Associate Professor in STS and Sustainability Transitions

The Onsager fellowship programme

The Onsager Fellowship programme at NTNU is designed to attract talented early-career scholars with a track-record of high quality published research, ready to work independently and with the potential to become a research leader.

The tenure-track associate professor’s duties will primarily include research, but also include supervision, teaching, and other duties necessary to qualify for a permanent professor position within 6 – 7 years.

In the NTNU tenure-track programme, associate professors are subject to two types of review during the tenure-track period:

• a mid-career assessment after 3-4 years 
• a final tenure assessment at the end of the tenure track period

If the “final tenure assessment” is positive, s/he will be employed as a full-time professor.

The overall purpose of the review system is to ensure and maintain the high academic standards of the university’s senior faculty staff. To help meet these standards, the associate professor is offered an international mentor and favourable terms.

NTNU is now announcing 16 tenure-track positions.

About the position

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture has a vacancy for a tenure-track position as part of the Onsager Fellowship Programme.

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture is part of the Faculty of Humanities at NTNU, located at the Dragvoll campus in Trondheim. The department has around 25 permanent employees, including research scientists. There are currently approximately 25 PhD candidates, post docs and temporary employees. The department teaches and conducts research in two areas: Gender studies and Science and technology studies (STS). Teaching is provided at all levels, including PhD. More info can be found at http://www.ntnu.edu/kult.

Your immediate leader is the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

The appointee should contribute to:

• further developing research at the interface between science and technology studies (STS) and sustainability transitions, both theoretically and empirically.
• contribute to teaching and developing courses in STS and sustainability transition studies
• present, communicate and disseminate work at relevant national and international venues
• participate in the day-to-day activities at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, the Centre for Technology and Society, and the research group on Energy, climate and environment

The applicant should have competence, research experience and interest in one or several of the following perspectives related to sustainability transitions:

• Transformative energy- and climate policy and multilevel governance of socio-technical change
• Energy and climate justice (including gender and diversity perspectives, social acceptance, inclusion, and participation in the  energy  transition)
• Deep transitions, ‘Strong Sustainability’ and post-capitalist perspectives 

The research should preferably be related to one or several important domains such as:

• Sustainable transport and mobility
• Industrial decarbonization
• Sustainable cities, infrastructure, and urban environments
• Radical and emerging climate and energy technologies, including climate adaptation
• Biodiversity and agri-food systems
• Digitalization

Required qualifications 

The Onsager Fellows programme is designed to attract talented early-career scholars, with documented excellent supervised work, with ambitious research plans to work independently and with the potential for scientific breakthrough.

You must have the qualifications required for the position of associate professor in the field of Science and Technology Studies, as outlined in the regulations concerning regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts

Your Ph.D., or comparable academic work, must be in the field of  STS or related fields (such as innovation studies, sociology, political science, anthropology or human geography).

Other required qualifications are:

• Broad knowledge about STS perspectives and use of socio-technical approaches to energy- or sustainability transitions
• Experience with using qualitative research methods
• Experience with project development
• Experience in teaching and motivation for developing courses
• Applicants must have excellent knowledge of English language (written and oral).

You must document relevant basic competence in teaching and supervision at a university/higher education level, as referenced in the Norwegian national Regulations. If this cannot be documented, you will be required to complete an approved course in university pedagogy within two years of commencement. NTNU offers qualifying courses.

New employees who do not speak a Scandinavian language by appointment is required, within three years, to demonstrate skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level three of the course for Norwegian for speakers of other languages at the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in developing project proposals in relation to national, European or other calls
• Project management expertise
• Experience in teaching in the areas that fall under this job announcement
• Experience with supervising Master and PhD students
• Have international experience and networks

It is considered an advantage if the applicant masters a Scandinavian language.

Personal qualities

• Ability to collaborate with others, e.g., through co-authoring research papers or collecting research data
• Ability to conduct independent research

In evaluating which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities, education, experience and personal suitability in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement. NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

We offer 

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a dynamic and international academic working environment
• an open and inclusive working environment, with enthusiastic colleagues 
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 
• employee benefits 

Salary and conditions

As a Associate Professor / Professor (code 1011) you are normally paid from gross 615 000 - 746 900 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. As required by law, 2% of this salary will be deducted and paid into 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.   

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

Application Process

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

About the application

Your application and supporting documentation must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on the information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfill the criteria specified above.

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.

Your application must include:

• CV, diplomas, and certificates
• Academic works – published or unpublished – that you wish to be considered during assessment of your application (up to 5 items and maximum 500 pages).
• A description of the scientific works you consider most relevant, which you particularly wish to be factored into the assessment
• A list of your previous works, with details on where they have been published
• A Research plan (2-3 pages)
• A teaching portfolio, in which your teaching competence is compiled and presented systematically, (See guidelines for applicants: Documentation of teaching qualifications in applications and appointments to academic positions at NTNU)
• Details of projects for which you have served as project manager or principal investigator including information on financing, duration, and scope
• Names and contact information for three relevant referees

Joint work will also be considered. If it is difficult to identify your specific input to a joint project, you must include evidence of your contributions.

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. Our assessment of the pedagogical skills will be based on documented pedagogical material, forms of presentation in your academic works, teaching experience, Ph.D., and master`s supervision, and any other relevant pedagogical background. Both quality and scope will be taken into consideration.

NTNU is obliged by the evaluation criteria for research quality in accordance with The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA. This means that we will pay particular attention to the quality and academic range demonstrated by your scientific work to date. We will also pay attention to research leadership and participation in research projects. Your scientific work from the last five years will be given the most weight.

Your application will be considered by an expert committee. Candidates of interest will be invited to an interview, and to deliver a trial teaching session.

General information

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision-making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions, and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. www.ntnu.edu/genderequality

As an employee at NTNU, you must continually maintain and improve your professional development and be flexible regarding any organizational changes.

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.

For the sake of transparency, candidates will be given the expert evaluation of their own and other candidates. As an applicant you are considered part of the process and is stipulated to rules of confidentiality.

If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Professor Marianne Ryghaug, e-mail marianne.ryghaug@ntnu.no, or Head of Department, Guro Korsnes Kristensen, e-mail guro.kristensen@ntnu.no.

If you have questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Elisabeth Leite, e-mail elisabeth.leite@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: 01.02.2023

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.

Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities offers a wide range of study programmes in the humanities, and is Norway’s second largest faculty of humanities measured in the number of students. We develop leading academic groups in the action-oriented humanities, as well as innovative and inquiry-based teaching and learning. The Faculty consists of six departments as well as a Faculty administration.

Deadline 1st February 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Permanent
Place of service