PhD Fellowship position in Development Studies

Do you want to carry out research within the field of Development Studies?

The Department of International Studies and Interpreting has an available fixed-term position as a PhD Research Fellow in the field of Development Studies. The position is for three years, including the researcher training programme, and aiming for a doctoral dissertation. Depending on the applicant's competence and the department's needs, it may be considered adding up to one year of teaching and administrative duties. The position is vacant from 1 September 2026.

Area of Research

The Section for Development Studies at the Department of International Studies and Interpreting offers a one-year programme and a bachelor's programme in Development Studies, as well as a master's programme in International Development, Education and Sustainability. Our studies and research focus on global questions and challenges, with a particular focus on the Global South. Research within the section includes topics such as development, environment and sustainability, the role of education in development processes, global resource distribution, as well as research in health, gender, religion, power structures, and social inequality.

As a research Fellow, you will become part of our engaged and internationally oriented group of academics and develop and carry out an independent research project within Development Studies. Your proposed research project must be within the section’s focus in teaching and research. We emphasize critical reflection, social relevance, and ethical awareness in our research.

You will receive academic supervision, participate in our research group Development, Power and Inequality, and be enrolled in the faculty's PhD programme. As a Research Fellow at OsloMet, you may apply for a scholarship for longer research stays abroad.

Admission to the PhD programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education is a prerequisite for commencing this position. The final plan for your enrolment must be approved and agreed upon no later than three months after taking up the position.

Qualification Requirements

• You must have completed a master’s degree (equivaling 120 ECTS credits) with an academic background in Development Studies or an equivalent field
• You must be able to document a letter grade of B or better on the master’s thesis. Applicants without letter grades from previous studies must be able to document an equivalent strong academic foundation. Exception: Applicants who have a grade of C on the master's thesis may be admitted if they have an average grade of B or better on other courses in the master's programme. In addition, you must either be able to document scientific publication or research and development-related work experience
• You must be able to document good oral and written skills in either a Scandinavian language or English

General criteria for employment as a Research Fellow are stipulated in these regulations: Regulations relating to the University and University College Act.

See information about admission criteria to the PhD-programme here: Educational Sciences for Teacher Education - OsloMet

Additional Desired Requirements

• Experience with fieldwork
• Regional competence in one or more countries in the Global South or Norway
• Experience with interdisciplinary research

We are looking for applicants who have

• The ability and capacity to carry out the research project with consistency and quality
• The ability to work independently over time
• Motivation for the academic and research field
• The ability to collaborate and an interest in contributing to the academic community

Personal suitability will be emphasized.

Project Proposal

When assessing applicants, emphasis will be placed on the submitted project proposal, which must be written according to the template for research proposals for the PhD programme.

The proposal must also demonstrate your background knowledge in the research topic and the country where you plan to carry out fieldwork, if relevant.

Your proposed research project must be within the focus set out in this announcement, and according to the focus in the PhD programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education. The proposal must be written in a Scandinavian language or English and consist of a maximum of 10 pages (including the reference list).

The project proposal must contain:

• research question(s), theoretical approach(es), and methodological approach
• a description of knowledge needs and the dissertation's contribution to the field
• a plan for the doctoral training programme, including a timeline and planned publications
• any planned fieldwork or stay at a relevant foreign university, if relevant
• a list of references

A digital writing seminar for the project proposal will be held on 22 October 2025. Please note that the seminar will be conducted in Norwegian. Sett inn lenke.

We can offer you

• an exciting job opportunity at Norway’s third largest and most urban university
• participation in a research group and a creative and inspiring academic environment
• opportunities for academic development.
• welfare schemes and a wide range of cultural and sports activities.
• beneficial pension arrangements with the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• a workplace in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers

The salary for the position is in accordance with the pay scale for Norwegian state employees, job title and position code. State salary wage scale 1017 Research Fellow, NOK 550,800 per year. A mandatory two per cent pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.

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 OsloMet.

OsloMet has adhered to the principles in the DORA declaration (sfdora.org/read/) and obliged the institution to follow the recommendations in this declaration.

It is important for Oslo Metropolitan University to reflect diversity of all kinds, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavours to further develop Oslo Metropolitan University as an inclusive employer and to make adaptations to the workplace. You are also welcome to apply for a position with us if you have experienced periods where you have not been in work, education, or training.

If you would like to apply for the position, you must do so electronically through our recruitment system.

Application Process

Please apply for this position via our recruitment system. Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. Before the application papers are forwarded to the expert committee, all applications will be reviewed by the faculty. Applications from unqualified applicants will not be forwarded for assessment. If the volume of applications necessitates, a sorting committee will make the first selection of applicants. Selected applicants will then be assessed again by an expert committee.

By the application deadline, you must upload the following documents:

• Application letter
• CV, including all pages of diplomas and transcripts/certificates
• 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 preferably be recognised in advance by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (hkdir.no), and a certified copy of the letter of recognition should be enclosed.
• Your master's degree/second degree thesis (and any other scholarly work that you wish the expert committee to take into consideration) and a list of your publications, if relevant. If the thesis is written in another language, you must upload a summary of the thesis in English
• Project proposal (max 10 pages including reference list) written in a Scandinavian language or English
• Contact information of two references

We only process applications submitted through our electronic recruitment system, and all documents must be uploaded for your application to be processed. The documents must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Translations must be authorized, and you will be expected to present original documents if called for an interview. OsloMet performs document verification so that you as a candidate receive a real evaluation and fair competition. Incomplete applications will not be considered. A background check may be carried out to verify information appearing in the CV and available documents. Background checks will not be carried out without the applicant's consent, and relevant applicants will receive further information about this.

Further information

For further information about the fellowship, please contact:

• Associate Professor Hege Roaldset, email: hegeroal@oslomet.no.
• Acting Head of Studies, Bjørn Harald Hegreberg Garborg, email: garbor@oslomet.no.

Application deadline: December 1st 

Please note: Finn.no only allows job advertisements to be published for up to 6 weeks. Therefore, the application deadline shown on Finn.no may differ from the actual deadline. Once the ad expires on Finn.no, it will be republished.