LEDIG STILLING VED UIT NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Education for Sustainability & Innovation
Deadline: 04.01.2026
Publisert
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 Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) consists of Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NFH) and School of Business and Economics.
The main task of BFE is to conduct teaching and research dissemination at a high national and international level within all relevant fields. Prioritized research areas are aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, climate, life in the arctic, marine bioprospecting, fish health, seafood products, business and macroeconomics, resources and environment, markets and management of marine resources. The interdisciplinary profile of the faculty provides good opportunity to develop research projects involving several research groups at the faculty according to its strategy.
The position
The Norwegian College of Fishery Science at the Faculty of Bioscience, Fisheries and Economics seeks a motivated Postdoctoral Research Fellow to be part of an innovative transdisciplinary teaching initiative focused on collaborative learning for sustainability transformations. The successful candidate will play a key role in researching and evaluating the implementation of a new subject at UiT integrating sustainability, innovation, and teamwork for master's students across all disciplines. It is estimated that the subject will be taken by 600-700 students during the first two years.
The postdoctoral fellow will contribute to the pedagogical design of this exciting new initiative and co-lead research to evaluate its effectiveness, examining the students' learning experiences as well as the experiences of faculty and the partner organisations involved. The intention is that the learning from the research and evaluation work will help shape future iterations of the subject. It will also inform the broader development of innovative pedagogical approaches to advancing sustainability transformations.
The position is a fixed-term position for 3 years. It is a prerequisite that the applicant can carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.
As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will have the opportunity to advance your scientific career and further qualify for academic positions. If you do not already have the educational competence that meets the requirements for an Associate Professor position in Norway, UiT will arrange such competence during the employment period.
The fellow must have their daily workplace at UiT in Tromsø, and be able to start within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.
The position will additionally be assigned to teaching and related work for UiT in an amount equivalent to 10% of a full-time employment.
The project/position's field of research
Inspired by project-, problem-, and challenge-based approaches to learning, the new master’s subject will facilitate interdisciplinary student groups to collaborate in the development of creative responses to real-world sustainability challenges from partners in business, local government and civil society sectors in Northern Norway.
This position therefore offers an exciting opportunity to shape novel educational approaches that prepare graduate students to address complex sustainability challenges through collaborative, transformative learning experiences.
The postdoctoral fellow will work at the intersection of sustainability education, pedagogical innovation, and transdisciplinarity, contributing to both the design and empirical study of learning interventions that foster competencies in creativity, innovation, collaboration, and transformative agency.
The postdoctoral fellow will join a project team of 13 people from across different faculties at UiT and a business mentor working together to develop the new master’s subject.
Key Responsibilities
Contribute to the development of learning activities for an interdisciplinary master's-level subject focused on innovation and teamwork for sustainability transformations.
Design and implement research to evaluate the effectiveness of the subject, including assessment of student learning experiences and the value for partner organizations.
Support the development of evaluation frameworks and instruments to measure student development in competencies linked to sustainability, innovation, and teamwork.
Contribute to scholarship on sustainability education and pedagogical innovation in higher education through publishing and presenting results in a range of relevant venues.
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact Professor Fern Wickson:
PhD in education, sustainability science, environmental studies, innovation, or a related field. If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. Documentation of your completed PhD degree must be submitted before commencement.
Demonstrated knowledge of pedagogical theory, particularly linked to approaches such as project-based learning, problem-based learning, challenge-based learning, collaborative learning, transformative learning, and/or experiential learning.
Experience with or knowledge of educational evaluation and assessment methodologies.
Evidence of ability to generate research outputs (publications, conference presentations) relevant to higher education, sustainability and/or innovation.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills suitable for working across disciplinary boundaries.
Fluent spoken and written English. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.
Desired qualifications:
Understanding of sustainability education frameworks and competencies
Experience designing or teaching interdisciplinary or sustainability-focused courses at university level, particularly using project-, problem- or challenge-based learning approaches
Track record of conducting educational research and program evaluation
Knowledge of assessment methods for complex competencies such as collaborative capacity and innovation skills
Interest in and experience developing evaluation frameworks for transformative learning and interdisciplinary education
Knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language.
In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.
As teaching duties or equivalent work is attached to the position, emphasis will also be attached to teaching experience and qualifications.
During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position. The candidate must be able to work systematically, independently, and in an interdisciplinary team. We are looking for candidates who:
Collaborate well
Communicate effectively
Contributes to a positive working environment
At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
Inclusion and diversity
UiT The Arctic University i 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 is 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 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.
Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
Pension scheme through the state pension fund
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.
Please note that the application will only be assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you include all necessary documents demonstrating your qualifications for the position.
Your application must include:
Application letter describing your motivation for this particular position and how you meet the selection criteria
CV, including a list of all academic publications and a brief description of key works relevant to this position
Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work.
If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. Documentation of your completed PhD degree must be submitted before commencement.
All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position.
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. A trial lecture may also be held.
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.
The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.
The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.
According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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.
