PhD Fellowship position: Critical education to transform the world - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

PhD Fellowship position: Critical education to transform the world

The Faculty of Education and International Studies announces a fully funded three-year research fellowship position for studies about education’s relationship to global sustainability challenges and transformations.  The fellowship position is in the Department of International Studies and Interpreting, affiliated with the Section for Development Studies, and the research group Development, Power, and Inequality. The project leader, Professor Tom G. Griffiths, is a member of the Development, Power, and Inequality research group, whose members carry out cross-disciplinary research analysing the nature of and inequalities in development within historical and current political and economic structures and power relations in the Global South. This extends to work considering the actual and potential roles of formal and informal education in realising current and/or reconceptualised models of development.

Area of research 

A three-year PhD Fellowship position is vacant at the Department of International Studies and Interpreting in the Section for Development Studies. The PhD candidate will work independently, but in close co-operation with the project leader, and with other academic staff in the section. The candidate will engage in critical research examining education about approaches to sustainable development, with emphasis on targets such as universal well-being across time and space on the one hand, and models of economic growth on the other. The global context includes initiatives like ‘Education for Sustainable Development’, associated with the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which the UN characterised as ‘17 Goals to Transform Our World’. Projects may focus on educational interventions that prepare students to critically consider such targets and approaches, and/or provide analyses of how transformative projects associated with world-systems analysis, political economy, political ecology, or degrowth, might be included in education. The project is grounded in critical analyses of the actual and potential roles of education in response to global challenges of sustainable development and climate justice.

The fellowship position is a 100% position for three years, available from 01.09.2022. The successful applicant(s) should have the goal to complete the PhD programme within this time frame and receive a Ph.D.

Applicants must submit a PhD project description with the application based on the template available here. The PhD project description must be in English. Potential applicants are asked to get in touch with the contact person for the overall project for additional information about the project and input on the planned individual project description.

Required qualifications and terms:

• Successful applicants must have completed a master’s degree (equivalent to 120 credits) with a grade B or better, and in addition have a background in educational studies, teacher education or comparative and international education, development studies, or other relevant education at a comparable level. For more information, see Admission requirements. Foreign diplomas must be translated into English by the degree-conferring institution. Education taken in other countries than Norway should be recognised in advance by NOKUT, and an authorized copy of the letter of recognition should be enclosed.
• Admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Education and International Studies is a prerequisite.
• Successful applicants must have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

When assessing and ranking the qualified applicants, emphasis will be placed on: 

• The scientific quality of the PhD project description, including originality and potential
• The PhD project's feasibility within the standard period (three years)
• The relevance of the PhD project description to the overall project to which the PhD proposal is linked (cf. the overview above)
• A relevant Master’s thesis with thematic focus in international education and development, with a Global South dimension, and which applies critical theoretical perspectives
• Attached scientific work
• Other relevant publications
• Experience from previous research activities and project participation
• Teaching experience at college and university level can be an asset
• Personal qualities that can contribute positively to the working environment

Desired qualifications: 

• Motivation and potential in the field of research
• Personal qualities that, among other things, show perseverance and the ability to complete tasks
• The ability to work independently and in collaboration with others, as well as the ability to be innovative and creative
• The ability to work systematically and under pressure

It is important to Oslo Metropolitan University to reflect the population of our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavors to further develop Oslo Metropolitan University as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. You are also welcome to apply for a position if you have experienced periods where you have not been in work, education or training.

We offer: 

• an exciting job opportunity at Norway’s third largest university
• participation in a dynamic and diverse academic community
• participation in an established doctoral program and a research group relevant to the PhD project
• a dynamic workplace
• pension arrangements with the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• good employee welfare arrangements

Further information:

For further information about the position, please contact:

• Head of Department Hilde Arntsen, Hilde.Arntsen@oslomet.no
• Professor Tom G. Griffiths, Tom.G.Griffiths@oslomet.no

The salary for the PhD fellowship position is in accordance with the pay scale for Norwegian state employees, job title Research Fellow and position code 1017. State salary wage scale 54, 491,200 NOK per year.   

Expert evaluation:

Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. All applications will be reviewed by the faculty before the application papers are forwarded to the expert committee. Applications from applicants who are not qualified, will not be forwarded for assessment. If there are more than 20 qualified applicants for this position, a committee will be established to screen for the best qualified applicants before the expert committee assesses the applications.

The following documents must be uploaded with the application by the deadline:

• A cover letter stating your reasons for applying, and the reasons why you would be particularly well qualified for this PhD fellowship position.
• CV, references, and all pages of all certificates/diplomas. The certificates/diplomas must include ECTS grades (A–F). Foreign diplomas must be translated into English by the degree-conferring institution. Education taken abroad should be recognised in advance by NOKUT, and an authorized copy of the letter of recognition should be enclosed.
• A PhD project description of maximum 10 pages. The PhD project description must be written in English.
• Master's degree/second degree thesis (and any other scholarly work that the expert committee should take into consideration).
• List of publications.

Original documents must be presented if you are invited for an interview. Oslo Metropolitan University inspects documents in order to give all candidates a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition.

If you have documents that cannot be uploaded electronically, please contact hbakkeli@oslomet.no

Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

Practical information about relocation to Oslo and living in Norway

To apply for the position, please apply electronically by clicking the “apply” button in the advertisement.