Stilling:

PhD fellowship in urban / peri-urban green space management

Application deadline: March 28th 2019

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

NMBU has a special responsibility for research and education that ensures the basis of life for future generations.


Sustainability is rooted in everything we do and we provide knowledge for life.


NMBU has 1700 employees and 5200 students and is organized in seven faculties. NMBU has a campus in Ås and in Oslo. In the autumn of 2020 we are co-located on Ås. Further information on NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no

The Faculty of Landscape and Society (LANDSAM)

LANDSAM has 1300 students and 180 staff. It consists of five sub-units, carrying out research and education in the fields of urban and regional planning, property management and law, landscape architecture, landscape engineering, international environment and development studies, and public health.


The faculty runs two PhD programmes:

  • Society, Development and Planning
  • International Environment and Development Studies


The School of Landscape Architecture
has 45 staff, 8 PhD candidates and 300 students. The School was the first to establish a landscape architecture programme in Europe and celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019. This is Norway’s main academic institution for education and research in the field of landscape architecture.


The school is organized in five research groups; Landscape and community planning, Green space management and landscape plants (FUGE), Landscape design and construction, Landscape theory and history, and 3D visualization. The School hosts the Historical Archive of Norwegian Landscape Architecture, the Centre for Landscape Democracy (CLaD), The Norwegian Landscape Laboratory and the Virtual Reality Laboratory. The landscape laboratory at the university is a research platform for interdisciplinary full-scale research on campus NMBU. The announced fellowship is linked to the landscape laboratory and will be supported by the research group that is best aligned with the proposal written by the successful applicant.


The landscape laboratory is developing infrastructure on nature-based design and management solutions in the urban context, such as bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs etc. for interdisciplinary and multifunctional research in full scale. Among other things, it is responsible for preserving and taking care of selected genes from plant species.

About the position

The School of Landscape Architecture at the Faculty of Landscape and Society has a vacant 3-year PhD position related to sustainable urban/peri-urban green space management in a climate change perspective.

We invite applicants to submit study proposals within the research fields of nature–based design or management solutions connected to blue and green infrastructure for sustainable urban/peri-urban landscapes/ecosystems in times of climatic change.

The PhD study is expected to identify national and international trends in the field of use of plants and/or materials, as they pertain to landscape architecture, spatiality and multifunctional blue and green infrastructure.

The research should provide new perspectives and make a scholarly contribution at the cutting edge of ecologically sustainable place-making and place–keeping. It should strengthen the knowledge base for management in public parks and urban green spaces.

The proposal must balance landscape architecture/urban design and planning and natural sciences, and will be evaluated on the base of the applicant´s research focus and qualifications.

Main tasks

It is expected that the appointed candidate is admitted to the PhD programme in Society, Development and Planning. The successful candidate must submit a study plan during the first months of the appointment, which outlines the planned content and progress of the work towards completing a PhD degree within the PhD scholarship period.

The PhD programme consists of mandatory and elective courses with oral and written examinations and a major research component. The applicant is advised to visit the website for detailed information regarding PhD regulations at NMBU and information about the PhD programme.

Qualifications and skills

Required academic qualifications

The applicant must have an academically relevant education corresponding to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where 120 credits are at master's degree level. The applicant must have a documented strong academic background from previous studies with a master’s degree with a GPA of B or above.

We seek a candidate who has a master's degree in landscape architecture, urban design/planning, green space management, horticulture, ecology, biology, plant science or forestry.

Candidates who have completed a master's degree within another relevant discipline and, in addition, have relevant work or research experience within nature-based approaches to design or management, blue and green infrastructure, planning or green space management are also invited to apply.

The candidate should be able to document proficiency in both written and oral English.

Competence in a Scandinavian language is preferred, since a substantial part of the work will involve Norwegian documents, and the candidate will cooperate with Norwegian municipalities to a large extent.

Desired personal qualities

  • enthusiasm, high level of motivation, and curiosity
  • ability to thrive in a multidisciplinary team
  • good cooperation skills

Remuneration and information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD Fellow salary grade 51 (NOK 449 400 per year). For particularly well-qualified applicants, alternative wage placement can be considered.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars.

The expected starting date is September 1st 2019.

For further information, please contact:

Information to applicants

Application

The application must contain

  • an application letter
  • a brief project description of up to 1000 words with suggestions for key research questions and expected results
  • CV
  • an overview of scientific and academic publications or projects
  • up to five academic papers (for example master's thesis, articles, etc.)
  • relevant diplomas and transcripts
  • names and contact details for two references.

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above.

The application will be evaluated based on the project description, relevant work experience, and the candidate's academic competence. The shortlisted applicants will be called for an interview as a part of the evaluation.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present certified copies of their diplomas and certificates.

Application deadline: March 28th 2019

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