Job description
The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a PhD Fellowship in Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Studies. The position is vacant from January 1st 2025.
This is a trainee position that will give promising researchers an opportunity for academic development through a PhD education leading to a doctoral degree.
The appointment is for three years with research duties exclusively.
The hired candidate will be admitted to the PhD program in Social Sciences, Research School in Social Work and Welfare, SWEL.
The education includes relevant courses amounting to about six months of study, a dissertation based on independent research, participation in national and international research environments, relevant academic communication, a trial lecture and public defence. Read more about the PhD education at UiS on our website.
Research topic
In this position you will be affiliated with a project within the field of infant and child psychology under the supervision of Associate Professor Francesco Margoni (main supervisor) and Associate Professor Lilla Magyari (co-supervisor). You will work at the Stavanger Baby and Child Lab on a research project named ‘Discovering the foundations of politics in human mind’ aiming to explain how children understand the social world around them. In the project we will address the question of how and when children start to show a sensitivity to concepts like individual freedom and social equality, concepts that are fundamental for the adult social and political thinking.
Your main focus will be on infants and children (1.5 to 10 years of age), populations that have been left out of research in political psychology since its inception as a scientific enterprise. You will collect data in the lab (on infants) and outside the lab, by testing older children. What is at stake is the possibility to unveil the origins of adult political thought, explain the development of its key components, and understand where individual differences in political thinking might originate.
You will work on an highly innovative and ambitious project. However, you will also have the opportunity to contribute with your own ideas and research questions. You will gain experience in how to conduct infant and child research. Moreover, you will receive guidance in writing and publishing both empirical papers and review or meta-analysis papers.
Project proposal
As an applicant, you must prepare a preliminary project proposal for a doctoral project within the subject area, which explains the problem, relevance, theoretical and methodological approach. Your preliminary project proposal will be included in the application assessment.
During the first three months of the employment period, the project proposal and progress plan will be further developed in cooperation with your supervisors and completed for the final plan for the PhD-project. A project proposal template can be found here.
The proposal must be a maximum of 1 - 2 pages.
Qualification requirements
We are looking for applicants with a strong academic background who have completed a five-year master degree (3+2) within a field relevant to the project (social sciences, broadly defined, or educational sciences), preferably acquired recently; or who possess corresponding qualifications that could provide a basis for successfully completing a doctorate.
To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Stavanger both the grade for your master’s thesis and the weighted average grade of your master’s degree must individually be equivalent to or better than a B grade.
Applicants with an education from an institution with a different grade scale than A-F, and/or with other types of credits than sp/ECTS, must attach a confirmed conversion scale that shows how the grades can be compared with the Norwegian A-F scale and a Diploma Supplement or similar that explains the scope of the subjects that are included in the education. You can use these conversion scales to calculate your points for admission.
Emphasis is also placed on your:
Due to the fact that the project involves interacting with and interviewing Norwegian children, you must be fluent in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language.
Requirements for competence in English
A good proficiency in English is required for anyone attending the PhD program. International applicants must document this with a valid test certificate from one of the following tests:
The following applicants are exempt from the above requirements:
We offer
Diversity
Diversity is a resource in the working and learning environment at UiS. When we have different backgrounds and experiences, we can approach challenges from multiple perspectives and find better solutions.
At UiS, we are committed to showing respect for each other's differences and accommodating employees with disabilities. We take into consideration your needs and your situation in various life phases.
If you find this position interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, disability, cultural background, or whether you have been out of the workforce for a period.
If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in their CV, or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these groups for an interview. If you fall into any of these categories, feel free to indicate it when applying for the position.
Learn more about the criteria for being considered an applicant in these specific groups here.
Contact information
More information on the position can be obtained from Associate Professor Francesco Margoni, e-mail: francesco.margoni@uis.no.
Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from HR Advisor Christina Storm, tel: 51 83 17 53, e-mail: christina.storm@uis.no.
Application
To apply for this position please follow the link "Apply for this job". Your application letter, relevant education and work experience as well as language skills must be registered here. In your application letter, you must state your research interests and motivation for the position.
The following documents must be uploaded as attachments to your application:
Applications are evaluated based on the information available in Jobbnorge at the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above and that you have attached the necessary documentation.
The documentation must be available in either a Scandinavian language or in English. If the total size of the attachments exceeds 30 MB, they must be compressed before upload.
Please note that information on applicants may be published even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the official list of applicants - see Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act. If your request is not granted, you will be notified.
UiS only considers applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge.
General information
The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation, it will be rejected without further assessment.
Employment as PhD Fellow is regulated in "Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for the posts of post-doctoral research fellow and research fellow, research assistant and resident".
Your qualifications for the position, based on documentation registered in Jobbnorge, will be assessed by an internal expert committee. Based on the committee's statement, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview before any recommendations are made. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. More about the hiring process on our website.
The appointee will be based at the University of Stavanger, with the exception of a stay abroad at a relevant centre of research.
It is a prerequisite that you have a residence which enables you to be present at/available to the academic community during ordinary working hours.
The position has been announced in both Norwegian and English. In the case of differences of meaning between the texts, the Norwegian text takes precedence.
Morten Berentsen
UiS - challenge the well-known and explore the unknown
The University of Stavanger (UiS) has about 12,000 students and 2,200 employees. The university has high ambitions. We strive to have an innovative and international profile, and be a driving force in knowledge development and in the process of societal change. Our common direction is driven by consideration for green and sustainable change and equitable social development, through new ways of managing natural resources and facilitating better cities and local communities. Energy, health and welfare, learning for life are our focus areas.
In constant collaboration and dialogue with our surroundings, regionally, nationally and internationally, we enjoy an open and creative climate for education, research, innovation, dissemination and museum activities. Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organised into six faculties comprising various departments/schools and National Research Centres, as well as the Museum of Archaeology. We are a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The university is located in the most attractive region in the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The Stavanger region has a dynamic labour market and exciting cultural and leisure activities.
Together with our staff and students we will challenge the well-known and explore the unknown.
The Faculty of Social Sciences has about 2,400 students and 210 employees. The studies are based on a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, on interdisciplinarity and cooperation with public and private sectors. New knowledge is generated from both practical experience and systematic research, or a combination of them. The educational offer is varied and includes Hospitality and Tourism, Media, Sociology, Social Work and Child Welfare, amongst others. The Faculty consists of: Department of Media and Social Sciences, Department of Social Studies and the Norwegian School of Hotel Management.
The Department of Social Studies offers the following educational programs: Child welfare - three years bachelor's degree, Sosial work (sosionom) - three years bachelor's, Psychology - three years bachelor's degree, Sosial work - two years master's degree, Erasmus Mundus in Social Work with Families and Children - two years master's degree, Nordic Master in Social Work and Welfare - two years master's degree, Law in child welfare professional work - postgraduate, 30 credits, master's degree. The department has the SWEL Research School, which is an interdisciplinary research school in Social Work and Welfare which is part of the research program at the Faculty of Social Sciences. The department's goal is to contribute to the development of high-quality knowledge in social and child welfare work, in welfare management and in psychology. There are currently 70 employees and 890 students affiliated with the Dep.
Questions about the position
Christina Storm
HR-rådgiver
51 83 17 53
Francesco Margoni
Førsteamanuensis
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