Postdoctor in social anthropology – Hot societies: Anthropology of heatwaves and extreme heat

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About the position

The Department of Geography and Social Anthropology invites candidates to apply for a three-year position as a Postdoctoral Fellow. The position gives an opportunity to consolidate your own research, and to develop and conduct and new project on a topic related to extreme and unseasonal heat.

The Postdoctoral Fellow, as an employee of the Department of Geography and Social Anthropology, will join a dynamic and collegial research environment that includes both early career and senior researchers working across a broad range of fields.

The candidate will be part of the research group Anthropologies of Sustainability stimulating international academic environment with dedicated colleagues willing to support with theoretical and practical experience to help you to develop your academic career. 

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. The fellowship therefore provides the opportunity for someone in the immediate postdoctoral stage of their career to consolidate their research experience through developing publications, as well as their networks and professional skills. Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

Additionally, the postdoctoral candidate is expected to carry out new research on a project related to heat, as well as collaborate with the project leader and the research group to develop a larger project within the anthropology of heat. 

About the project 

Many parts of the world are experiencing more extreme heat and unseasonal heatwaves, which present challenges of multiple kinds. Such heat is a public health concern, an infrastructure challenge, an issue of preparedness, as well as an intimate bodily experience. Heat is, in other words, something that can affect all areas of human life and society.

The successful candidate may study one of several different areas within an anthropology of heat, depending on their background, expertise and interest. For instance: 

• Readiness and response: how societies are organizing heat response, cooling centers, collective support during heat waves.
• Heat, health and inequality: how extreme heat impacts unevenly. 
• Heat, emotion, experience and narratives: how is uncommon heat experienced in bodily and emotional ways? How are these experiences narrated? 
• Heat and compounding effects: how does heat combine with drought, unrest, austerity and other factors to cause “compound dispossession” (Harvey, Lien and Nyquist, 2024), and how do people respond? 
• Unseasonal heat, agriculture, and livelihood: how do farmers respond to unseasonal heatwaves and the effects that new and unusual patterns of heat can have on their crops and livelihoods? 

Duties of the position

• Carry out high-quality and independent research 
• Develop and conduct a research project on a topic related to heat, heatwaves, extreme or unseasonal heat 
• Participate actively in the activities of the research group and the department as a whole 
• Publish and present research at conferences, workshops, internally and externally 
• Develop applications and apply for research funding 
• The position includes teaching and supervision and there will be opportunities for pedagogical development 

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree in social anthropology or a closely related field, or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD (dissertation must be approved by the deadline) 
• You must have a professionally relevant background in social anthropology or a closely related relevant field 
• Proven experience with research within environmental anthropology or a related field 
• In-depth knowledge of ethnographic methods, including experience with independent long-term fieldwork 
• You are able and enthusiastic to spend substantial periods of time conducting field research 
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral 
• Experience with academic publishing 

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience with organizing academic events (workshops, panels etc.) 
• Teaching experience 

Personal characteristics

Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you: 

• Work independently 
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals 
• Engage and contribute constructively with feedback 
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer 

• Opportunity to consolidate your own research and develop a new research project
• Opportunities for pedagogical development
• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment.
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues 
• Inclusion in an active and vibrant research group
• Favorable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Employee benefits

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 633 400,- per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years. 

As an employee at NTNU, it is important to keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and to adapt to them. 

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed

About the application 

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above.

The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request. 

The application must include:

• Cover letter (max 2 pages), including an account of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position 
• Research proposal (max 5 pages) 
• CV, including list of publications 
• Two academic writing samples in English 
• Diplomas and transcripts 
• Contact information for three references 

If all or parts of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

If you have had leave or another break in your career, it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account and that the amount of your research may be reduced as a result.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal qualities. Motivation, ambitions and potential for research will also be emphasized in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and is committed to follow evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment DORA and the obligations in CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public list of applicants, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Jon Rasmus Nyquist, jon.r.nyquist@ntnu.no

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor Renate Lillian Johansen, email: renate.johansen@ntnu.no. 

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

Application deadline: 20.08.2026

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000.The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.