Postdoctoral fellow in visitor management, tourism, and nature experiences

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

NMBU will contribute to securing the future of life through outstanding research, education, communication and innovation. We have the country's most satisfied university students, who receive research-based education in a unique student environment. Our graduates gain a high level of competence in interdisciplinary collaboration and are popular in the labor market. NMBU has internationally leading research environments in several subjects.

Together with our partners in society and business, we contribute to solving some of the biggest societal challenges of our time. We focus on innovation, communication and entrepreneurship because we believe these challenges are best solved with joint efforts. We believe that a good working environment is characterized by diversity.

If necessary, workplace adaptations will be made for persons with disabilities. More information about NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no/en.

About The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management

The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) works with nature and the environment, sustainable use of natural resources, biological and geological processes.

MINA’s employees undertake teaching, research and dissemination within the fields of geology, hydrology and limnology, soil science, environmental chemistry, forestry, ecology, natural resource management, renewable energy, and nature-based tourism.

Our vision is to be a key actor in knowledge production and dissemination, and our goal is to deliver research of high, international quality, and varied and excellent teaching. The faculty’s employees are significant participants within their respective fields of expertise, both nationally and internationally. The faculty is dominated by a vital research culture and high levels of scientific production.

The faculty has about 200 employees, 90 PhD students and 650 students.

Read more about MINA here.

Are you interested in human – nature relationships and sustainable visitor management?

About the position

Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant \ postdoctoral position The position is for 2.5. years, with an option to extend up to four years, dependent on funding. 

The research activities for the postdoctoral fellow will concern visitor monitoring and management in recreational and protected areas and should have relevance for the MSCA DN project VIMAS. The postdoctoral fellow should combine perspectives from nature-based tourism and conservation social sciences.

Main tasks

The candidate is expected to develop and conduct research in cooperation with PhD candidates and principal investigators involved in VIMAS. 

Approaches and topics might include, but are not restricted to: 

• New directions in science to understand visitor management and monitoring. 
• Critical perspectives on sustainable visitor governance and policy in the Nordic region.
• Exploring the role of new technologies in human use and experience of nature.

Other main tasks:

• Publish scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
• Cooperate with and support team members working on other outputs.
• Present the project and its findings to a wider audience through outreach activities (e.g., blog posts, videos).
• Present findings in at least one regional and one international meeting.
• Take part in exchanges with international collaborators.

Teaching tasks:

• Course responsibility/co-teaching with colleagues in different courses such as Social Science Research Methods (MINA311), Nature interpretation (REIS210) or more general nature-based tourism courses (REIS202, REIS200, REIS300). Most of the teaching is scheduled for the academic year 2024-25, while research will dominate work in the second half of 2025 and 2026.

Competence

Required Academic Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in a relevant discipline and topic, such as geography, social anthropology, sociology, psychology, tourism, or conservation social sciences.
• Familiarity with academic analyses of tourism, recreation or conservation policy.
• Background and interest in philosophical, ontological, epistemological, and methodological challenges for academic inquiries of human – environment relations.
• Excellent training in qualitative or quantitative methods relevant for the topic.
• Interest and experience in teaching, lecturing and supervision at BSc and MSc level.

The applicant must document expertise in the research subject.

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Experience of working in interdisciplinary teams. 
• Documented scientific writing skills.
• Ability to teach both in English and Scandinavian languages.
• Interest and experience in new research directions about how to gain further insights in human – nature relations.

You need to:

• Be motivated to work as part of an international and multidisciplinary team.
• Be interested in applied research.
• Be independent and self-motivated.
• Show leadership skills.
• Possess good communication skills.

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1352 Postdoctoral Fellow (salary grade 62-77) (NOK 604.900-796.600), depending on qualifications. The position follows ordinary meriting regulations.

For further information, please contact:

• Professor Øystein Aas, E-mail: oystein.aas@nmbu.no

Information to applicants

Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: 26th July 2024

Your CV must be entered in JobbNorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

Up to ten publications selected by the applicant as most relevant must be attached to the application. If it is difficult to identify the contribution of the applicant in multiple-author publications, a short explanation about the applicant’s part of the work is suggested.

Printed material which cannot be sent electronically should be sent by surface mail to Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Ås, within 20.07.2024. Please quote reference number 24/03136.

Applicants invited for an interview will be asked to present verified copies of diplomas and certificates.

Please note that the report from the expert committee will be sent to all applicants.

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