PhD Fellow in Psychology with the Changing Arctic Research School

at  UiT Norges Arktiske Universitet

Changing Arctic Research School
The transdisciplinary Changing Arctic research school brings together PhD candidates and supervisors from all seven faculties at UiT the Arctic University of Norway. The research school has a focus on renewable energy, food security, health and welfare. “Changing Arctic” will collaborate with actors in private and public sector. The research outcomes will contribute to resilience and transformation in the Arctic and will thus operationalize Sustainable Development Goals.
The training will provide PhD candidates with knowledge, professional and transferable skills, and general competences that enables them to contribute to innovative and sustainable solutions for the Arctic. The research school will arrange courses, seminars, workshops, and excursions, and will organise secondments in private enterprises, NGOs, and public institutions. This is to ensure the relevance of project outcomes and enhance the employability of the PhD graduates. Read more about the research school Changing Arctic | UiT.
The position
The position is a fixed term position for a duration of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % each year and will consist of teaching (10%) and other duties such as secondments and interactions with the industry or the public sector (15%). The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.
The workplace is at UiT Campus Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer. The Research School starts on the 18th of august 2025.
The position’s affiliation and field of research
Despite the candidate is a member of the research school, they will be employed at the Department of Psychology, at the Faculty of Health Sciences.
The candidate will be a part of Center for Avalanche Research and Education (CARE) at UiT. CARE is an interdisciplinary research network that focus on decision making under uncertainty and we use avalanche terrain as our lab. CARE has been studying decision making on an individual level but is now expanding its focus to the impact of tourism, particularly backcountry tourism in a changing Arctic. CARE focus on how the growth in tourism in a changing Arctic can be facilitated while focusing on health and well-being for the inbound tourists, the local community and all relevant stakeholders.
CARE is working closely together with a range of stakeholders including the local, regional and national government. Scientists in CARE come from a range of different backgrounds including psychology, sociology, philosophy, management, economy, snow science and technology.
Currently CARE is supporting the initiative to create a national avalanche center (NAC). The current project will be a part of the interdisciplinary work tied to NAC and the larger CARE portfolio of decision making under uncertainty.
Much of the work ahead will be based on qualitative methods with a focus on ethnography. An in-depth understanding of the decision making in backcountry skiing access to existing networks of stakeholders and previous experience with relevant data collection in the field will be given priority.
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact associate professor Audun Hetland.
Email: Audun.hetland@uit.no
Please find more information at:
CARE: www.uit.no/research/care
The NAC initiative: https://tromso.kommune.no/snoskredsenter
The Changing Arctic Research School:
Professor Michaela Aschan and senior adviser Hanne Risan Johnsen
Email: ChangingArctic@uit.no
Edvard Kristiansen
Qualifications

This position requires:

• A master’s degree in psychology, sociology, anthropology or other relevant fields.
• Documented fluency in English. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

It is considered an advantage if you have:

• Working experience in the field in question
• Experience from working in a team
• Experience with data collection in the field of avalanche decision making
• Existing networks within the field of avalanche decision making
• Authored publications and/or reports
• Working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language

Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcripts for the master’s degree with your application.
In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant’s potential to complete a research education based on the grades in the master programme, the master’s thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration, e.g. working experience and potential publications.
We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position.
As many as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.
Admission to the PhD programme
For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.

Admission normally requires:

• A bachelor’s degree of 180 ECTS and a master’s degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master’s degree of 300 ECTS.
• A master’s thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master’s degree of 120 ECTS.
• A master’s thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master’s degree of 300 ECTS.

Applicants must have a grade of C or better on the master’s thesis and have a grade point average of C or better for the master’s degree. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.
If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position.
Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor’s degree and a 2-year master’s degree. UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
Inclusion and diversity
UiT The Arctic University of 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 are 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 at 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.
UiT

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project in a transdisciplinary research schoo
• A good and interdisciplinary academic environment with dedicated colleagues
• Good career opportunities, and high employability after successful graduatio
• A stunning Arctic landscape and diversity of outdoor activitie
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund
• PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 536 200 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase

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 about working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility
Application

Your application must include:

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV
• Diploma for bachelor’s and master’s degree
• Transcript of grades/academic record for bachelor’s and master’s degree
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• References with contact information
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works
• Project description (max. 4 pages)

The applicants must present a description outlining the academic basis of the PhD project. The project description shall not exceed 4 pages, literature references included. It must include a description of the theme, research question(s), and a reasoning of the choices. It should also indicate the methodologies to be used, and what actors outside the academia to involve. The final project description will be developed in cooperation with the supervision team after employment.
Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. You may still apply if you are in the final stages of the master’s degree, but the master’s thesis must be submitted for evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis and transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.
All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.
Assessment
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 applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position.
General information
The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.
Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.
A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.
We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.
Eallju - Developing the High North
UiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus research university and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.
Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.
The Faculty of Health Sciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway represents a newly created entity gathering almost all possible health study programs. This facilitates an unique interdisciplinarity and innovation in health education and research. We work closely with the services in the North to solve tomorrow’s challenges.
Read more about us at uit.no/helsefak
Deadline
25th February 2025
Employer
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Municipality
Tromsø - Romsa
Scope
Fulltime
Duration
Fixed Term
Place of service
Hansine Hansens veg 18, 9019 Troms

Please refer the Job description for details