Postdoktor i miljøhumaniora

Job description

The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a position as Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Humanities at the Faculty of Education and Humanities, Department of Cultural Studies and Languages. The position is vacant from 1 January 2027.

The postdoctoral researcher will be employed for a period of 36 months. This includes 30 months of project work and 6 months of administrative duties and/or teaching at the Department of Cultural Studies and Languages and the Greenhouse Center for Environmental Humanities.

The purpose of the position is to enable the successful candidate to develop a research profile and acquire the qualifications required to apply for a position as Associate Professor. The position may also provide valuable experience and other competencies relevant to further career development.

If the successful candidate does not already possess educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as Associate Professor, UiS will facilitate the development of such competence during the employment period.

A career development plan will be prepared outlining the competencies the postdoctoral researcher is expected to acquire during the employment period. As a postdoctoral researcher at UiS, you will receive support for your professional and career development through supervision, competence development and career planning.

The qualifying work will be carried out at the University of Stavanger. The successful candidate is expected to work full-time on the project and participate actively in the academic community.

About the project

The postdoctoral researcher’s primary responsibility will be to develop and lead the Greenhouse Games Lab, with the aim of establishing an internationally recognized environment for research, development, education and innovation in environmentally themed board games. The postdoctoral researcher will establish procedures for developing and publishing board games that are quality-assured and improved through peer review.

We expect the postdoctoral researcher to be an active researcher who publishes at least two articles on board games and the environment during the employment period. One of these should be a review article providing an overview of the field and serving the wider research community. We also expect the postdoctoral researcher to prepare several applications for research, development and innovation funding from various sources, including the Research Council of Norway and the EU, in collaboration with societal partners and with support from researchers at the Greenhouse.

In addition, the postdoctoral researcher will be expected to establish a European network of game scholars, game developers, institutions and publishers, with the aim of organizing an annual workshop at the Greenhouse.

We are looking for candidates who combine research expertise in the environmental humanities, including related fields, with experience in game development. The position requires an entrepreneurial mindset and personal qualities that extend beyond research alone.

The postdoctoral researcher will be affiliated with the Greenhouse Center for Environmental Humanities, a research center at the University of Stavanger. The center is a strong international research environment that draws on history, literature, media, religion, philosophy and the arts to understand how people relate to nature and the environment. We offer a dynamic intellectual environment with weekly activities in which the successful candidate will be expected to participate. More information about the Greenhouse is available at Greenhouse.

Qualification requirements

You must have:

• a PhD degree in a field relevant to the project. The doctoral thesis must have been submitted for evaluation by the application deadline and approved before appointment
• good command of both oral and written English

We will also place emphasis on whether you:

• have developed a research project of high scientific quality and relevance to the field
• demonstrate high academic integrity and a commitment to quality in your work
• are motivated to carry out the research project and contribute to academic communities and collaboration across disciplines
• have the academic and personal qualifications required to complete the project within the employment period, including a strong work capacity and ability to deliver results
• have international experience and relevant academic networks
• have experience with, or an interest in, innovation and research with societal impact
• demonstrate the ability for critical reflection, innovative thinking and independent problem-solving, and work in a structured and goal-oriented manner
• have good communication and collaboration skills and contribute to a constructive working environment

As a Postdoctoral Fellow at UiS, you will receive

• varied and challenging tasks at a university with an important societal mission
• an ambitious and inclusive research environment. We strive to involvce employees at all levels in strategic decision-making and promote an informal atmosphere with a flat organisational structure.
• free Norwegian language courses if you do not have proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish at level A2 at the time of employment
• access to Lifekeys, a digital service that supports mental health and well-being
• salary in accordance with the State Salary Scale, code 1352, from NOK 590.000 to NOK 680.000 gross per year. A higher salary may be considered in special cases.
• membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (Statens pensjonskasse), which provides favourable pension and insurance schemes
• favourable membership terms at SiS Sports Centre and the university sports club
• employment with an Inclusive Workplace organisation committed to reducing sick leave and promoting and inclusive working life
• access to the Hjem-jobb-hjem programme, offering discounted public transportation to and from work
• relocation support
• access to comprehensive health services, generous parental leave arrangements and a well-developed welfare system.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity is a strength at the University of Stavanger. Different experiences, perspectives and backgrounds contribute to better solutions and a positive working and learning environment. We welcome applicants with diverse qualifications, life experiences and perspectives, and encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of gender, age, disability, cultural background, or whether they have experienced periods outside the workforce. UiS is committed to supporting employees in different stages of life and to providing reasonable accommodation for employees with individual needs.

In accordance with applicable regulations, at least one qualified applicant with a disability, a gap in their CV, or an immigrant background will be invited for an interview. If this applies to you, you may indicate this in the application portal. Read more about the scheme here.

How to Apply

Apply for the position through the "Apply for this job" button on this page.

In Jobbnorge, you must register your application, relevant education and work experience, as well as language skills. In your application letter, please describe your research interests, your motivation for applying for the position, and how your background is relevant to the research project.

The following documents must be uploaded as attachments to your application:

• A research and activities plan
• CV containing a complete overview of your education, experience and any scientific activity
• documentation of a completed PhD degree. If you have not yet completed your PhD degree, you must submit confimation freom your institution stating the expected date of completion
• a complete list of scientific publications, including information on where they have been published. You may also upload or provide links to up to five scientific works, including your doctoral thesis or a published monograph based upon the thesis.
• degree certificates, references and documentation of other activites considered relevant to the application

The documentation must be provided in a Scandinavian language or in English

Applications will be assessed based on the information available in Jobbnorge when the application deadline expires. Please ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your qualifications and experience meet the requirements described in the announcement, and that all required documentation has been uploaded. If the total size of the attachments exceeds 100 MB, the files must be compressed before upload.

UiS only considers applications and attachments submitted through Jobbnorge.

Information about applicants may be made public even if an applicant has requested not to be included on the public list of applicants, cf. Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act. If such a request is not granted, you will be notified.

Terms of Employment and Recruitment Process

UiS is subject to the Norwegian Security Act. Employees are expected to demonstrate security-conscious behaviour and comply with applicable security and export control procedures. In the appointment process, attributes such as reliability, sound judgement and loyalty will be emphasised.

Employment as a Postdoctoral Fellow is regulated in Regulations to the Universities and Colleges Act, chapter IV.

We place emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of research work rather than where it is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

UiS has signed The Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (CoARA). This reflects our commitment to recognising diverse research outputs, research practices and research-related activities when assessing research and researchers.

Your qualifications for the position, based on the documentation registered in Jobbnorge by the application deadline, will be assessed by an internal committee. Based on the committee's assessment, selected candidtes will be invited to an interview. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. Read more about the recruitment process on our website.

The research work will primarily be carried out at the University of Stavanger. It is a condition of employment that the successful candidate resides in a location that enables regular presence at and active participation in the academic environment during normal working hours.

The position is advertised in both Norwegian and English. In the event of any discrepancy between the texts, the Norwegian version shall prevail.

UiS - challenge the well-known and explore the unknown

The University of Stavanger (UiS) has about 12,000 students and 1,900 employees. The university has high ambitions. We strive to have an innovative and international profile, and be a driving force in knowledge development and in the process of societal change. Our common direction is driven by consideration for sustainable change and equitable social development, through new ways of managing natural resources and facilitating better cities and local communities. Energy, health and welfare, learning for life are our focus areas.

In constant collaboration and dialogue with our surroundings, regionally, nationally and internationally, we enjoy an open and creative climate for education, research, innovation, dissemination and museum activities. Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organised into six faculties comprising various departments/schools and National Research Centres, as well as the Museum of Archaeology. We are a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The university is located in the most attractive region in the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The Stavanger region has a dynamic labour market and exciting cultural and leisure activities.

Together with our staff and students we will challenge the well-known and explore the unknown.

The Faculty of Arts and Education is the region’s most important institution for educating teachers for kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, upper secondary schools and higher education. The Faculty also provides basic education in sport, languages, religion and history, as well as eight Master’s programmes and two doctoral programmes.
The Faculty has three national centres: The National Centre for Reading Education and Research (the Reading Centre), the National Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research (The Learning Environment Centre) and the Knowledge Centre for Education (KSU), as well as the Filiorum Centre for Early Childhood Research. The Faculty collaborates with the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training and local government authorities in respect of further and continuing education. The Faculty has a total of around 3,000 students and 320 employees divided between the Faculty administration, Department of Early Childhood Education, Department of Education and Sports Science, Department of Cultural Studies and Languages, Reading Centre, Learning Environment Centre and Knowledge Centre for Education.

The Department of Cultural Studies and Languages is responsible for the university’s teacher education programme for lower and upper secondary education (grades 8–13) and the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The institute also offers programmes in Nordic studies, English, religious studies, history, Norwegian for international students, and Master’s degree programmes in History and Historical Culture, Nordic Studies and Reading Science, as well as English and Literacy Studies. In addition, the institute is responsible for the cross-faculty one-year programme Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), the English-taught Master’s programme Public Environmental Humanities, and a part-time programme in Museum Education. In collaboration with other units at the faculty, the institute offers doctoral education in Educational Sciences and the Humanities. The institute currently has approximately 70 employees and around 800 students.