PhD scholarship within International Environment and Development Studies
Deadline: 06.04.2021
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
NMBU has a particular responsibility for research and education that secures the basis for the life of future generations. Sustainability is rooted in everything we do and we deliver knowledge for life. NMBU has 1,800 employees of which about 250 phd scholarships and 6,000 students. The university is divided into seven faculties and has campuses in Ås and Oslo. We will be co-located in Ås from 2021.
NMBU believes that a good working environment is characterised by diversity.
We encourage qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender, functional ability, cultural background or whether you have been outside the labour market for a period. If necessary, workplace adaptations will be made for persons with disabilities. More information about NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no.
About the Faculty of Landscape and Society
The Faculty of Landscape and Society is home to some of Norway's foremost academic environments within international environment and development studies, public health science, landscape architecture, landscape engineering, urban and regional planning, property development and property law.
The Faculty has 1300 students and 180 employees divided into five departments and a Faculty administration. It offers popular, forward-focused Bachelor, Master’s and PhD programmes. The Faculty is interdisciplinary and works with sustainable social development, both nationally and internationally.
The faculty offers two PhD programmes:
Society Development and Planning
International Environment and Development Studies
The Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric) is a leading education and research institution in Norway, conducting world class and highly internationalized critical interdisciplinary research across the fields of International Relations, Environment and Global Development Studies, focusing on global challenges at the intersection between social and natural processes. The department is organized in four research clusters: rights and power in development, climate change and agricultural development, conflict and human security, and environmental governance. The Department comprises around 30 academic staff, 27 PhD candidates and 400 fulltime students, and is responsible for one Bachelor program, three Master programs and a PhD program. For further information, read here.
3-year PhD position on transformative change towards a just and sustainable economy
About the position
The Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Faculty of Landscape and Society at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant 3-year PhD-position within International Environment and Development Studies.
Building an economy that covers basic needs for all within planetary limits is the central sustainability challenge for the 21st Century. A growing consensus calls for a green economic shift but the question remains of how the costs of this transition will be distributed. This question becomes even more pressing as new green policies (e.g. environmental taxes) and social norms (e.g. flying shame and meat shame) trigger opposition from the working classes, middle towns and rural areas, where these policies are seen to reflect the interests of green urban elites.
This PhD position will produce knowledge to govern transformations towards a just and safe operating space for the economy, advancing our understanding of synergies and trade-offs involved in green policy measures regarding social equity and environmental performance.
The PhD research proposed by the applicant should address policies formulated under the umbrella of a just and sustainable economy, and analyse their expected environmental effectiveness and distributional consequences, making use of relevant theory, ecological macroeconomics modelling or other suitable approaches. Key pillars of the thesis include the ideas of limits, sustainability, and justice.
Main tasks
The appointed candidate is admitted to a PhD programme at the faculty. The PhD programme consists of mandatory and elective courses with oral and written examinations and a major research component.
Competence:
The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD programme at NMBU. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the supplementary provisions to the relevant programme. The applicant must document expertise and interest in the research subject.
Required Academic qualifications
an academically relevant education equivalent to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where 120 credits are at master's degree level.
documented strong academic background from previous studies
documented proficiency in both written and oral English
The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:
Experience in ecological economics, sustainability science, environment and development studies, or related fields.
Experience with both qualitative and quantitative techniques for data collection and analysis, including statistics
Qualitative and quantitative research methods
Experience/interest in ecological macro-economic modelling
Experience using and processing data bases
Required personal skills:
Well-structured in approach to work and time use.
Independent and responsive
Motivated to manage a research project
Enjoy interdisciplinary and collaborative work
Willing to contribute to daily departmental and research group activities and functioning
Remuneration and further information
The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD. Fellow. PhD. Fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 482 200) on the Norwegian Government salary scale upon employment and follow ordinary meriting regulations. The position will have a small budget for running expenses for the PhD project.
Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and College PhD scholars.
For practical and administrative information about this call, please contact: Josie Teurlings, Senior Advisor, E-mail: josie.teurlings@nmbu.no; phone +47 67231309
For scientific inquiries about this call, please contact: Professor Erik Gomez-Baggethun, E-mail: erik.gomez@nmbu.no; phone +47 67231388
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: 06.04.2021
Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of their academic qualifications, the quality of the draft research proposal and previous research as well as other relevant experience. The shortlisted applicants will be called for an interview as a part of the evaluation.
Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.
Applications should include (electronically):
letter of intent
Research proposal with some possible issues, delimitations and method choices based on the description in the announcement - this will be further developed after employment (Max 1000 words)
certified copies of relevant transcripts and diploma’s
