Postdoctoral Fellow in Qualitative Social Sciences and Humanities relating to Urban Food Systems

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Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0About the position

At the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, NTNU, a three-year position is available as a postdoctoral fellow (postdoc) exploring a sustainable, just and healthy urban food system in a Norwegian context. The work is funded by the Research Council of Norway project ‘Exploring planetary boundaries and social foundations for just urban food systems in Norway’ (LimEATS).

The LimEATS project addresses sustainability challenges in urban food systems, aiming to develop useful solutions for sustainable and equitable food provision in Norway. By employing interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary frameworks to explore the interconnections between planetary boundaries and social foundations, the project investigates the socio-spatial and distributional dimensions of Norwegian urban areas to better understand the intricate interrelations between increased urbanisation, social inequality, and welfare, as well as the environmental impacts of related food systems, and to envision ways to make more sustainable and equitable decisions. To strengthen the policy relevance and global applicability of the project’s findings, LimEATS will include a comparative component with urban areas in China through the ERC project ‘A Middle Way? Probing Sufficiency through Meat and Milk in China’ (MidWay), enabling cross-contextual learning and refinement of policy recommendations.

A postdoc with expertise in urban built environment studies and qualitative social sciences will play an important role in the LimEATS project, helping analyse the socioeconomic, cultural, and spatial factors influencing food inequities, and identifying key variables affecting the ‘social foundation’ of urban food systems in Norway. In particular, the postdoc will conduct comparative analysis of selected urban areas to identify similarities, differences, and potential policy solutions through the systematic mapping of urban food environments and socioeconomic disparities. The postdoc will also participate in co-designing a research framework for transformative interventions, including urban planning strategies and model simulations, and collaborate closely with research and societal partners domestically and internationally to develop a transdisciplinary approach to addressing urban food inequalities. 

The postdoc position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. The successful candidate is expected to start on April 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The appointment is for three years.

About the department

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture is part of the Faculty of Humanities at NTNU, located at the Dragvoll campus in Trondheim. The department has approximately 75 employees, of whom 35 are PhD candidates and postdocs. The department teaches and conducts research in Gender studies and Science and technology studies (STS). Teaching is provided at all levels, including PhD. More info can be found at www.ntnu.no/kult.

Your immediate leader is the Head of the Department.

Duties of the position

• Conduct work to map urban food environments and socioeconomic disparities in selected urban areas, identify socioeconomic and cultural factors influencing food inequities, and carry out comparative analysis to determine similarities, differences, and potential policy solutions.
• Participate in the co-design of a research framework for transformative interventions, and collaborate with project partners to develop a transdisciplinary approach to addressing urban food inequalities.
• Help the PIs facilitate multi-stakeholder workshops and conduct qualitative interviews.
• Co-write and publish scientific articles in high-quality international journals.
• Present, communicate and disseminate work at relevant national and international venues.
• Participate in activities at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, the Centre for Technology and Society, and the research group on Climate, energy and environment (CLEEN)

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD within architecture or urban planning.                                                                                                      

  If you can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position. 

• Applicants must have knowledge and expertise in urban built environment studies, and in social sciences and humanities studies of sustainability, Norway, China and food systems.
• Applicants must have experience with mapping and programming methods in architecture and urban design, particularly in site analysis mapping, data-driven mapping, and context-based programming with traditional (i.e. sketches, surveys) and advanced computer-aided design (CAD) tools.
• Applicants must have experience with qualitative research methods, particularly in conducting interviews.
• Applicants must have experience with academic writing and publishing.
• Applicants must have fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions.

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience organising and implementing research (or otherwise working) in Norway and China in the past ten years.
• Knowledge of a Scandinavian language and Chinese language.
• Experience with research project development and management.
• The candidate should be informed about theoretical debates related to the topic. We are open to fresh ideas about the conceptual aspect of the work. 

Personal characteristics

• Team player: Ability to collaborate with others, e.g., through co-authoring research papers or collecting research data.
• Initiator: Ability to conduct independent research.
• Good communicator: Skilled at listening, strives to understand first and then to be understood.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer 

• opportunities to acquire required educational competence (including university pedagogy and relevant teaching duties), and free Norwegian language training up to at least A2 level if needed—all to be completed within the employment period without extension.
• Opportunities to acquire experience with research leadership and proposal writing
• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• 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

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from 633.400,- depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is three years.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.  

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding. 

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

For the necessary professional 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 application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognising that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

The application must include

• CV with a list of education, positions, work experience, administrative experience, publications, and other qualifying activities.
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, or have recently submitted your thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• One or two academic publications that you would like to be considered in the assessment, if any (unpublished is also accepted, if still under review).
• A letter of motivation describing your scholarly profile and qualifications combined with a brief research statement describing how you would approach the intended research (max 3-5 pages).
• Diplomas and transcripts for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees.
• Name and contact information of three 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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public list of applicants, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Marius Korsnes, e-mail marius.korsnes@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Elisabeth Leite, e-mail: elisabeth.leite@ntnu.no

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation. 

Application deadline: 12.02.2026

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000.The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.