项目介绍

2026年5月27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.

The Department of Education, Communication and Learning offer prominent education programs and outstanding research in our areas of knowledge – Education, Communication and Learning. Various societal issues that follow from globalization, sustainability and digitalisation are our focus. Internationally, our research contributes to issues concerning the conditions of vulnerable children and young people, the preschool’s mission and quality, migration and other societal changes, violence and racism in school and during leisure-time and the consequences of digitalisation for education and working life.

Education is a third-cycle subject focusing on education, teaching, upbringing, socialisation, formation and learning. The subject of Education has a special interest in the relationship between the individual and the society, and the conditions under which institutional conditions act and have acted over time. Educational processes and outcomes are studied within contexts of structure and agency, and their interrelations, within as well as outside formal education.

The Voice of the Ocean Foundation is a Swedish philanthropic foundation that supports and promotes research, education, and communication about the ocean and its dynamic processes. With a strong focus on ocean literacy, the foundation works to strengthen knowledge, engagement, and responsible stewardship by making ocean science accessible to schools, researchers, and the wider public.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university’s doctoral student pages. 

Job Assignments   

The doctoral project will focus on ocean literacy in elementary school, with particular attention to children’s access to the ocean and how ocean‑related knowledge, emotions, and experiences are addressed in teaching. The project is part of a four‑year research program in collaboration between the Department of Education, Communication and Learning and the Foundation Voice of the Ocean, led by Associate Professor Géraldine Fauville and Professor Annika Lantz‑Andersson.

Within the doctoral project the PhD research will adopt a mixed-method approach that will include both qualitative and quantitative methods, such as interviews, observations, surveys and content or discourse analysis, to investigate how ocean literacy is enacted and negotiated in school contexts. A central concern is that children in Sweden have unequal access to the ocean due to geographical and socio‑economic factors, and the project aims to contribute to understanding how such inequalities shape children’s relationships with marine environments.

The doctoral work will focus on children’s ocean literacy and emotional engagement, the representation of the ocean in teaching materials, teachers’ pedagogical and content knowledge related to the ocean, and the implementation of virtual or ocean experiences in the classroom. The project is grounded in interactional and sociocultural, sociomaterial perspectives, with an interest in how participants, materials, and educational settings jointly shape meaning‑making around the ocean.

In addition to scientific publications, the project aims to generate practice‑relevant knowledge that can inform schools and the wider education community.

During the PhD studies, the dissertation work will be presented and discussed in seminars with invited discussants on at least three occasions. As a doctoral student, you are also expected to participate in conferences, workshops, seminars and other research meetings, both nationally and internationally.

Doctoral candidates engage in full time PhD training during four years, and the studies leads to a doctoral degree. A PhD candidate is expected to work as a member of one of the research groups at the department. In collaboration with supervisors, the candidate will formulate and finalize a dissertation and take part in courses which are a mix of mandatory and elective courses in accordance with the rules of the general and individual study plans.  

Only those who are admitted to postgraduate education may be appointed to the position. In addition to the obligation to pursue his/her own postgraduate education, the holder may be required to perform duties relating to education, research and administrative work in accordance with particular provisions in the regulation (Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance, a maximum of 20%). The employment will be prolonged accordingly

Eligibility   

Doctoral education requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.  

The general eligibility requirements for doctoral studies are:    

1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. the fulfilment of course requirements totalling 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. 

The specific entry requirements are met if he or she has 90 higher education credits in education, of which at least 30 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, including an independent project (degree project) comprising at least 15 higher education credits.

Eligible applicants include those who have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. 

Assessment criteria   

Selection between applicants who meet the basic requirements and specific qualifications will be based on an assessment of an applicant’s ability to successfully complete the doctoral programme. Given that the studies within this PhD position will be conducted in Swedish elementary schools, applicants must have proficiency in spoken and written Swedish corresponding to at least SFI level C, if the applicant does not have Swedish as their mother tongue, which should be certified by a valid document.

Selection will be based on the following criteria:

• the quality of the degree project affording eligibility (or equivalent document).
• the quality of the research plan submitted related to this specific doctoral project and to the research environment Learning Education and Digitalization (LEad) at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning.

Admission takes place in competition on the basis of a combined assessment of the applicant’s submitted documents. Assessment of the applicant’s ability to complete doctoral studies will guide the decision. Key for this assessment are the results of earlier thesis work or alternatively thesis work and scientific article writing, together with a clearly formulated research plan where the applicant articulates a possible plan for a dissertation project that aligns with the described doctoral project with a focus on ocean literacy within Educational Sciences. The dissertation research plan will be evaluated based on its scientific relevance, how well it connects with the described doctoral project as well as on whether or not it raises motivated and researchable questions and presents reasonable methods for their examination.

Experience of empirical research focused on ocean literacy in educational contexts and examining technology-mediated and immersive learning environments will be given special consideration in the assessment. Further school-based educational experience with students from linguistically, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds is considered a strong asset. Previous experience of working in academia is also considered particularly advantageous.

If a required text has been written by more than one author, the applicant’s individual contribution must be described.

Only applicants who can be offered supervision can be admitted to third-cycle studies. Considerable weight will be put on the capacity of the applicant to actively contribute to a research group at the department.

The fact that an applicant is considered able to transfer credits from prior courses and study programmes or for professional or vocational experience may not alone give the applicant priority over other applicants (Chapter 7, Section 41 of the Higher Education Ordinance).

Admission and employment   

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

The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in 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.  

First day of employment is 2026-09-01 or by agreement.  

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.   

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.

Please note, doctoral studies at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning require physical presence to conduct the studies. If the admitted applicant needs a residence permit for higher education to pursue studies in Sweden, the department 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.

Selection process   

Applications are evaluated by an admissions panel. Interviews may be conducted. Admission decisions are made by the Head of Department and cannot be appealed. (Rules for Doctoral Education – Doktorandreglerna, ref nr GU 2024/2777).

Contact information 

Géraldine Fauville, Senior Lecturer
geraldine.fauville@gu.se

Annika Lantz-Andersson, Professor
annika.lantz-andersson@ped.gu.seIf you have questions about the admission/employment procedure:
Desirée Engvall, Senior Postgraduate Studies Coordinator
desiree.engvall@gu.se
+46 (0)766 18 24 10

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 to doctoral education via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. 

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.   

Applications should include the following:

• Cover letter describing the background to your interest in the advertised position (maximum one A4 page).
• Curriculum vitae (CV).
• Degree certificate(s) with a transcript of completed courses demonstrating general and specific eligibility.
• Qualifying thesis at the Master’s level (minimum 15 credits/ECTS) and, if available, at most one additional research-related text (e.g. article, report, or equivalent).
• Research proposal according to our guidelines.
• References (optional)
• Other qualifications relevant to the position that you wish to be considered, for example certificate of proficiency in spoken and written Swedish, corresponding to at least SFI level C, if the applicant does not have Swedish as their moter tongue.

Applications must be received by: 2026-06-14

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/