PhD Candidate in Social Work with focus on international migration

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You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

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About the position

We have a vacancy for a 3-year PhD position at the Department of Social Work.

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree. The Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences will be your employer.

The PhD position is connected to the interdisciplinary field of IMER (International Migrations and Ethnic Relations) and the research group of Migration and welfare: Welfare and migration - Department of social work - NTNU.

The PhD project will address the following research areas:

• International migration
• Migration strategies and policies
• Ethnic relations

The successful applicant will conduct research with emphasis on opportunities and consequences of international migrations. The applicant will be affiliated the research group that consists of researchers within the field of social work, sociology, political science, economics, and anthropology.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Research
• Publishing in international journals
• Work with project applications
• Participation at international conferences 
• Participate in the research group Welfare and Migration Welfare and migration - Department of social work - NTNU

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant master’s degree in social work, sociology and political science, Europe/globalization studies or education to equivalent level.
• The candidate should be familiar with one or more of the following fields of study: IMER studies (IMER-International migrations and ethnic relations), migration strategies and comparative analysis.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where normally 120 credits are obtained at master's level including a master’s thesis or equivalent work with a scope of at least 30 credits.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education. 
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Social Sciences
• Applicants with a diploma from a foreign university are advised to provide an explanation of the university's grading system. Please note that these documents should be translated in English or in a Scandinavian language.
• Fluent English skills are required.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• The research proposal
• Relevant research experience
• Skills in research methods

Personal characteristics

We are looking for candidates who are independent, have good cooperative skills, and are flexible and organised.

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment 
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period 
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues 
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK) 
• 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

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 550 800,- per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.

The period of employment is 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Social Sciences within three months of employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and 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 be in 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:

• CV, certificates and diplomas
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• A copy/pdf of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before the application deadline.
• Project proposal: Project description outlining the research questions, academic focus area, theoretical perspectives, methodological design, and progress plan for the project (max. 3,000 words).
• Name and address of three professional references
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work

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, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint work will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to

The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and 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 applicant list, 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 think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Marianne Garvik, email: marianne.garvik@ntnu.no. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Terese Brå, e-mail: terese.bra@ntnu.no. 

Application deadline: 15.09.2026

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

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.