PhD Candidate in Social Work with focus on international migration

Marianne Garvik; Trondheim; On-site; NOK 495,720 - 605,880; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career guidance during PhD period

Exciting tasks in an international academic environment

Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

Job summary

NTNU in Trondheim is offering a 3-year PhD position in Social Work focused on international migration and ethnic relations. The successful candidate will conduct research and publish findings in international journals, while completing their doctoral education. Applicants are required to hold a relevant master's degree and demonstrate strong academic performance.

In this interdisciplinary role, selected candidates will be involved in a research group related to welfare and migration. Salary is competitive, and candidates with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work, sociology, political science, or a related field.
• Strong academic performance with an average grade of B or better.
• Familiarity with migration strategies and policies.

Responsibilities

• Complete doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate.
• Conduct research and publish in international journals.
• Participate in project applications and international conferences.

Skills

Knowledge of IMER studies

Research methods skills

Strong academic background

Fluent English

Education

Relevant master's degree in social work or equivalent

Job description

About the position

We have a vacancy for a 3-year PhD position at the Department of Social Work.

The goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree. The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will be your employer.

The PhD position is connected to the interdisciplinary field of IMER (International Migrations and Ethnic Relations) and the research group of Migration and welfare: Welfare and migration – Department of social work – NTNU.

The PhD project will address the following research areas:

• International migration
• Migration strategies and policies
• Ethnic relations

The successful applicant will conduct research with emphasis on opportunities and consequences of international migrations. The applicant will be affiliated with the research group that consists of researchers within the field of social work, sociology, political science, economics, and anthropology.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Research
• Publishing in international journals
• Work with project applications
• Participation at international conferences
• Participate in the research group Welfare and Migration – Department of social work – NTNU

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant master’s degree in social work, sociology, political science, Europe/globalization studies or education to equivalent level.
• The candidate should be familiar with one or more of the following fields of study: IMER studies (IMER-International migrations and ethnic relations), migration strategies and comparative analysis.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where normally 120 credits are obtained at master's level including a master’s thesis or equivalent work with a scope of at least 30 credits.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Social Sciences.
• Applicants with a diploma from a foreign university are advised to provide an explanation of the university's grading system. Please note that these documents should be translated in English or in a Scandinavian language.
• Fluent English skills are required.

Preferred selection criteria

• The research proposal
• Relevant research experience
• Skills in research methods

Personal characteristics

We are looking for candidates who are independent, have good cooperative skills, and are flexible and organised.

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)
• Employee benefits

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 550 800,- per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.

The period of employment is 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Social Sciences within three months of employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organisational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include:

• CV, certificates and diplomas
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy/pdf of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before the application deadline.
• Project proposal: Project description outlining the research questions, academic focus area, theoretical perspectives, methodological design, and progress plan for the project (max. 3,000 characters).
• Name and address of three professional references
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) , please attach this as well.

Joint work will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Marianne Garvik, email: [e-mail].

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Terese Brå, e-mail: [e-mail].

Application deadline: 15.09.2025