项目介绍

2026年5月24日

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

Doctoral position in Artistic practice

The Artistic Faculty consists of the departments HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design and Academy of Music and Drama. As a combined faculty of art and learning, we are an independent, visionary and critical force in the necessary work to create a more sustainable and open society.

HDK-Valand invites applications to conduct artistic research at doctoral level. We welcome applications across the wide spectrum of creative practices in Photography, Literary Composition, Film, Design, Craft and Art. We have an expansive understanding of these practices, and welcome multi-disciplinary projects that may draw upon more than one genre of creative practice. We also welcome proposals which seek to define or identify new forms of practice within these disciplines. Our acclaimed academic staff have both breadth and depth in supervisory expertise across a wide range of themes and research areas. (Please note that doctoral research across music, theatre and performance practices is provided by another institution at the University of Gothenburg, namely the Academy of Music and Drama.)

Information on (i) current and completed doctoral research projects in the Academy; (ii) supervisory staff and their research areas; (iii) research theme groupings within the Academy; and (iv) cotutelle (joint doctorate) opportunities are all available here: https://canvas.gu.se/courses/43090/pages/hdk-valand-new-phd-places-call-2026 

Research at HDK-Valand is organised in clusters that span four major areas of interest: Materialities and Experimental Aesthetics; Environment: Ecological and Climate Challenges; Economies: Organizing, Valuating and Working; and Politics, Practices and Publics. You can find out more about the clusters here. Research proposals, submitted as part of the application to do a PhD, should demonstrate a good fit with the expertise and existing research thematics of the academy.

For more information about HDK-Valand go here: https://www.gu.se/en/hdk-valand.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university’s doctoral student pages https://www.gu.se/en/doctoral-studies

Duties   

Doctoral studies comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree.    

As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period, and result in a corresponding extension of the studies. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.  

As part of your employment as a doctoral student, within the first three calendar years after commencement of your studies, you will be required to participate in up to two months of mobility and exchange with one or more of HDK-Valand’s academic and non-academic partners. During these periods of mobility and exchange you will continue to conduct your doctoral research.

The doctoral position is an employment, and you are required to be at the workplace during normal working hours unless otherwise agreed in advance with the employer or due to illness. General information about being a doctoral student in Sweden can be found in the SFS PhD Handbook https://phdhandbook.se/

See also the Rules and Regulations for doctoral (Third-Cycle) education at the University of Gothenburg at this page: https://canvas.gu.se/courses/43090/pages/hdk-valand-new-phd-places-call-2026

Eligibility   

To be considered for a position, the applicant needs to meet the general entry requirements for doctoral (third-cycle) education in accordance with chapter 7, section 39 of the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance, and the specific entry requirements in one of the two general syllabi: doctor of Philosophy or doctor of Philosophy in Fine Arts.

General entry requirements for third-cycle education are met by those who have:

1. achieved a second-level qualification, or
2. completed course requirements of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or
3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements for Artistic Practice are:

• a documented specialization of study including subjects oriented towards relevant issues in the subject Artistic Practice
• an independent project (thesis) comprising at least 30 higher education credits (or, alternatively, several projects, which, together, are considered to be the equivalent of 30 higher education credits) in a subject that is considered as having relevance to doctoral studies in the subject Artistic Practice.
• documented ability of working with artistic practice at a high level
• genuine artistic experience in the field of research
• documented interest in reflection, research-related issues and processes
• documented experience in academic writing or other, equivalent qualified text production that demonstrates research-like stringency.

An applicant also meets these specific requirements who has otherwise acquired the equivalent knowledge either in Sweden or abroad.

Assessment criteria   

The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the education at third-cycle level (i.e., their ability to benefit from doctoral education and to make optimal use of the programme.) The employment as a doctoral candidate can only be provided to those individuals admitted to the third-cycle programme.

In addition to basic eligibility as described above, successful applicants must:

• demonstrate a track record of accomplishment and artistic innovation within their specific field(s) of artistic /creative practice through their documented practice
• provide a clear research project proposal* that
  • identifies and contextualises a clear research task that the proposed project addresses
  • includes relevant practical and theoretical research methods proposed for the project
  • include a timetable of planned actions and milestones
  • shows the potential of the project to contribute to the relevant subject
  • indicates how the project relates to the existing research expertise and research thematics of the academy
• demonstrate ability to think critically and to explain the importance of the proposed research project
• demonstrate an understanding of the role of doctoral researcher and of the nature of a PhD employment position
• show the potential to contribute to the wider research environment and the educational mission of the academy in the future

*Please note that the recruitment committee will review the research proposal with a special attention to novelty and feasibility of the proposed projects. Consideration of the research proposal in PART A of the application (see below) will be very important in the process of shortlisting for interview. However, it is important to note that the project proposal is used to assess the applicant’s skills and if the applicant is successful, the proposal itself will be subject to a process of revision in consultation with the supervisory team during the first year of studies. (The selection process may include interviews for short-listed applicants.)

Admission and employment   

Once you have been admitted to doctoral studies, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.

The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in The Swedish Higher Education Ordinance SFS 1993:100.   

Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at doctoral level for four years.   

Start date: 18 January, 2027

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students. See below for the current monthly salary before tax.

Please note, doctoral studies at HDK-Valand require physical presence in Gothenburg, Sweden, to conduct the studies.

If the admitted applicant needs a residence permit for higher education to pursue studies in Sweden, HDK-Valand has the right to revoke the admission decision if the applicant cannot present a valid residence permit no later than at the start of the studies. 

Contact information 

For questions regarding the position, please reach out to Senior Doctoral Education Officer Anna Frisk, anna.frisk@gu.se

For questions regarding the recruitment process, please reach out to the HR function at HDK-Valand, hr@hdk-valand.gu.se

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:   
https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande   

Application   

You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. Applications should be submitted in English or Swedish. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.

Applications must be received by: 5 August at 24:00 Swedish Time.

Submit digital materials only. Please do not send physical artefacts or submit other material by post unless specifically requested to do so at a later stage in the application process.

The application must be made using the application template provided as a PDF and available for download here.

It is important to complete both PART A and B of the application form:

• The application template PART A is used to give a summary of your proposed research project, indicating (i) what the proposed contribution to knowledge is; (ii) what are the salient contexts of existing knowledge-practice for the research project’s contribution; and (iii) which research cluster at HDK-Valand you consider relevant to your proposal and why. (2 pages maximum, in the template.)
• The application template PART B is used to provide an expanded research project description of maximum (6 pages) a timeline (1 page); and a bibliography (no page limit). In PART B, you also include a list of items submitted in your digital portfolio of documentation of your artistic /creative practice (art, design, craft, film, photo, literature etc.); identify the sample of your written work included in your application; a CV indicating existing qualifications and including professional experience, along with a list of artistic /creative works presented in the professional field and/or public domain (e.g., publications, screenings, exhibitions, performances, commissions, broadcasts, conference proceedings, and other professional works); a short description of what teaching experience you have, if any; and other materials as indicated as required in the Application Form template.
• Please read the detailed application guidelines and download the application template here.
• Degrees / academic qualifications and other certificates relevant to the application. You are required to upload digital scans into the application system. Access to originals may be requested at a later stage in the application process. Please do not send unless specifically requested to do so.
• Documentation of your artistic /creative practice (work/publications/exhibitions/creative projects/showreels or other formats appropriate to your practice.) In certain cases, the assessment committee may request access to the artistic works at a later stage in the application process, but please do not send physical materials to us at this point, they cannot be processed and will not be returned. The documented artistic /creative practice should be clearly identified and briefly contextualised so that the documentation can be easily read and navigated. Documentation can be via referral to online resources or digital portfolio. (Showreels and audio-media examples should be less than 12 minutes unless a longer duration of showreel/demonstration material is specifically requested at a later stage in the application process.)

Information session: How to prepare an application for a PhD position

Wednesday 03 June 2026 16:30-19:00 

There will be an online information session via ZOOM on how to prepare the

proposal and application. Information addressed will include:

• The nature and structure of PhD studies at HDK-Valand, Artistic Faculty, University of Gothenburg
• Template for you application
• Preparing a research proposal
• Digital documentation of practice
• How to show you meet the basic eligibility criteria
• The selection process stages and how the panel work with the criteria

Pre-registration is required; you can find the link to the registration form here: 

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/sDceZjmYru

Employment

Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg: In a Swedish University, study for a PhD as a doctoral candidate is a form of employment subject to the rules of employment in the Swedish public university sector. In applying to do a PhD, one is applying for a job and not just a studentship, this means that one is joining an academic institution and community and entering into an employment contract.

The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in The Higher Education Ordinance SFS 1993:100

Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students. The start level of the salary for doctoral students at the Artistic Faculty is at the moment SEK 32 300 per month.

Applications must be received by: 5 August 2026

It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per this notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.   

Information for International Applicants 

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit: 

https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services 
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/