Postdoctoral Fellow in Active ageing and the built environment

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At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

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

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About the position

Are you ready to take your research career to the next level? Are you interested in how our built environment shapes and conditions our physical activity and quality of life? How this interacts with an ageing society and the possibilities for all to stay active and healthy? And how urban planning may support active ageing? And do you have strong competencies in quantitative research in the built environment and active travel/physical activity or public health? 

At NTNU's Department of Architecture and Planning (IAP), we offer an exciting 3-year postdoctoral position that gives you the opportunity to develop a strong profile as a researcher. The position is closely related to NTNU's community's interdisciplinary research team on active aging as well as the department’s research focus on the built environment and urban planning. You will gain valuable experience that may be relevant to your future career. The purpose of a postdoctoral position is to build up a researcher profile that qualifies for a position as an associate professor. The position may also offer additional skills that are relevant to the postdoctoral fellow's future career.

At the Department of Architecture and Planning in Trondheim, we focus on research and education in architecture, urban planning, smart cities, and property development, including the societal consequences of features and developments in the built environment.

Apply for this position to become part of our research environment and take the next step in your career with us.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.

About the project 

The Department of Architecture and Planning invites applications for a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Active ageing and the built environment. The position is funded by NTNU Community in connection with Team Active Ageing. The work will address the environmental determinants of physical activity, walking and quality of life among older adults in Norwegian rural and urban areas. The Postdoc will rely on a combination of micro-level health survey data (HUNT) and geo-spatial data to measure and assess the relevant characteristics of the environment (e.g. based on concepts such as walkability). The Postdoctoral Fellow will work with the interplay between architecture, planning, psychology, and public health. Key research questions will be:

• How can high-resolution geographic information system (GIS) data and data from The Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) be combined to study environmental physical activity, walking behavior, and quality of life?
• How do built environment characteristics influence physical activity, walking behavior, and quality of life among older adults?
• How does the built environment condition change in walking and cognitive health in a cohort of older adults?
• What are the societal challenges and potentially actionable insights from the perspective of built environment influences on Active ageing?

Duties of the position

• Carry out research of good quality 
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination incl. collaboration with the supervisory team to co-author at least 3-4 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Conduct independent and collaborative research focused on Active ageing and built environment with a focus on the role of urban planning as enabler of activity and quality of life in old age.
• Participate in activities of the department’s research group on Urban planning.
• Collaborate with urban planners, psychologists, public health professionals, and stakeholders, e.g. from Team Active ageing, HUNT, Trondheim Municipality, Trøndelag county authority and other partners in Norway and Europe.
• Follow up administrative requirements bound to the project and position.
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions 
• Apply for research funding and write applications and report on progress to funding sources 
• Teaching 
• Mentoring students, helping them with their research projects, and advising on methodology and academic writing 

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a doctoral degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Architectural Engineering, or a related field. 
• If you are in the final phase of your doctorate and can document that the thesis has been submitted or that the defense date has been confirmed, your application can be considered even if you have not defended. NOTE: Documentation of the obtained doctorate must be presented before you can take up the position. 
• A proven track record from research related to active travel/physical activity, public health and built environment. 
• Experience working with geo-spatial data and derived built environment metrics such as walkability.
• Experience with quantitative analysis focused on behavior or health outcomes. 
• Experience in publishing interdisciplinary and applied research.
• You must have English language skills, both written and spoken, corresponding to the scale B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Applicants who are not native English speakers are encouraged to document their English language proficiency. This can be done through an approved English language test. One of the following test scores could be documented for this purpose: 
  • TOEFL internet-based test (iBT) - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 79 - 101. 
  • IELTS - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 5.5 - 6.0
  • Cambridge English - Score equivalent to the B2 level: 160 - 179.

Further assessment of both written and oral English language skills, as well as the ability to communicate fluently, will be conducted throughout the selection process and during any interviews for all applicants.

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

If you do not already have educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as associate professor in Norway, NTNU will arrange for you to acquire such competence during the employment period. In such cases, you will also be assigned relevant teaching as part of the career-promoting work.

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience from interdisciplinary work in between architecture, urban planning, social sciences and public health.
• A record of peer-reviewed publications in relevant fields
• Experience in applying for research funding or contributing to grant proposals
• Experience from coordinating with stakeholders or external partners
• Experience in teaching and supervision of master theses or student research projects
• English language skills, both written and spoken, corresponding to the scale C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). See which scores are equivalent to the C1 level here.
• Proficiency in a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish), both written and spoken, at B2 level or higher is considered an advantage. 

Personal characteristics

Working as a postdoctoral fellow requires that you be able to: 

• demonstrate strong motivation, curiosity, and a learning-oriented mindset
• work independently, take initiative, and maintain good structure and discipline in your work
• communicate effectively and collaborate well with supervisors and peers
• show resilience and work constructively when facing challenges or setbacks
• demonstrate integrity and a strong sense of responsibility in your research conduct

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities

We offer 

• An exciting job with an important social mission 
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment 
• Career guidance throughout the postdoctoral program and together with you we will prepare a career plan, which contains the skills and knowledge you will acquire
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues 
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU 
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a Postdoctoral Fellow at NTNU, you will have access to 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.

At NTNU, we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have several measures to promote equality. 

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 (including career promotion work/ teaching duties).

The position is conditional on funding.

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.

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 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:

• A cover letter where the applicant describes personal motivation and relevance with respect to the requirements of this advertisement (maximum 1 page).
• CV based on the Norwegian Research Councils template for early career researchers (https://www.forskningsradet.no/siteassets/utlysninger/vedlegg-utlysninger/template-for-cv-early-career-scientists.docx ) including experiences/contributions to relevant projects, funding applications and collaboration with partners and stakeholders (In Project Management experiences or early track record as applicable). 
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's-, Master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or confirmation that your PhD thesis has been submitted. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Project outline containing proposals for an overall description of relevant research questions, theoretical perspectives and methodological design (maximum 3 pages and 1800 words). This proposal will be neither final nor binding for the project.
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, you can attach a draft of the thesis.
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 5 items).
• Possible recommendation letters
• You are encouraged to include documentation of English language proficiency if you are not a native speaker of English. 
• Name and contact information of three referees.

If all or parts of your education have been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation requiredcan 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 works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

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 Professor Thomas Sick Nielsen by email at thomas.s.nielsen@ntnu.no 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor Sven Robert Storø by email at sven.r.storo@ntnu.no.

If you find this position interesting, and in accordance with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. 

Application deadline: 19.10.2026

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.