PhD Position in Long-term Climate Governance

Oslo Metropolitan University; Norway; On-site; NOK 496,000 - 606,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension arrangements with SPK

Free Norwegian classes for employees

Job summary

OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University invites applications for a three-year full-time PhD Research Fellow in long-term climate governance, linked to the ERC-funded CAMELOT project and expected to start in April 2027.

The PhD scholar will develop an independent research project within Oslo Business School; enrollment is in OsloMet's PhD programme in Social Sciences (BIG). Extension to 4 years is possible with teaching duties.

Qualifications

• Master's degree of 120 ECTS or equivalent in political science, public administration, environmental governance, sustainability science, sociology, psychology, futures studies, science and technology studies, human geography, or another related field.
• Grade B or better on both the master's thesis and the master's degree overall.
• Strong analytical and academic writing skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Develop an independent research project contributing to long-term climate governance.
• Conduct empirical research and engage with the CAMELOT team.
• Publish findings and contribute to theory on long-term governance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Academic writing

English proficiency

Research methods knowledge

Education

Master's degree (120 ECTS) in political science, public administration, environmental governance, sociology, psychology, or related field

Grade B or better on master's thesis and degree

Job description

PhD Position in Long-term Climate Governance

Develop an independent research project contributing to CAMELOT's objective of understanding and strengthening long-term climate governance.

• Master's degree (120 ECTS) in political science, public administration, environmental governance, sociology, psychology, or related field
• Grade B or better on both the master's thesis and the master's degree overall
• Knowledge of research methods relevant to the proposed PhD project
• Strong analytical and academic writing skills
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Three-year full-time position with 100% salary (550,800 NOK per year)
• Possibility to extend to 4 years with teaching duties
• Pension arrangements with the Norwegian State Pension Fund (SPK)
• Free Norwegian classes for employees

Oslo Business School at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) invites applications for a temporary position as PhD scholar in long-term climate governance. The position is connected to the ERC-funded research project CAMELOT - Capacities for More Effective Long-term Climate Governance and is expected to start in April 2027.

The position is three years full-time but can be extended to four years if teaching assignments are included. The PhD Research Fellow will be based in the academic unit Public Administration and Governance at Oslo Business School and will be enrolled in OsloMet's PhD programme in Social Sciences, specialization Business Administration, Innovation and Governance (BIG).

The successful candidate is expected to complete the doctoral degree during the period of employment.

About CAMELOT

Many of today's most consequential governance challenges, including climate change and Earth system risks, unfold over decades, centuries, or longer. Yet political institutions and decision-making processes often struggle to engage effectively with such long-term futures.

CAMELOT investigates the capacities that enable individuals, groups, and institutions to think about and govern for the long term. The project develops new theory on long-term governance capacities and studies whether and how such capacities can be strengthened through experimental and participatory research. It brings together insights from political science, public administration, environmental governance, sustainability science, futures studies, psychology, and related fields.

CAMELOT is a five-year research project funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant and led by Associate professor Manjana Milkoreit at OsloMet.

CAMELOT project website (https://www.oslomet.no/en/research/research-projects/camelot)

About the PhD project

The PhD scholar will develop an independent research project that contributes to CAMELOT's overarching objective of understanding and strengthening capacities for long-term climate governance.

The project should be theoretically informed and empirically grounded and involve original empirical research designed and conducted by the PhD candidate. The research may build on, extend, or enable comparisons with research undertaken elsewhere in CAMELOT, but should not depend on data collection undertaken in other parts of the project.

We welcome innovative proposals addressing questions related to long-term governance capacities.Possible research directions include, but are not limited to:

• investigating how narratives and stories about long-term climate futures influence imagination, understanding, attitudes, decision-making, or other capacities relevant to long-term governance
• examining how engagement with long-term climate futures differs across climate risks, Earth system tipping elements, audiences, social groups, professional communities, or political and cultural contexts
• studying how scenarios, foresight, simulations, serious games, or other futures-oriented interventions affect capacities for anticipatory and long-term governance
• developing and evaluating educational or professional interventions designed to strengthen capacities for engaging with long-term climate futures
• investigating whether and under what conditions changes in long-term governance capacities translate into changes in reasoning, decision-making, or action

Applicants are encouraged to propose original research questions and approaches that extend beyond these examples while demonstrating a clear connection to CAMELOT's overarching research agenda.

A range of methodological approaches may be appropriate, including quantitative, qualitative, experimental, and mixed-methods research. The proposed research must be feasible within the period of employment.

The candidate will conduct their own research while working closely with the CAMELOT team. They will benefit from interaction with CAMELOT's theoretical, experimental, and participatory research and may develop complementary or comparative studies building on concepts, methods, interventions, or findings developed within the project.

Qualification requirements

We are looking for candidates who meet the following requirements:

• master's degree of 120 ECTS or equivalent in political science, public administration, environmental governance, sustainability science, sociology, psychology, futures studies, science and technology studies, human geography, or another field relevant to the position
• grade of B or better on both the master's thesis and the master's degree overall, or an equivalent academic recorddemonstrate knowledge of research methods relevant to the proposed PhD project
• strong analytical and academic writing skills
• excellent written and spoken English

Candidates who are close to completing their master's degree may apply, provided that the degree is completed before the start of the position.

It will be an advantage

It will be considered an advantage to have knowledge of or previous research experience related to one or more of the following areas: climate or environmental governance; public policy; long-term or anticipatory governance; futures and foresight; environmental or political psychology; narratives and communication; Earth system risks and tipping points; or experimental and intervention-based social science.

Experience with empirical data collection and analysis, participation in research projects, academic publishing, or interdisciplinary research will also be considered an advantage.

General criteria for employment as a Research Fellow are stipulated in the Regulations relating to the Universities and University Colleges Act.

Admission to the doctoral program is a prerequisite. Admission to the doctoral program is based on a comprehensive assessment of the application, including the relevance and quality of the project description. A finalized project plan for the employment period is required completed and acknowledged within 3 months from the date of employment.

See information about admission criteria to the PhD-programme. (https://www.oslomet.no/en/study/sam/phd-sam/social-sciences)

It is important for OsloMet to reflect the diverse and multicultural populationof our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavors to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. If there are periods where you have not been in work or have been studying or in training, you are also welcome to apply.

We offer

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary and international research environment working at the intersection of climate governance, public policy, futures research, and the social sciences.

The position offers:

• exciting job tasks at Norway's third largest university
• opportunities for academic development in a professional research environment
• three-year full-time position with 100% salary; possibility to extend to 4 years with teaching duties
• beneficial pension arrangements with theNorwegian State Pension Fund (https://www.spk.no/en/)
• good employee welfare arrangements
• free Norwegian classes to employees
• working location in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers
• close integration into the ERC-funded CAMELOT research team and the Public Administration and Governance research environment at Oslo Business School
• close supervision and intellectual exchange with researchers working on long-term governance, climate governance, experimental social science, futures and anticipation, and science-policy engagement

The position provides an opportunity to develop an independent scholarly profile while being embedded in a larger international research project with strong connections to academic and policy communities.

The salary for the position is in accordance with the Basic Collective Agreement for state employees and OsloMets pay policy for PhD Candidate in code 1017), corresponding to 550 800 NOK per year. From the salary, 2% will be deducted in pension contributions for the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK). (double check salary in the salary plan booklet and pay scales set by OsloMet).

Other information

If you would like more information about the position, feel free to contact:

• Head of unit Siri Brorstad Borlaug, ([phone]
• Sosiologi

OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan Universityis Norway's third-largest university, with 23,000 students and more than 2,600 employees. We have campuses in central Oslo and the Romerike region. Our research and education address the needs of working life, the welfare state, and the wider metropolitan region.

For more than 200 years,OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan Universityhas contributed to building the knowledge and expertise that underpin the Norwegian welfare state. Today, OsloMet is a modern, urban university with strong academic environments in teacher education, health and social sciences, social research, design, and technology.

MM

Manjana Milkoreit

Førsteamanuensis