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With about 16,000 students, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest higher education institutions in Norway. A broad range of academic programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels, spread out on five campuses Førde, Sogndal, Bergen, Stord og Haugesund.
Our ambition is to build stronger and more solid academic and research environments that will interact nationally and internationally. The aim is to become a recognized actor on the international higher education arena. Increased international cooperation and engagement in externally funded projects will work towards this goal.
The Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports has four departments with staff in Bergen, Sogndal and Stord. This Faculty is one of the largest teachers training institutions in the country with around 6600 students and a staff of 550, offering kindergarten teacher training, primary and secondary school teacher training for Classes 1-7 and 5-10, practical pedagogical education and Bachelor’s, Master's and PhD programmes.
The faculty will offer an extensive programme of continuing and further education. Research activities at the Faculty are organised into research programmes and research groups.
The Department of Arts Education has 70 employees in Bergen, Sogndal and Stord. The academic field covers music, drama and applied theatre and arts and crafts. The department offers education at Bachelor, Master, one-year programmes and continting and further education levels. The department also provides education in its academic field in nursery and primary/lower secondary level teacher training and contributes to the faculty’s PhD programme Education and Didactic Practices.
The department aims to be in the forefront of school and professionally oriented competence development in its academic fields, and to be a driving force in the development of arts education at a high level and with a clear relevance for the fields of nursery, school and culture. Employees at the department are involved in research that is relevant to our education and participate in professional networking both nationally and internationally.
The successful candidate will be affiliated with the research group Drama in Educational and Societal Contexts - DESC) (Drama i utdanning og samfunnskontekster - DUSK). This interdisciplinary research group focuses on research and development work related to drama and applied theatre in educational and societal contexts. The group investigates topics such as participatory theatre, creativity and innovation, intercultural competence, democracy and civic engagement, and inclusive education across a wide range of contexts including schools, cultural institutions and community settings. Members of the group participate in local, national and international research collaborations and externally funded projects.
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences has an available 3-year Postdoctoral Fellowship connected to the Horizon Europe project CIVIC STAGE.
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports (FLKI), has an available three-year Postdoctoral Fellowship connected to the Horizon Europe project CIVIC STAGE – Citizenship-, Identity-, European Values-, Inclusion-, and Community development through Societal Participatory Theatre Activities in a Global Europe.
The position is expected to start 1 October 2026 and the worksite is campus Bergen.
The postdoctoral fellow will be employed at the Department of Arts Education and will contribute to research activities within the international Horizon Europe project CIVIC STAGE, which involves partners from nine countries.
Project descriptionIn the face of global challenges such as climate change, digital transformation and geopolitical instability, CIVIC STAGE addresses the growing need for inclusive and effective citizenship education. Traditional educational approaches often struggle to engage young people, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds.The project aims to empower young people to participate in democratic life by combining formal and non-formal learning with participatory theatre methods. Through co-creative processes, participatory theatre transforms passive observers into active participants, engaging them in storytelling and enabling them to shape and influence narratives about societal issues.
CIVIC STAGE will develop and assess participatory theatre approaches designed to enhance citizenship education and democratic participation. The project includes the development of training modules, piloting of participatory theatre practices in diverse contexts, and systematic evaluation of their impact on young people's civic engagement and understanding of European values. Across the consortium, the project will train at least 160 facilitators in eleven countries and pilot participatory theatre methods with approximately 3,200 young people. The project will produce training modules, policy recommendations and educational toolboxes that support the use of participatory theatre in citizenship education.
Research within CIVIC STAGE combines qualitative, quantitative and arts-based approaches within a mixed-methods framework and involves close collaboration between researchers, educators, cultural practitioners and community stakeholders.
Role of the Postdoctoral Fellow
The postdoctoral fellow will contribute to research activities across the project’s work packages and will work with both conceptual and empirical aspects of the project. The fellow is expected to work independently and contribute actively to the design, implementation and dissemination of research within the project.
The work includes contributing to the development of an evidence-based framework for participatory theatre in citizenship education and to the evaluation of the impact of project activities using mixed-methods research approaches.The fellow will collaborate with international project partners and participate in research related to the design, piloting and evaluation of participatory theatre methods for citizenship education.The position includes significant research responsibility and a leading contribution to scientific publications emerging from the project.
A postdoctoral position aims for the appointee to develop a research profile and acquire the competence that qualifies them to apply for a position as an associate professor. The position may also provide other competencies relevant to the postdoctoral researcher’s future career.
Key duties- and responsibilities:
Contribute to the development of the project’s theoretical and methodological framework for participatory theatre in citizenship education
Conduct literature reviews and secondary research related to citizenship education and participatory theatre
Contribute to the design and implementation of mixed-methods research, including qualitative, quantitative and arts-based approaches
Participate in data collection and analysis related to project pilots and training activities
Contribute to the evaluation of project outcomes and impact
Take a major role in authoring approximately five peer-reviewed publications
Contribute to dissemination, administration and management activities and collaboration within the international project consortium
Participate in project meetings and related research activities
Applicants must hold a PhD in a field relevant to the project, such as (but not limited to):
Drama, theatre or applied theatre
Arts education
Education or pedagogy
Citizenship or civic education
Cultural or performance studies
Arts policy or education policy
Learning sciences or related fields
The applicant must have completed the PhD or have received confirmation of the date of defence before the application deadline.
Additional requirements:
Documented experience with mixed-methods research
A documented portfolio of peer-reviewed publications, including at least one publication as main author
High-level proficiency in English
Experience with participatory theatre, drama pedagogy or applied theatre in educational or community contexts is considered an advantage.
We are seeking a candidate who:
Demonstrates strong independent research capacity
Has an interest in participatory theatre and arts-based educational practices
Is motivated to work in international and transcultural research collaborations
Has experience with, or interest in, arts-based research, participatory action research or educational design research
Has strong collaboration and communication skills
Experience with international research projects, including EU-funded projects, is considered an advantage.
Educational competence
Educational competence is a requirement for all teaching and research positions.
If the applicant does not already have the educatinol competence required for a position as an associate professor, HVL shall facilitate that the competence is obtained during the period of employment.
Educational competence is documented by a pedagogical portfolio and a pedagogical CV.
Language requirements
Norwegian language skills or competence in a Scandinavian language at level A2 are required.
Applicants who can't document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at A2 level at the time of appointment will be offered Norwegian language training by HVL. The employee must complete training equivalent to at least 15 credits by the end of the term.
Career plan
The person appointed shall, together with the institute, prepare a career plan that specifies the skills the postdoctoral researcher is to acquire. Competence goals shall be set both for the postdoctoral project and for any other career‑advancing work included in the position. The postdoctoral researcher will have access to career guidance.
Other career‑advancing activities may, for example, include teaching and teaching‑related work, development of Norwegian language skills and educational (pedagogical) competence, contributions to research communities, collaboration with public or private stakeholders, and more.
HVL/Ingvild F. Melien
Application procedure:
Applications will be evaluated by an expert panel of three members.
Applicants are asked to submit their application and CV online. Please use the link “Apply for this job” (“Søk stillingen”).
The following documentation should be uploaded as an attachment to the online application:
A copy of the PhD thesis
Copies of selected academic publications (no more than 15)
A CV with a complete list of academic publications
Diplomas and certificates
Applicants should indicate which publications or parts of publications should be given special consideration in the evaluation. If the documents submitted are not in a Scandinavian language or in English, the applicants must submit certified translations of these. The transcripts must specify the topics, the course works, and the grades at the bachelor`s and master`s degree levels.
Applicants with a degree from a country other than Norway, need to attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcripts of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, in addition to the original documents, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant encloses a recognition document showing that their degree is equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD. You can read more about applying for recognition of foreign higher education here.
The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) offers an automatic recognition document for certain degrees from selected countries. If the applicant’s degree is covered by the automatic recognition, it will be sufficient to attach this document. Read more about automatic recognition here.
As the HK-dir application process may take some time it is recommended to apply to HK-dir as soon as possible. If you have not received a recognition document from HK- dir within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from HK-dir showing that they have received your application.
Applicants should note that the evaluation will be based on the documentation submitted electronically via Jobbnorge within the submission deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date. It is of utmost importance that all publications to be considered in the evaluation are uploaded as an attachment with the application, since these are sent electronically to the expert panel. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at the college.
We offer:
Good occupational pension, insurance and loan schemes through The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
An exciting academic environment with opportunities for professional development
Opportunities for training within the working hours
Participation in an international research project and research network
The position as Postdoctoral Fellow is paid according to the Government's salary regulation, in position code 1352 – Postdoctoral Fellow.There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no for more information).
The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time.
General information:
The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte"). Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected.
State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences therefore aims to achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons with diverse backgrounds.
Information about the applicants may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected.
Short-listed applicants will be called in for an interview.
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.
