About the position

We are looking for a qualified candidate to fill a 3-year PhD position, with the possibility of an additional year for teaching and other duties, at the Department of Geography, NTNU, in a close collaboration with Department of Psychology and other NTNU departments collaborating on the project Combining skills to identify the «Sweet Spot» to solve marine plastic pollution in Norway.

We have a temporary position available at the Department of Geography for a position as a PhD candidate where the goal is an obtained doctoral degree. The position is part of the project Combining skills to identify the "Sweet Spot" to solve marine plastic pollution in Norway  and will be one of six PhD positions connected to this project.

This project is a newly established, interdisciplinary initiative led by NTNU Ålesund where the objective is to bring forward outstanding research to build on current activities at different departments at NTNU to investigate transformative solutions to the marine plastic problem through circular economy.

The terminology “sweet spots” reflects the idea of using mutually complementing knowledge systems to build a comprehensive picture of marine plastic pollution in Norway and use this as a springboard for co-developing interventions that are eco-effective.

You will report to Head of Department.

Duties of the position

This PhD-position will focus on applying knowledge from geography to coin interventions for enabling transformation in the production and consumption of plastics in Norway. The prospective candidate should be able to combine innovative and comprehensive combination of methodologies such as citizen science, geographic information systems (GIS), surveys, and spatial statistics to increase our knowledge on to what degree the accumulation of plastics along the coast depends on physical geographical characteristics such as aspect, terrain complexity, and exposure to currents and dominant wind directions. The candidate is encouraged to shape the project description according to their own strengths and further to co-develop the process with his/her supervisors and the other PhD candidates within the project.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in Geography, Environmental Science, or similar education.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, 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 PhD education.
• Excellent written and oral English language skills, ideally supported by evidence (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)).
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants 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

• Previous experience in one or more of the following skills are considered beneficial: quantitative methods such as spatial analysis and statistics, survey design, GIS, citizen science, and field work.
• Interest and relevant experience in marine plastic pollution is beneficial.
• Teaching experience

Personal characteristics

• The position also requires excellent skills for working in a large team and across disciplines as well as experiences with communicating scientific content outside the own discipline or outside academia.
• Personal qualifications which we see contributing positively to the research team are independence, work capacity and enthusiasm. We are also looking for candidates with social skills benefiting the work environment for the PhD candidates and in general.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience, and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

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

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 491 200 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  but may be extended by up to one year if the candidate is assigned teaching responsibilities
Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Geography  within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD 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.

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

About the application

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

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. 

The application must include (Departments to choose from the following): 

• Application letter concerning your motivation for completing a PhD in this particular project, outlining previous relevant experience
• Research proposal (in a separate document as motivation letter) describing activities, plans and timeline for this PhD project (about 3-5 pages)
• A CV with information on education, previous research experience
• 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 recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach the thesis.
• Publications and other academic work.
• Name and address of three referees.

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 NOKUT, please attach this as well.

Publications and other academic works that the applicant would like to be considered in the evaluation must accompany the application. Joint work will be evaluated. If it is difficult to identify the contributions from individuals in a joint piece of work, applicants should enclose a short descriptive summary of what she/he contributed to the work.

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. 

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.

In accordance with The Public 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.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Jan Ketil Rød, (jan.rod@ntnu.no). If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Renate Lillian Johansen: renate.johansen@ntnu.no.

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no including your CV, diplomas/grade transcripts, certificates, motivation letter, research proposal, and academic works (if any)

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your 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).

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number SU-754 when applying.

Application deadline: 15.08.2022

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 Geography

We conduct research and teach in subject areas related to the major societal challenges of our time: climate change, migration, urbanization, economic transition and environmental threats. We have a robust fieldwork tradition, and our teaching activities are closely linked to our research. The Department of Geography is one of seven departments at the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences.

Deadline 15th August 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Fixed Term
Place of service Dragvoll