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.
Through robust and close interaction with the world around us – globally, nationally and locally – we shall be instrumental in building a society based on knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Do you want to take part in shaping the future?
PhD Research Fellow in Ecosystem Services
There is a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in Ecosystem Services at the Department of Biological Sciences (BIO). The position is for a fixed-term period of 3 years, with the possibility of a 4th year with compulsory other work (e.g. teaching duties at the Department). The position is financed by the University of Bergen via the Centre for Sustainable Area Management initiative (CESAM).
About the project/work tasks:
The overall aim of this PhD project is to measure the relative demand for different ecosystem services, including both material and non-material services, across Norwegian society and to identify the social drivers of demand for these services.
The project is part of UiBs Centre for Sustainable Management initiative (CESAM). A major goal of CESAM is to develop NCPNorge, a widely applicable model that will predict the social impacts of ecosystem change across the whole of Norway. Such an initiative is a major undertaking, and the project needs to be completed in several steps. The first of these, and a major pre-requisite, is the main aim of this project: to quantify which of nature’s contributions to people (NCP) are most demanded by different stakeholders in Norway, in a social-ecological research project. This project will also address the lack of information regarding what drives the demand for ecosystem services, a neglected element of their management.
To address these goals the proposed PhD project would conduct in-person workshops with a wide range of senior local stakeholders in each major social-ecological region of Norway. This would be followed by a larger social survey of a much larger sample of stakeholders from throughout the country. Additional data will be collected to understand the social and cultural drivers of these demand patterns. Further, existing data measuring preferences for land use and preservation can be analysed, including national public opinion survey data from the Norwegian Citizen Panel and the Panels of Elected Representatives and Public Administrators. The balance of large-scale survey and interview work will depend on the profile of the successful candidate.
The proposed project will involve interdisciplinary collaboration across the CESAM initiative and build the foundations of large-scale research platform, while also providing insightful and societally relevant research in its own right. The research fellow will be primarily supervised by Professor Peter Manning (BIO), with additional support from Associate Professor Endre Tvinnereim (Dept. of Government), Professor Vigdis Vandvik (BIO) and Professor Inger Måren (BIO).
Qualifications and personal qualities:
Applicants must hold a master's degree or equivalent education in any relevant area, which may include ecology, environmental science, geography, sociology, or political science, or must have submitted his/her master's thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded.
Knowledge of ecosystem services concepts and theories and/or ecosystem services management is an advantage, preferably within a Norwegian context.
Knowledge of, and practical experience with methods for collecting interview data or survey data is a requirement.
Experience in conducting social surveys online and in-person is considered an advantage.
Experience in conducting advanced statistical analysis, preferably in R, is considered an advantage.
Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.
Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English and preferably with strong skills in academic writing and presentations.
Applicants must have a good command of the Norwegian language, so that workshops and interviews can be conducted in Norwegian within 6 months of starting the project. E.g. be a Scandinavian language speaker.
Experience of work in an interdisciplinary research environment is an advantage.
Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.
Special requirements for the position.
The University of Bergen is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications
About the PhD position (applies to university PhD positions):
The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, with the possibility for a 4th year, consisting of 25 % compulsory work (e.g. teaching responsibilities at the department) distributed over the employment period. The 4th year is contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department and will be decided by the head of department upon appointment.
The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (e.g. research fellow, research assistant).
About the research training
As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.
We can offer:
a good and professionally stimulating working environment.
salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 532 200 (equivalent to pay grade 54). Further increases in salary are made according to length of service in the position.
enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
a brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
the names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main advisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis.
CV.
transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not yet completed your master's degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming that the master's thesis has been submitted.
For HR related questions contact adviser Therese Myhre Odfjell, UiB, therese.odfjell@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.
