A 100 % position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Social Sciences, as a PhD Research Fellow on the topic “Future in planning – strategic navigation and experimental planning”, affiliated with the Department of Global Development and Planning (IGUS), for a period of three years, possibly four years with 25% required duties. The position is located at Campus Kristiansand. The starting date is negotiable with the Faculty.
IGUS is an interdisciplinary department with 14 full-time research positions, a post-doc position, and 10 PhDs enrolled in the faculty’s PhD programme. Members of staff are dedicated lecturers and researchers working on poverty issues, various dimensions of globalisation, political economy, state and welfare issues in the South, rural/urban migration, natural disasters and emergency management, climate challenges and environmental problems, social movements, gender, integration and mobility, urban and regional planning, rural/urban development and participation processes.
The department has several different research groups, and the position will be particularly linked to the research group URPLAN. The research group has an interdisciplinary perspective on urban and regional planning based on social geography, planning and environmental management competence. We have a long history in research on urbanism, urban and rural development, regionalisation processes, environmental management and planning processes. Read more about it.
Responsibilities
This PhD position will explore opportunities for new ways of thinking within planning. Planning is about developing knowledge and action through processes. Planning is thus future-oriented, but always based on context and history. Planning is the unfinished space formed by a complex field of actors. Planning theory tries to understand how we can explore and develop knowledge across different experiences, interests, and values to create better action. In the last 70 years, planning theory has evolved from ideas about rational and instrumental actions to an understanding of conflicts and communication. Over the last decade, there has been an increased focus on experimental planning and process understanding. With a starting point in complexity theory and the philosophy of the event several planning theorists have advocated for working with planning as emerging and undefined.
Art is increasingly used as an inspiration for the planning process, experimenting with alternative futures. This PhD project will explore how to work experimentally with complex futures, and the relationship between temporality and longevity in planning through the use of art in planning. Even if the future is complex and emerging, there is still a need for strategic navigation and pragmatic actions in planning for the present. The project in question will explore new ways of thinking about the future within the planning field with the use of art- and / or design-thinking as a theoretical and methodological approach. By raising new knowledge through the use of art as thought-provoking inspiration, the project can contribute to creating knowledge about the role of art in experimental planning processes and develop new perspectives for the future of planning by challenging existing and taken for granted understandings of planning processes and their outcome.
Based on the above, we invite applicants to prepare an independent project proposal.
Required qualifications
Further provisions relating to the positions as PhD Research Fellows can be found in the Regulations Concerning Terms and Conditions of Employment for the post of Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident.
The applicants must qualify for admission to the PhD Program in Social Sciences, specialisation in Global Development and Planning and will be affiliated with one of the faculty’s research groups. The starting date is negotiable with the Faculty. More information about the faculty’s research groups, doctoral degree programs and specialisations can be found here.
The qualification requirement is a completed master’s degree within social sciences or related fields, with an average mark of B or better (including the master’s thesis). Applicants who are in the process of finishing their master’s thesis are also welcome to apply.
Fluent English skills, both oral and written, are a prerequisite.
Desired qualifications
The applicant’s educational or practical relationship to topics within art and planning, as well as experience with qualitative methods and art projects will be emphasised.
Knowledge of Norwegian or other Scandinavian languages is an advantage.
Personal qualities
Personal suitability and collaboration skills will be given weight. The position requires being able to work determined, organised, concentrated and independently.
We offer
- professional development in a large and interesting organisation
- a good, inclusive, and diverse work environment
- modern locations and versatile welfare services
- membership in the Government Pension Fund
The position is paid in accordance with the Government’s wage regulation salary plan 17,515, code 1017 PhD candidate, NOK 501,200 gross salary per year. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the pay according to current statutory provisions.
General information
UiA is an open and inclusive university. We believe that diversity enriches the workplace and makes us better. We, therefore, encourage qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender, age, cultural background, disability, or gaps in the CV.
The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the position, and organisational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected. The appointment is made by the University of Agder’s Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions.
Short-listed applicants will be invited for interviews. With the applicant’s permission, UiA will also conduct a reference check before the appointment. Read more about the employment process.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act § 25 (2), applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the names of applicants. Applicants will be advised of the University’s intention to exercise this right.
Application
The application and any necessary information about education and experience (including diplomas and certificates) are to be sent electronically. Use the link “Apply for the position”.
The following documentation must be uploaded electronically:
- Certificates with grades
- Master’s thesis or other relevant documentation
- References
- Relevant academic work and a list of these
- Project description of a maximum of 10 pages, including bibliography. The description will present and discuss possible research questions, theoretical perspectives, material, progress plan and methods within the given framework.
The applicant is fully responsible for submitting complete digital documentation before the closing date. All documentation must be available in a Scandinavian language or English.
Application deadline: 1.september.2022
Contact
For questions about the position:
- Associate Professor Paulina Nordström, phone # +47 45505420, e-mail paulina.e.nordstrom@uia.no
- Associate Professor Laura Tolnov Clausen, phone # +47 38 14 18 17, +47 940 79 366, e-mail: laura.t.clausen@uia.no
For questions about the application process:
- Senior Advisor Anna Færavaag, phone # +47 38 14 24 14, +47 974 29 492, e-mail anna.c.faravaag@uia.no
University of Agder
The University of Agder has more than 1500 employees and almost 14 000 students. This makes us one of the largest workplaces in Southern Norway. Our staff research, teach and disseminate knowledge from a variety of academic fields. Co-creation of knowledge is our common vision. We offer a broad range of study programmes in many fields. We are situated at two modern campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad respectively.
We are an open and inclusive university marked by a culture of cooperation. The aim of the university is to further develop education and research at a high international level.