project towards the stakeholders
• Support in project administration

Required selection criteria

A postdoctoral research fellowships is a qualification position in which the main objective is qualification for work in academic positions. You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree in psychology or related behavioural science. A corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree is required if you apply without a Norwegian degree. In order to be considered for the position, the applicant must have submitted their PhD thesis by the application deadline. They must have obtained a public defense by the time the postdoc position is admitted.

• Methodological competence in agent-based modelling
• Experience in survey work and analysis
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Experience with scientific publishing

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant .

Preferred selection criteria

• Good knowledge and experience in behavioral science, preferably within some of the following areas: environmental psychology, social psychology, or cognitive psychology
• Experience in interdisciplinary work will be regarded as an advantage
• Personal suitability to enter cross-disciplinary research teams. Suitable candidates should have the ability to cooperate, have good communication skills, be flexible and solution-oriented
• Since we have local collaborators and will work with local stakeholders, the ability to communicate in Norwegian will be regarded an advantage

Personal characteristics

• Good skills to connect to people in the field
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary research teams
• Ability to overcome obstacles in field research and collaboration with local stakeholders

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability.

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 
• Employee benefits 

Salary and conditions

The employment period is 2 years. Postdoctoral candidates are placed in code 1352, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 553 500 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 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.

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

The position is subject to external funding.

About the application 

Please submit a motivation letter of maximum 2 pages together with your application, arguing for why your background matches the position and why you are motivated to work on the project.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.

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

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English or Norwegian.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your motivation letter, CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).

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 
 
A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. 

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.
Under the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.

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.  

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Christian Klöckner, e-mail: christian.klockner@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Terese Brå, e-mail: terese.bra@ntnu.no.

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number SU-733 when applying.  

Application deadline: 27.05.2022 

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Psychology

Our research and teaching are based on five perspectives: biological, cognitive, social, personality and developmental psychology. We offer a clinical programme in psychology as well as study programmes in the psychology of learning and in work and organizational psychology. We have also three outpatient clinics in which we treat patients as part of the clinical programme. The Department of Psychology is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences.

Deadline 27th May 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Dragvoll NTNU