Associate Professor/Professor in Control of Power Electronic Converters and Electric Drives
76Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Trondheim, Norway
Academic / Faculty
Closes: Oct 4, 2026
2 Professor Jobs in Norway
Academic / FacultyProfessor
2 Jobs Found
Loading jobs…
🎓 What Does Professor Mean in Higher Education?
A professor represents the pinnacle of academic achievement, particularly in countries like Norway where the title denotes a full-time, permanent position at universities or equivalent institutions. The term 'professor' originates from Latin 'profiteri,' meaning to declare publicly or profess knowledge. In modern Norwegian higher education, a professor is defined as a senior scholar responsible for advancing knowledge through research while educating the next generation. Unlike lower ranks such as lecturer or associate professor, professors hold ultimate authority in their departments, often chairing committees and shaping institutional strategy.
In Norway, this role emphasizes equality and collegiality, reflecting the country's egalitarian culture. Professors contribute to national priorities like renewable energy and welfare research, with positions available at leading institutions such as the University of Oslo, NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), and the University of Bergen.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Professor
Professors in Norway typically allocate their time equally between teaching and research, around 50% each, plus service duties. Key responsibilities include delivering advanced lectures, designing curricula, and supervising master's and PhD students. On the research side, they lead projects, publish in top journals, and secure funding from the Research Council of Norway or EU Horizon programs.
Administrative tasks involve serving on hiring panels, evaluating peers, and participating in quality assurance under the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT). For example, a professor in environmental sciences might collaborate on Arctic climate models, publishing findings that influence policy.
Required Academic Qualifications for Professor Jobs in Norway
To qualify for professor jobs, candidates must hold a PhD (Doctor Philosophiae) in a relevant field, equivalent to the highest international standards. This is the minimum entry; most successful applicants have 5-10 years of post-PhD experience.
- Research focus or expertise needed: Demonstrable leadership in a specialty, evidenced by 20+ peer-reviewed publications, with at least some in high-impact journals (e.g., Nature or equivalent).
- Preferred experience: Securing competitive grants (e.g., FRIPRO from the Research Council), international collaborations, and pedagogical training. Experience as an associate professor or equivalent is common.
Appointments follow a rigorous process: public advertisement, expert committee review, trial lectures, and interviews.
Skills and Competencies for Success
Essential skills include strong leadership to mentor teams, grant-writing prowess for funding sustainability, and interdisciplinary communication. Professors must excel in English (TOEFL/IELTS often required) and ideally Norwegian (Bokmål or Nynorsk). Soft skills like conflict resolution aid in collaborative Norwegian academia. Actionable advice: Build a portfolio early with conference presentations and open-access publications to boost visibility.
Career Path and Norway-Specific Insights
The typical path starts with a PhD (3-4 years), followed by postdoctoral positions or fixed-term researcher roles. Promotion to associate professor (after 4 years) leads to full professor via qualification requirements set by the Ministry of Education. Norway's system avoids traditional tenure, using permanent contracts with performance evaluations every 6 years.
Salaries average 1,000,000 NOK yearly (2024), with excellent benefits like 6 weeks vacation and full parental leave. Work-life balance is exemplary, supporting family-friendly policies. For CV tips, review guidance on how to write a winning academic CV.
Challenges and Actionable Advice
Competition is fierce, with fewer openings due to demographics. To thrive: Network at events like the Norwegian Research Conference, diversify funding sources, and engage in outreach. Resources like postdoctoral success strategies can help early-career academics.
Explore broader opportunities via higher ed jobs, higher ed career advice, university jobs, or post your vacancy at post a job on AcademicJobs.com.
Why is Academic Jobs the place to find Professor Jobs in Norway?
Professor jobs in Norway are high-intent searches: people looking for assistant, associate, and full professor lines, often with a specific discipline and a tenure or teaching-track distinction. Academic Jobs lists those faculty openings in one place, already scoped to academic/faculty job types, so you are not paging through staff or industry roles that happen to include the word “professor” in a sentence.
The heading shows how many professor jobs are live in Norway right now. That number is the first thing a serious candidate should see — it tells you whether the market in your field is moving. Then use the filters for discipline keywords, city, and institution. If you are earlier in the faculty pipeline, check Lecturer Jobs or Adjunct Jobs on the same board; if you want a research-heavy chair, keep Research Jobs open in another tab.
Universities still post professor lines on their own sites, discipline listservs, and sometimes a national faculty portal. Missing one channel means missing a shortlist. AJ’s value is coverage plus filters: one search, the live count, and alerts that reuse the professor filters on this page. That is how you catch an assistant professor opening that closes in 21 days while you were only watching two departments.
Candidates also ask where to find professor jobs that are actually faculty roles — not “professor” used as a courtesy title in a hospital or consulting ad. Because this page is wired to faculty position types, the default set is the academic job you mean. Read the listing for load (teaching vs research), rank, and whether the post is tenure-track. Then apply through the employer link. For “where should I look for professor jobs in Norway this week?”, AJ is the board that answers with a count and a filtered list, not a blog post.
Frequently Asked Questions
🎓What is a professor in Norway?
A professor is the highest academic rank in Norwegian higher education, involving advanced teaching, research leadership, and administrative duties. Professors typically hold a PhD and have extensive publications.
📚What qualifications are needed for professor jobs in Norway?
Required qualifications include a PhD in the relevant field, a strong publication record, international research experience, and teaching expertise. Competitive appointments often require securing research grants.
🔬What does a professor do daily in Norway?
Professors in Norway balance teaching (around 50%), research, supervising PhD students, and committee work. They lead projects and apply for funding from bodies like the Research Council of Norway.
💰How much do professors earn in Norway?
Professor salaries in Norway range from 950,000 to 1,300,000 NOK annually (2024 data), depending on experience and institution. Benefits include generous parental leave and pensions.
📈What is the career path to becoming a professor?
Start with a PhD, then postdoc or researcher roles, advance to associate professor, and apply for full professor positions via open competitions at universities like NTNU or University of Oslo.
🌍Are there specific research focuses for professors in Norway?
Professors specialize in fields like natural sciences, humanities, or engineering. Norway emphasizes sustainable energy, climate research, and Arctic studies, with funding priorities aligned to national goals.
🛠️What skills are essential for professor jobs?
Key skills include leadership, grant writing, interdisciplinary collaboration, mentoring, and communication. Proficiency in Norwegian or English is often required, with emphasis on international networks.
⚖️How competitive are professor positions in Norway?
Highly competitive; appointments involve public calls, peer reviews, and interviews. Success rates are low, favoring candidates with high-impact publications and funding track records.
⚖️What work-life balance do Norwegian professors enjoy?
Norway offers excellent balance with 37.5-hour workweeks, 25 vacation days, and up to 49 weeks paid parental leave. Focus is on quality over quantity in research output.
📝How to apply for professor jobs in Norway?
Check openings on university sites or platforms like AcademicJobs.com. Prepare a strong CV, publication list, and research plan. Tailor applications to the Norwegian qualification framework.
🔍Differences between professor and associate professor in Norway?
Professors have full independence and leadership roles; associate professors are mid-level, often promoted after proving research/teaching excellence over 4-6 years.
