项目介绍

2026年7月2日

About the position

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate which opens up exciting career opportunities?

As a PhD Candidate at the Department of Sociology and Political Science you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, both within and outside academia.

This PhD position in Sport Science offers an excellent opportunity for scientific development through designing, conducting, and disseminating research on a contemporary topic. The goal of the PhD. position is to complete doctoral-level education and to complete a doctoral degree.

The position is 4 years, including one year of promotion work such as teaching.

The candidate will be part of the active research group Skill and Performance Development in Sports and School (SPDSS) at the Department of Sociology and Political Science and be part of a broader international network of researchers working in the field of Sport Psychology.

For more information about the research group

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department.
 

About the project

In elite sports, there is a widespread notion that athletes must push their bodies to the limit and downplay health risks in order to reach the top—a phenomenon often described as a ‘risk culture’ (Aspvik, 2026). This culture stands in stark contrast to the Norwegian Sports Federation’s ethical guideline of always ‘putting health before performance’ (NIF, 2022). This tension is particularly evident in handball, a sport characterized by high physical intensity, extensive body contact, and a high injury rate. Additionally, handball is Norway’s second-largest sport and is marked by a strong performance culture with significant international success (Mehus et al., 2025). Therefore, handball serves as a relevant context for examining the sport’s risk culture (Bursik et al., 2024).

The project will contribute important knowledge on how to facilitate safe and healthy development environments in Norwegian handball. The project consists of four sub-projects within elite handball, employing various methodological approaches (mixed methods): 
1.    A quantitative study of elite handball athletes’ willingness to prioritize performance over health.
2.    Qualitative study of elite athletes’ experiences of prioritizing performance over health in handball.
3.    Qualitative study of micro stakeholders (coaches, physical trainers, medical staff) and their reflection of athletes prioritizing performance over health in elite handball.
4.    Qualitative study of macro stakeholders (regional- and national sports confederations) and their reflection of athletes prioritizing performance over health in elite handball.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of high academic quality within the framework described above, and develop your own approach to the project
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Be an active participant in the research group Skill and Performance Development in Sports and School (SPDSS) 
• Participate in international activities such as conferences, workshops, PhD courses and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions
• Teaching in relevant study programs at the Department

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment

The PhD is obliged to conform with the regulations concerning changes and developments within the position, and/or the organizational changes concerning activities at NTNU.

Required selection criteria

To be qualified for this position you must fulfill the following criteria.

• You must have a relevant social science master’s degree in Sports Science or equivalent.
• Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where normally 120 ECTS credits have been obtained at master’s level, included a master’s thesis or equivalent work with a scope of at least 30 ECTS credits. Master’s students can apply, but the master’s degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master’s degree, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s Doctoral Programme in Social Science.
• Good quality of the project proposal.
• Experience with quantitative statistical analysis and qualitative analysis (mixed methods).
• Good written and oral skills in English.

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

Preferred selection criteria

• Familiarity with software such as R (or Stata) and NVivo (or equivalent qualitative analysis software).
• The position is ascribed one year of promotion work such as teaching, and good written and oral language skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is an advantage. 

Personal characteristics

Completing a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) can be demanding. Therefore, you should be able to:

• show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject 
• work independently and structured
• set goals and make plans to reach them, 
• creatively approach your subject matter, and present and discuss your research and constructively engage with feedback from colleagues.
• Actively contributes to the academic and social working environment in SPDSS.

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.
 

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working expenses funding that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a PhD Candidate 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.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 550 800,- per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.

The employment period is 4 years including 1 year of career promotion work such as teaching.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Social Sciences – specialization Political Science within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary academic 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, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.
 

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 Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or 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.

If you have used AI when applying for this position: You must specify in the application in what way AI has been used when writing your application.

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:

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• CV 
• Copy of Master’s thesis. If have not yet submitted your Master’s thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master’s degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Project outline containing proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages) 
• A short application letter that specifies your motivation for the position (400 words/1 page)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates and publications etc. other relevant research work
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor’s and Master’s education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.