Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Climate and Environmental Governance

Rise Social Inc.; Tromsø; Hybrid; NOK 620,000 - 665,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Pension scheme through the state

Job summary

UiT The Arctic University of Norway invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Climate and Environmental Governance within RiverPulse, an ERC Advanced Grant project.

The appointed fellow will join an interdisciplinary team across humanities, social and environmental sciences, conduct independent research, and participate in fieldwork across Norway, Finland, Sweden and Greenland.

Qualifications

• PhD in political science, governmental studies, environmental governance, environmental law, public policy, sustainability science or another relevant field.
• Demonstrated research expertise in climate, environmental or natural-resource governance.
• Experience with research relevant to environmental governance, policy or institutions.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Experience with Indigenous governance, commons/commoning or co-management, environmental policy analysis, collaborative or participatory research, co-design, participatory methods, or Arctic environmental governance.
• Competence in one or more RiverPulse field-site languages for community engagement.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the RiverPulse project through position-specific research responsibilities and shared project activities.
• Engage in extended fieldwork at one or more research sites across the three river regions.
• Develop analyses and publications while collaborating with a multidisciplinary team.

Skills

English proficiency

Interdisciplinary research

Governance research

Education

PhD in political science or related field

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Climate and Environmental Governance

Overview

The positionA Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at the interdisciplinary ERC research project RiverPulse is available at the Department of Language and Culture.RiverPulse: Reconfiguring human–nature interactions as an assemblage at the Arctic frontline of climate change is an ERC Advanced Grant project at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. It examines how accelerating climate change transforms Arctic salmon rivers as ecological systems, multispecies environments, lived places and sites of governance. The broader aim is to advance assemblage thinking as an empirically grounded framework for understanding climate change as a crisis of relations and Arctic salmon rivers as assemblages of ecological, social, cultural and political processes.The project works across three river regions: Reisa in Norway, Tornio in Finland and Sweden, and Kapisillit in Greenland. The communities are multilingual and -cultural, including Sámi and Kalaallit Indigenous communities and Kven and Meänkieli minority contexts. RiverPulse combines ecological and quantitative research with ethnographic, historical, citizen-science and governance approaches to understand how climate-driven changes in rivers and salmon systems reconfigure river–salmon–human relations, knowledge and governance.RiverPulse is designed as an interdisciplinary research programme, where the announecd postdoctoral research fellow position is one of four positions. Ecological and quantitative evidence will be interpreted alongside qualitative and community-based knowledge, while each researcher retains clear scholarly responsibility for their own area. You will join a team spanning the humanities, social sciences and environmental sciences, with interdisciplinary collaborators and local research assistants across the three river regions.

In addition to their position-specific research responsibilities (please see below), all postdoctoral fellows will contribute to shared RiverPulse activities, including project meetings, workshops and events, research communication and dissemination, and other project-related activities. In addition, the position involves periods of extended fieldwork in one or several of our research sites.

Required qualifications

A PhD in political science, governmental studies, environmental governance, environmental law, public policy, sustainability science or another relevant field.Demonstrated research expertise in climate, environmental or natural-resource governance.Experience with research relevant to environmental governance, policy or institutions.Excellent written and spoken English. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with Indigenous governance, commons/commoning or co-management, environmental policy analysis, collaborative or participatory research, co-design, participatory methods, or Arctic environmental governance.Competence in one or more RiverPulse field-site languages for community engagement.Relevant field-site languages are: Reisa – Norwegian, Kven and Northern Sámi; Tornio – Finnish, Swedish and Meänkieli; Kapisillit – Kalaallisut and Danish.In your application, please describe your level of competence and how you are able to use the language in field research.Assessment criteria

In Assessing Your Application, We Will Consider Both What You Already Bring To The Position And Your Potential To Develop Within RiverPulse. In Addition To The Specific Qualifications, We Will Place Emphasis On:

the quality and relevance of your research and your research potential;

Your analytical skills, intellectual curiosity and motivation for interdisciplinary research on changing Arctic river systems and communities;

your understanding of the position you are applying for and of how your expertise can contribute to the wider RiverPulse project;your ability to conduct research with scholarly independence within the overall framework of RiverPulse, including developing your own analyses and publications, while contributing actively and constructively to the project’s collaborative interdisciplinary research;initiative and openness to engaging with perspectives, methods and forms of knowledge beyond your own disciplinary background;

communication and interpersonal skills that support a collaborative, inclusive and constructive research environment.

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).Inclusion and diversityUiT The Arctic University i 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 is 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 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.

Inclusion and diversityUiT The Arctic University i 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 is a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

We offerInvolvement in an interesting research projectGood career opportunitiesA good academic environment with dedicated colleaguesFlexible working hours and a state collective pay agreementPension scheme through the state pension fundThe opportunity to join an ERC Advanced Grant project addressing a major environmental and societal challenge in the Arctic.A genuinely interdisciplinary research environment bringing humanities, social sciences and environmental sciences into sustained collaboration.A clearly defined research role together with support to develop your own analyses, publications and academic profile within RiverPulse.Opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, workshops and wider project activities while building your own research network.A collaborative, inclusive and constructive working environment in which different forms of expertise and knowledge are valued.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 for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobilityApplication

Note to candidates: We know that no single candidate will bring every kind of experience or expertise listed here, and we do not expect you to. What matters is that you meet the required qualifications, bring a strong perspective of your own, and can see how your work could contribute to RiverPulse. RiverPulse is designed to give you both a clear research role and space to develop new expertise, questions and collaborations as the project progresses. If the position speaks to your research interests, we encourage you to apply.

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 remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352 with a gross annual salary ranging from NOK 620 000,- to 665.100,- (in a 100% position). (In special cases, a higher salary may be considered.) 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. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has 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 NorthUiT The Arctic University of Norway is an internationally leading broad-based university. Our vision is to be a driving force in the North. The Northern Sami term eallju, which means diligence, sets the tone for UiT's drive. Together with students, staff, and society at large, we will utilize our location in Northern Norway and Sápmi, our academic breadth, and interdisciplinary advantages to shape the future.UiT has approximately 18,000 students, more than 4,000 employees, and is established across four main campuses and seven additional study locations in Northern Norway and on Svalbard. Our largest campuses are Tromsø, Alta, Narvik, and Harstad. UiT has seven faculties, 40 departments and centers, and leading research environments to in various fields. The university offers 269 study programs and focuses on educational quality.Academic freedom, scientific principles, and research ethics form the foundation of all UiT's activities. Participation, co-determination, transparency, and sound processes will provide the basis for making wise and forward-looking decisions. Our students and staff will have the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential. Rooted in scientific integrity, we aim to be bold, engaged, and generous - closely connected to academia, people, and contemporary developmentsheresay about UiT's strategy towards 2030.