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PhD Candidate UiO:Nordic

Deadline: 31.08.2020

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.


The Department of Psychology is one of seven units of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and has 75 permanent and 70 temporary members of scientific staff. Degrees are offered at bachelor and master level, plus a clinical training programme, and the PhD programme has 140 students.

Job description

A PhD Research Fellowship is available in the Section of Methodology, Work-, Cultural-, and Social psychology (MAKS) at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. The position is associated with the UiO:Nordic project “The Ambivalence of Nordic Nature: Gift. Guilt. Grace”. The goal of the research project is to study how the Nordic societies encounter challenges raised by the global climate crisis and the ongoing destruction and denial of nature. The project is interdisciplinary and offers a stimulating, inclusive and highly-productive academic environment. For more information, please see here.

More about the position

The fellowship period is 3 years, devoted to carrying out a PhD project within the thematic frames of the UiO:Nordic research project “The Ambivalence of Nordic Nature: Gift. Guilt. Grace”. The successful candidate is expected to investigate the origin, the occurrence and the potentials and pitfalls of recently emerged emotionally-laden words and expressions, such as ‘flight shame’, ‘climate anxiety’ and ‘ecological grief’, within the climate change discourse, for instance among engaged youth activist movements in the Nordic countries.

The successful candidate is expected to conduct the PhD project within three sub-studies to be published in relevant international peer-reviewed journals, of which the first study will apply qualitative thematic or discourse analyses of media and/or social media texts to trace the origin, spread and possible semiotic development of key phrases like ‘flight shame’, ‘climate anxiety’ and ‘ecological grief’. In the second study, the candidate is expected to use mixed methods, involving a questionnaire in combination with qualitative semi-structured interviews either with individuals or groups in the Nordic countries, in order to both untap the prevalence of these new eco-emotional representations and the potential roles and meanings they have in young Scandinavian people’s lives, in particular related to young people’s beliefs about the potential for living good lives in the future. In the third study, the candidate is expected to conduct a theoretical analysis that assesses the communicative and psychological potentials and pitfalls of emotionally-laden phrases.

This study will relate to the climate communication literature that addresses positive and negative emotions in conveying climate news to the public, as well as to the study of political awareness and activism in relation to potential mobilizing effects such emotional expressions may have.

The fellowship lasts for a period of 3 years. A 4th year can be considered with the addition of 25 % teaching requirement, depending on the competence of the applicant and the needs of the Department. The research fellow must take part in the Department’s approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period.

The position is financed by Department of Psychology and UiO:Nordic, University of Oslo.

For further questions about the position, please contact associate professor Erik Carlquist or professor Ole Jacob Madsen.

Qualification requirements

  • Applicants must hold a Master's degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent in psychology. The Master’s degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS with a minimum grade B (ECTS grading scale) or equivalent.
  • Average grade on the master's degree that are A or B. Candidates with an average grade C on the master's degree can be assessed individually upon application.
  • Solid theoretical and methodological knowledge in the psychological study of language, discourse, ideology or affect.
  • Strong creative and analytic abilities.
  • Prior research experience particularly with qualitative research methods.
  • Excellent oral and written English communication skills.
  • Enthusiasm for the topic.
  • Ambitions for high-quality research within the project, as evidenced by the required letter of application, explaining the motivation for applying and how personal qualifications are suited for the announced position.

Preferable qualifications

  • Prior knowledge with eco-, climate- or environmental psychology.
  • Experience with recruitment and interviewing of research participants.
  • Personal suitability, motivation and willingness to work collaboratively in groups as well as independently.
  • Experience with academic publication processes, as documented through submitted or published manuscripts

In assessing applications, particular emphasis will be placed upon the quality of the candidate's academic qualifications. Interviews with selected candidates will be arranged where the applicant's personal prerequisites and cooperative skills will be emphasized.

We offer

How to apply

The application must include

  • Cover letter statement of motivation and research interests
  • CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work) Educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
  • Documentation of English proficiency
  • A complete list of publications (if any) and academic works
  • A list of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be submitted through our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

When evaluating the application, emphasis will be given to the applicant’s academic and personal prerequisites to conduct and finalize the project. Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Contact information

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