Doctoral student in Peace and Development Research with Focus on Host-State Responses to Transnation

Göteborgs universitet; Göteborgs kommun; On-site; SEK 301,320 - 334,800; Full time

Job summary

The University of Gothenburg is offering a Doctoral position in Peace and Development Research. This role focuses on understanding host-state responses to transnational repression through an interdisciplinary approach, contributing to international research projects.

Candidates will be involved in producing a dissertation while participating in educational duties. An ideal candidate will hold a Master's degree in related fields and have excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• Must possess a second-cycle degree or equivalent knowledge.
• Experience in research proposal writing and academic publications.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research.

Responsibilities

• Conduct independent research culminating in a dissertation.
• Participate in departmental duties corresponding to up to 20% of full-time employment.
• Collaborate with the research team in Gothenburg.

Skills

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

Proficiency in relevant languages for selected case countries

Education

Master’s degree in International relations, Peace and conflict studies or Global development studies

Tools

Research methodologies

Job description

Doctoral position in Peace and Development Research with Focus on Host-State Responses to Transnational Repression

The University of Gothenburg tackles society's challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6 800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

Peace and Development Research at the University of Gothenburg is a leading site of interdisciplinary enquiry. The research environment consists of ca 50 researchers using a broad range of approaches to investigate various themes in peace and development in different regions of the world. These themes include, but are not limited to, conflicts, security, gender, human rights, global political economy, migration, regional and global governance, and resistance.

Peace & Development Research at the School of Global Studies announces a doctoral position with focus on host-state responses to transnational repression, broadly understood as attempts by authoritarian regimes to punish, deter, undermine, and silence activism in the diaspora. The doctoral project will be conducted within an international research project which examines transnational repression (TNR) and host state responses to it in the Nordic‑Baltic region. Within this framework, the PhD student will contribute to a work package focusing on how norms related to TNR are translated into legal and policy responses in host states. Adopting a comparative perspective across two to three Nordic‑Baltic countries (Sweden, Norway, and/or Estonia), the candidate may, for instance, study such dimensions as:

• The level of awareness among public officials working with law enforcement, border control, immigration, and/or cybersecurity.
• State outreach to migrants and diasporas at risk.
• Forms of collaboration between state authorities and civil society organisations.
• Procedures for reporting incidents of TNR.
• The investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.
• And/or other topics relevant to TNR.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages.

https://www.gu.se/en/doctoral-studies

Duties

The purpose of undertaking doctoral studies is to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for conducting independent research within the field of Peace and Development Research. The doctoral studies comprise one year of coursework and three years of research, culminating in the production of a dissertation that makes a significant and original contribution to the research field. The knowledge and skills that are acquired during the studies should be applicable to postdoctoral research or other professional work. Doctoral studies comprise four years of full‑time study, and lead to a doctoral degree. The candidate is expected to work in Gothenburg in the project team and start with both course work and project related work during the first year. Start date no later than January 2027.

The candidate must have excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Additionally, the candidate shall have proficiency in relevant language(s) used in the candidate's selected case countries.

As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period, and result in a corresponding extension of the studies. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.

Eligibility

Doctoral education requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.

The general eligibility requirements for doctoral studies are:

1. Having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. The fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or
3. The acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.

An applicant meets the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies if they have obtained (Higher Education Ordinance Ch.7, Sec.40) at least 60 higher education credits in the field of International relations, Peace and conflict studies or Global development studies or another university education of equivalent depth and breadth. Applicants who have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad will also be considered to meet the specific entry requirements.

Assessment criteria

Applicants will be assessed based on the general and specific eligibility requirements and their estimated ability to benefit from the study programme. The assessment places particular focus on:

1. A research proposal (max 2 000 words including list of references) that presents some preliminary ideas about how the applicant envisions that their PhD work will contribute to research on the focus area indicated above. The research proposal will be assessed for the applicant's ability to formulate a research problem and his/her familiarity with and handling of methodological and theoretical issues. The research proposal should suggest a research problem (including purpose, aims and research questions) and indicate tentative ideas on theory, research design, methods, and data, as well as a provisional timeline. Use Harvard (author-date) referencing.
2. A Master’s thesis, academic publications and/or other relevant works. These will be used to assess the applicant's ability to formulate and delimit research problems and to analyse and present research results.
3. A CV summarising education, relevant work experience, language proficiency, and other relevant skills.
4. Grades achieved in undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
5. Interviews will be held with shortlisted applicants.

The applicant's skills, experience, creativity, and excellence in research are also assessed based on the points above. Decisions on the shortlist will be made in September and final decisions in October 2026.

The Head of Department makes all admission decisions at the third-cycle level. This decision cannot be appealed.

Admission and employment

Once you have been admitted to doctoral studies, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.

The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100.

Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time.

A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at doctoral level for four years.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.

Please note, doctoral studies at the School of Global Studies require physical presence to conduct the studies. If the admitted applicant needs a residence permit for higher education to pursue studies in Sweden, the School of Global Studies has the right to revoke the admission decision if the applicant cannot present a valid residence permit no later than at the start of the studies.

Contact information

Dr. Arne F. Wackenhut, Associate Professor, [e-mail]

Dr. Sofie Hellberg, Associate Professor, [e-mail]

Unions

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply-for-a-position#collective-agreement-and-union-representatives

Application

You can apply to be admitted to doctoral education via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal.

The application must include:

1. A research proposal of maximum 2 000 words.
2. A Master’s thesis and/or any other relevant academic works or publications. Submitted texts must be written in Swedish/Scandinavian or English. Any translated versions must be accompanied by the original text.
3. A CV. We encourage applicants to use the Europass CV format (https://europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv).
4. Copies of diplomas and/or academic transcripts verifying that the general and specific entry requirements stated above have been met. Evidence of other relevant qualifications.
5. The names of two references and their contact information. NB! No letters of recommendation will be considered.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per this notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline. No changes or additions are allowed after the final submission date.

Applications must be received by: 14 August 2026

Information for International Applicants

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit:

https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services

https://www.movetogothenburg.com/

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.