The position
A PhD position is available at the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
The Department has an engaged academic environment with broad expertise in both practical and theoretical philosophy, and active research networks in ethics, political philosophy, environmental philosophy, and feminist philosophy. These interests come together in our research group Philosophy for Modern Times (PhilMod), which organizes a range of regular activities throughout the year, such as research seminars, work-in-progress seminars, conferences, workshops, various reading groups, and visits from guest researchers. The postholder will be a member of PhilMod and will be encouraged to engage in all its research activities.
Our colleagues contribute both to fundamental research and public debate, and we have a strong presence in national and international networks. The Department of Philosophy also administers the Centre for Women's and Gender Research. The Department offers education in philosophy at all levels from a one-year programme, Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees up to PhD level. As a PhD fellow with us, you will become part of an inclusive and intellectually stimulating research environment with excellent opportunities for academic development and international collaboration. We value open dialogue, collegial support, and curiosity in addressing complex questions. Our staff and PhD candidates benefit from a strong culture that supports supervision, mobility, and research dissemination. We aim to facilitate the development of each candidate’s academic profile in line with their individual goals and the Department’s strategic priorities.
The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD fellow position is for a period of three years and full time studies with the possibility of an extension of the appointment period. If the doctoral dissertation is submitted for appraisal within 3 years or within 3.5 years, the PhD candidate is qualified for a completion grant for either 12 or 6 months. The completion grant should be used to further qualification measures such as courses in teaching in higher education, lecturing and other relevant work at the faculty. More information about the completion grant scheme can be found here.
The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.
The project / The position’s field of research
The pervasive human impact on the environment has not only caused serious environmental problems but also blurred the longstanding distinction between humans and nature. Some say that this breakdown gives humans the right to decide what kind of nature we want to have, others say that we need to include the interests of non-human beings in our decision-making. With respect to the latter approach, there is a growing political movement, as well as academic research that seeks to expand the prevailing conception of democracy so that the interests of non-human entities can be represented. These entities could include, for example, sentient and/or non sentient animals, plants, whole populations or species, and non-living entities such as rivers or mountains, and ecosystems. These calls have been reflected in number of academic disciplines, fields and sub-fields, for example the “political turn in animal ethics”, “the rights of nature” and, perhaps most pervasively across the humanities, an interest in the ontology behind and value(s) of the “more- than-human”. More than human democracy challenges current conceptions of whom should count as a political subject or agent and the criteria of political membership. This question has been asked many times in the past, but we should not take for granted at previous insights on inclusion of humans can readily translate to the more-than-human.
Does democracy provide the right institutional framework for including, understanding and analysing more-than-human interests? We invite applications that seek to develop – or critique – the idea of a more-than human democracy.
Possible research questions include, but are not limited to:
- Several advocates of ‘more-than-human democracy’ challenge fundamental ideas about what a subject is. For example, post-humanists conceive of the subject as relational and fundamentally interdependent. Can democratic institutions accommodate this kind of understanding of the subject?
- If democracy is expanded to include non-human subjects, which kinds of entities should be included and how can/should they be represented?
- How would including who or what can count as political subjects affect democracy as it functions today? How, for example, might it affect other aspects of democracy such as the role of deliberation or civil disobedience?
- If a more than human democracy is not tenable or desirable, what (if any) requirements could be placed on democratic processes to help safeguard the environment? For example, what kind of weight should be given to scientific or other forms of knowledge about the more-than human world?
Applicants are invited to submit projects within the discipline of philosophy. We are open to various philosophical traditions and approaches, and we welcome projects that emphasise marginalised perspectives. To ensure good supervision, however, applicants are encouraged to examine the research profiles of IFF staff and take these into account when preparing an application.
We are also open to projects that are informed by empirical research, but the main theoretical framework and focus must be within philosophy.
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact professor and head of the PhilMod research group, Clare Heyward,
- epost: jennifer.c.heyward@uit.no
- telefon: 77 62 51 47
or head of department Melina Duarte
- epost: melina.duarte@uit.no
- telfon: 77 64 43 29
Qualifications
Required qualifications:
- A completed Master’s degree or equivalent in philosophy with a grade average of B or better (according to the ECTS scale). If you have not received your diploma by the application deadline, you may still apply—provided that your master’s thesis has been submitted for assessment and this is confirmed by a letter from your supervisor. A documented completed degree is required for employment.
- Documented proficiency in English, both written and spoken. Applicants from Nordic countries can document this with a high school diploma.
Presence on campus in Tromsø. The PhD candidate is expected to be present and actively engaged in the daily academic environment on campus. This includes both research-related activities and collegial collaboration.
The applicants must present a description outlining the academic basis of the PhD project. The project description shall not exceed 5-10 pages, literature references included. It must include a description of the topic, research question(s) and a reasoning of the choices. It should also indicate the methodologies to be used. The final project description will be developed in cooperation with the supervisor. Template for project description can be found here.
In evaluating applicants, we will emphasize:
- Academic potential for doctoral studies. We assess the applicant’s ability to complete a PhD within the standard time frame (three years), based on the quality of their master's thesis, any other relevant independent work, and scientific publications.
- Proposed research project. The project description will be assessed for academic quality, thematic relevance, and feasibility within the given timeframe.
- Supplementary experience. Experience that strengthens the applicant's ability to succeed in a PhD project will be viewed positively. This may include teaching experience, dissemination of academic content, participation in research projects, or other academic or professional activities demonstrating organizational ability, independence, and collaboration skills.
We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who:
- Have good collaboration skills
- Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
- Wants to contribute to a good working environment
As many people as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.
Admission to the PhD programme
For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.
Admission normally requires:
- A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.
- A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master's degree of 120 ECTS.
- A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.
All applicants should have a grade point average of B (or equivalent) on their master’s degree in order to be admitted to the PhD programme. The grade point average also applies to 300 ECTS points integrated five-year master’s degrees, in which all courses are to be included in the grade point average. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.
If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position.
Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree. UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
Inclusion and diversity
UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.
If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.
We offer
- Involvement in an interesting research project
- Good career opportunities
- A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
- Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
- Pension scheme through the state pension fund
- PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 550 800 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase
- Opportunity to apply for a scholarship for an extended research stay abroad
Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.
More practical information about working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility
Application
Please note that the application will only be assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you include all necessary documents demonstrating your qualifications for the position.
Your application must include:
- Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
- CV
- Official diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degree in the original language
- Official transcripts of grades/academic record for Bachelor's and Master's degree in the original language
- Official translation of diplomas and transcripts of records (ToR) to English or a Scandinavian language, if applicable
- Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
- Documentation of English proficiency
- Documentation of proficiency in Norwegian (or a Scandinavian language) (If available)
- References with contact information
- Master’s thesis, and any other academic works
- Project description (5-10 pages)
Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. You may still apply if you are in the final stages of the master’s degree, but the master’s thesis must be submitted for evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis and transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.
All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position.
Assessment
The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants.
The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position.
General information
The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.
Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.
A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.
We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.
In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.
Eallju - Developing the High North
UiT Norges arktiske universitet er et internasjonalt ledende breddeuniversitet. Vår visjon er å være en drivkraft i nord. Det nordsamiske begrepet eallju, som betyr arbeidsiver, setter tonen for drivkraften i UiT. Sammen med studenter, ansatte og samfunnet for øvrig skal vi utnytte vår beliggenhet i Nord-Norge og Sápmi, vår faglige bredde og tverrfaglige fortrinn til å forme framtiden.
UiT har om lag 18 000 studenter, mer enn 4000 ansatte, og er etablert på fire hovedcampuser og sju øvrige studiesteder i Nord-Norge og på Svalbard. Våre største campuser er Tromsø, Alta, Narvik og Harstad. UiT har sju fakulteter, 40 institutter og sentre, og ledende forskningsmiljøer innenfor ulike fag. Universitetet har 269 studieprogrammer og har fokus på utdanningskvalitet.
Akademisk frihet, vitenskapelige og forskningsetiske prinsipper ligger til grunn for hele UiT sin virksomhet. Medvirkning, medbestemmelse, åpenhet og gode prosesser skal gi det beslutningsgrunnlaget vi trenger for å gjøre kloke og framsynte prioriteringer. Våre studenter og ansatte skal ha mulighet til å utvikle sine evner og potensial. Tuftet på vitenskapelig integritet skal vi være modige, engasjerte og rause - tett på fag, folk og samtidsutviklingen.
Les mer om UiTs strategi mot 2030
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