Doctoral Research Fellow in Societal Safety, Underground Applications and Spatial Analysis

About the position

The University of Stavanger has two vacancies as a grantor in social security, as well as the applications of subsoil and spatial analysis at the Faculty of Science, the Institute of Safety, Economics and Planning.

The scholarship position leads to a doctoral degree and provides an opportunity to develop research skills in an active and stimulating professional environment. Through doctoral training, you acquire knowledge, skills and experience that qualify for further careers in research, higher education and other knowledge-intensive sectors.

The recruiter is included in the doctoral programme in technology and science. The programme includes a part of training, work on a scientific thesis based on independent research, participation in national and international research environments, dissemination of research, examination and dissertation. Read more about the training of researchers at the UiS on our websites.

The position is for three years of pure research.

As a scholarship at the UiS, you will receive support for professional and career development through guidance, competence development and career planning.

The position is funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

Research Theme

The scholarship holders will be associated with the Research Centre for Innovative and Sustainable Underground Use (CISU), a Research-driven Innovation Centre (SFI) funded by the Norwegian Research Council. CISU is a triple helix collaboration between leading research institutions, industrial partners and public enterprises, addressing pressing societal challenges: urban congestion, climate change, geopolitical instability and the need for more robust cities.

The core task of this post is the mapping and analysis of the subsoil of one of the pilot cities — Stavanger and Trondheim, as well as Tromsø — with geographical information science as the primary methodological basis. The projects are located in Trondheim or Stavanger (one in each city) and are responsible for the mapping of each of their cities, and the projects cooperate on the mapping of Tromsø. In this way, example studies are established which will both give rise to comparative analyses and more consistent analyses of the pilot cities based on urban data related to societal critical functions. The students will work closely with the cities. Existing data, such as GIS maps and databases, geological data (earth, rock and groundwater), existing infrastructures and critical societal functions, relevant events, etc., will be systematically analysed, expanded, further developed, integrated and evaluated against urban planning values and options to move underground functions. The work can also use complementary spatial technologies such as digital twins, photogrammetry and spatial modelling.

On the basis of this GIS basis, candidates will continuously participate in the collaborative arenas with the user partners in the CISU to develop research orientations within the CISU context.

The parallel projects of the candidates allow direct comparison and transfer of knowledge across urban contexts. Both candidates will be included in the SFI-CISU, which during the centre period will have at least 13 PhD fellows working on innovation projects across the three pilot cities, with the support of a dedicated PHD forum in SFI-CISU and a multidisciplinary guidance team from academia and industry. There are opportunities for international research stays and cooperation as part of the PhD study (some alternative sites are Singapore, Helsinki and Switzerland).

The grantor will help to answer the following preliminary research questions at the Centre:

RQ1: To what extent are the exact locations and technical conditions of existing underground infrastructure known?

RQ2: To what extent can transformation of existing infrastructure support critical societal functions in the future?

RQ3: To what extent can the systematic use of the substrate support sustainable urban development in the zero-emission society?

RQ4: How can underground spatial planning be integrated into urban development and infrastructure strategies?

Project sketch

An applicant shall draw up a project outline for a doctoral project within the research topic described.

The project outline, which should not be on more than two sides, shall explain the project’s issue, relevance, theoretical and methodological approach. The sketch will be part of the assessment of competence.

Qualifications

You must have a strong professional background with a five-year master's degree in geographic information, engineering geology, technical safety, risk management, social security, urban planning or other neighbouring subject area, or equivalent training which provides the basis for conducting a research course. Training should preferably be of more recent date. If you complete our Master's degree 2027, you are also welcome to apply.

The character of the master's task and the weighted average character of the master's study must both be equal to B or better. If you have training from an institution with a different character scale than A-F, please attach documentation to show how the characters can be compared to the Norwegian character scale. You can use these conversion scales to calculate your recording score.

It is an advantage if you :

has theoretical and applied knowledge of geographic information science and spatial analysis;

has experience or professional knowledge of Norwegian planning systems (urban municipalities)

have experience with GIS tools and software, and with digital spatial technologies;

We also emphasize that you:

has high professional integrity and a focus on quality at work;

is curious and motivated to carry out the research project and contribute to professional community and cross-disciplinary cooperation

have the potential for research in the field and personal prerequisites for completing doctoral training within the period of employment;

can work well both independently and in cooperation with other researchers

has the capacity for critical reflection, innovation and independent problem-solving, working in a structured and targeted manner;

have good cooperation and communication skills and contribute to a constructive working environment.

have good skills in English, both in writing and orally.

The work of SFI-CISU could include the management of information protection. In order to be current for the position, you must therefore be authorised for BEGRENSET, see the Safety Act § 8-9. Authorisation assumes that you meet the conditions to access display information at this level. More detailed guidelines will be provided as the centre is established and the activities concretely defined.

Requirements for English knowledge

Good skills in English, both in writing and orally, are a prerequisite for admission to the doctoral programme.

If you are an international applicant and are not covered by the exemption schemes below, you must demonstrate your English skills with a valid result from one of the following language tests:

TOEFL – Test or English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based Test (IBT). Minimum result: 90/4.5

IELTS – International English Language Testing Service. Minimum result: 6.5

Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) from the University of Cambridge

PTE Academic – Pearson Test of English Academic. Minimum result: 62

You are exempted from the requirement if you:

have completed at least one year of university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA

have completed a master’s degree in English as a teaching language in an EU/EEA country or in India;

is exempted according to the HK-dirs GSU list

is not included in the above exemption categories but has lived in Norway for the last five years

As a scholarship at the UiS, you will receive:

research training at a university with a major societal mission

an ambitious and inclusive research environment;

guidance and support for professional and career development;

free Norwegian course if you do not master Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at minimum A2 level when employed

access to Lifekeys, a digital service for mental health and quality of life;

wages and salaries as a grant holder under the government wage and salary regulation in job code 1017, DKK 580.000 gross per year, with wage and salary developments after seniority in the post.

membership of the Finnish National Pension Fund with good pension and insurance schemes

Read more about employee benefits and distributes on uis.no.

Variety and inclusion

Mangfold is a force at the university. Different experiences, perspectives and backgrounds contribute to better solutions and a good working and learning environment. We want applicants with different qualifications, life experiences and perspectives, and encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of gender, age, function, cultural background or whether you have had a stay in the workplace. The UiS facilitates employees in different phases of life and employees in need of individual organisation.

In line with the current legislation, at least one qualified applicant with disabilities, holes in the CV or migrant background will be invited to an interview. If this applies to you, you can enter it in the jobseeker portal. Read more about the scheme here.

The university wants a better gender balance in scholarship positions in the field and therefore encourages women to apply in particular. In the case of similar qualifications, women may be given priority in accordance with the applicable legislation.

This is how you apply.

Search for the job using the "Search Jobs" on this page.

In Jobbnorge, you register your application, relevant training and work experience as well as language skills. In the application we ask you to describe your research interests, your motivation for the job and how your background is relevant to the research project.

The following documentation shall be uploaded as an annex to the application:

project outline

CV with full overview of education, experience and any scientific activities

testimonial with a character printout proving completion of master's degree. If you have not completed the master degree you should attach updated character print.

Diplomas Supplements or equivalent documentation, and conversion scale if required

evidence of English-language competence, if required;

publications or other relevant research

certificates and other evidence considered relevant to the application

The documentation must be in a Scandinavian language or English.

Applications are assessed on the basis of the information recorded in Jobbnorge at the end of the application period. Therefore, make sure that the application clearly demonstrates how your competence and experience meet the qualification requirements described in the call and that the necessary documentation has been uploaded. If the attachments exceed 100MB in total, they must be compressed before upload.

UiS only deals with applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge.

Information about applicants may be published even if a derogation from the public application list has been requested, cf. disclosure law § 25. If the request is not accepted, you will be notified.

Employment conditions and process

The UiS is subject to the Security Act and employees are expected to behave in a security-conscious manner and follow the applicable security and export control procedures. When employed, properties such as reliability, judgment and loyalty will be emphasised.

Recruitment as a grantor is governed by Chapter IV of the University and Higher Education Regulation. Admissions to doctoral training are regulated in regulations for the degree of philosophy doctor (Ph.D.) at the University of Stavanger.

Your qualifications for the post will be assessed by an internal committee on the basis of the documentation registered in Jobbnorge at the end of the application period. In the light of the Committee's assessment, the applicants concerned will be invited to an interview. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. Read more about the recruitment process on our websites.

Doctoral thesis will mainly be carried out at the University of Stavanger. It is a prerequisite that the person being employed resides in order to be present and accessible to the professional environment during normal working hours.

The position is published in both Norwegian and English. In case of conflicting information between the texts, the English text is taken into account.