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University of Bergen

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.

There are five departments and two centres at Faculty of Psychology. Read more about the faculty and departments.

PhD position

There is a vacancy for a PhD position at the Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen. The position is for a fixed-term period of 3 years, from 1 May 2020 and affiliated with the project: «Microplastics in Europe’s freshwater ecosystems: from sources to solutions» (LimnoPlast). More specifically the project for this PhD position is: “Risk perceptions and mental models regarding microplastics in freshwater systems and solutions”.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860720.

About the project/work tasks:

• Microplastics (i.e., microscopic plastic debris) pose a global challenge. LimnoPlast brings together more than 20 project partners from the environmental and social sciences in order to investigate the sources and impacts of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems as well as to develop innovative solutions to meet this challenge. For more information about the overall project see https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/457414
• This PhD position is part of the work package “SOCIETY: Societal, economic and legal context of microplastics” which investigates mental models and risk perceptions pertaining to microplastics in freshwater systems, and aims to develop social and behavioural change interventions.
• The tasks of the PhD entail active involvement in and independent contributions to all phases of the research project, such as literature review, study design, data collection, data analysis, scientific publications and conference contributions. The position encompasses close cooperation with the University of Plymouth, exchange visits with project partners, and participation in a close training network.
• LimnoPlast will offer early stage researchers advanced training at the respective host institute and through research secondments (six-month research stay at complementary partner institution within the 3 year employment period, excluding the first and last 6 months) and training events.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• The applicant must at the time of application hold a master's degree or the equivalent in psychology or a related relevant discipline
• The grade norm for admission to the PhD programme is B or better for the main/master’s dissertation, or the average grade of the qualifying degree.
• Previous research experience, relevant to the project is desirable, specifically:
  • a background in environmental, cognitive and/or social psychology,
  • experience with different research designs
  • sound methodological knowledge in both qualitative (e.g., focus groups) and quantitative (e.g., survey methodology, experimentation) approaches
• The applicant must
  • be in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers
  • not have been awarded a doctoral degree
  • not have resided in Norway for more than 12 months in the last 3 years (except refugees)
• The applicant is expected to show outstanding commitment, high flexibility, be able to cope with a higher workload and be team-oriented.
• The applicant is expected to have excellent communication skills as well as organizational talent and willingness to engage in international, interdisciplinary collaborative research, workshops and secondments.
• The applicant is further expected to
  • work independently and in a structured manner, and have the ability to cooperate with others.
  • to show high proficiency in both written and oral English.

About the PhD position:

The PhD position is a fixed-term position. It is not possible to be employed in a PhD position for more than one fixed-term position at the same institution.

As a PhD Candidate, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. When your qualification for the position is evaluated you will also be evaluated for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Psychology.

You will find further information about the PhD programme at the Faculty of Psychology here.

We can offer:

• Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment
• Salary at pay grade 54 (code 1017/pay range 20, alternative 10) in the state salary scale. This currently amounts to an annual salary of NOK 479,200 before taxes. Further promotions are made according to qualifications and length of service in the position. A higher salary may be considered for applicants with specialist education.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• Good welfare benefits.

Your application must include:

• A brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position
• The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these must be the main supervisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis.
• CV (Europass format recommended; please specify your residence/work place in the last 3 years).
• Transcripts and diplomas (higher education) and other relevant certificates
• Applicants with foreign education must enclose certified translations to English or Scandinavian if the original Diploma and grade transcripts are not already in one of these languages. The applicants must also enclose a confirmation from NOKUT that the education is recognized to be in accordance with the Norwegian master’s degree. The review from NOKUT may take some time and the application should be sent to NOKUT as soon as you have decided to apply for the position. If you receive no answer within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from NOKUT that they have received your application. Some qualifications from the Nordic countries are automatically recognized, please check NOKUT.
• A list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list).
• Any publications in your name you want to be included in the evaluation of your application

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandianavian language must be uploaded at JobbNorge.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all the necessary information has been submitted by the closing date for applications.

It is particularly important that each of the attachments that are to be taken into account in the assessment is uploaded in full as an attachment to your application.

General information:

Detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting:

• Professor Gisela Böhm, Department of Psychosocial Science, tel: +47 55 58 86 80, gisela.boehm@uib.no

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.

Apply for position