PhD Research Fellow in Science and Technology Studies (STS)

Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet (NTNU); Trondheim; On-site; NOK 420,000 - 520,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentor programme at NTNU

Career guidance during PhD period

Open and inclusive working environment

Job summary

NTNU's Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture in Trondheim invites applications for a four-year PhD Research Fellow in Science and Technology Studies (STS) at the crossroads of infrastructures, security and resilience within the STRIDE project. The role combines independent research with cross-disciplinary collaboration and potential teaching.

You will undertake doctoral research, take PhD-level courses, and be supported by supervisors across the project team, with opportunities for

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant subject area.
• Degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS).
• Excellent command of the English language, both written and oral.

Responsibilities

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate.
• Carry out high-quality research within the STRIDE framework (infrastructures, security and resilience).
• Publish academic papers and participate in research groups at KULT and related centers.
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and research stays.
• Teaching may be required depending on department needs.
• Other career-promoting work, such as project support and grant acquisition.

Education

Master's degree in a relevant subject area

Job description

About The Position

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture (KULT) is a leading Norwegian centre in (amongst others) the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS). The department falls under the Faculty of Humanities of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU and is located in Trondheim, Norway. We are currently recruiting a PhD Research Fellow in STS who wants to work at the crossroads of infrastructures, security, resilience, and interdisciplinary work across these fields.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD research fellow, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a range of leading positions in higher education and research as well as business and administration.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department. You will have a daily supervisor at the department, and one or more co-supervisors from across the project team.

About The Project

How do we build a society that is resilient to crises, attacks, and unexpected shocks? A More Resilient Society is a major strategic initiative at NTNU that requires interdisciplinarity and innovative thinking to address complex and socially relevant challenges. A total of 16 PhD candidates will work across faculties and academic communities within the fields of critical societal infrastructure and health preparedness. The aim is to support research that challenges established assumptions and contributes to a safer and more resilient society.

STRIDE (Synergizing Transport Resilience, Infrastructure, and Defense in Extremes) is one of the projects under the More Resilient Society initiative. STRIDE is a multidisciplinary research project developing a dynamic, multi-risk modeling framework to enhance the resilience of Norway's transport infrastructure against converging climate-driven hazards, such as severe floods and landslides, and geopolitical threats, including targeted sabotage. Moving beyond traditional, brittle “fail-safe” design paradigms, STRIDE operationalizes a “safe-to-fail” approach focused on maintaining critical transport functionality through graceful degradation and rapid recovery across the entire disaster management cycle. As a PhD candidate, you will work within a collaborative, cross-faculty team spanning civil engineering, artificial intelligence, operations research, and science and technology studies.

You will focus on integration of knowledge across academic domains, the operationalization of concepts such as ‘comprehensive resilience’ (Norwegian: totalberedskap) in a multidisciplinary context, and the sociotechnical analysis of infrastructures and their vulnerabilities.

Duties of the position

You will be offered a position for 4 years as a paid PhD Research Fellow (stipendiat). This will consist of 2,5 years independent research, 0,5 year of courses at PhD level, and 1 year of career-relevant work which may or may not include teaching. More specifically, your duties will be to:

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out high-quality research within the framework described above
• Produce academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in several research groups at KULT, notably the newly established group on Security Studies (and the related university-wide research group on Security Narratives), and the longstanding Center for Climate, Energy and the Environment (CLEEN).
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Teaching (dependent on the Department’s needs and opportunities)
• Other career-promoting work, such as project support and assistance in grant acquisition.

Changes to your work duties may occur after employment, and flexibility is appreciated.

Required Selection Criteria

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the Doctoral Programme in Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture (PHKULT, https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phkult), see also Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a Master’s degree in a relevant subject area. Relevant areas include: Science and Technology Studies (STS), fields such as philosophy, history, sociology and anthropology with a distinctly technology-oriented focus, innovation studies and innovation management, and history and philosophy of science (HPS). Within these fields, it is crucial that you demonstrate an affinity with and aptitude for qualitative and interpretive research. We will also consider candidates from the natural and engineering sciences, provided that they can demonstrate affinity and aptitude for humanities and social sciences.
• Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis.
• Master students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than August 2027. Documentation needs to be provided with the application, certifying that this is a realistic expectation (e.g. letter from supervisor).
• You must have a strong and relevant academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master’s degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• Excellent command of the English language, both written and orally.

Preferred Selection Criteria

• Demonstrable interdisciplinary experience, either within the humanities and social sciences (HSS), or even outside HSS, with fields like engineering, natural science or medical science.
• Demonstrable collaborative research experience, including possible internships.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in Norwegian/Scandinavian. If this is not the case, willingness to learn will be considered an advantage.

Personal characteristics

• Work independently
• Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals
• Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions
• Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of