Are you motivated to take the step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a fellow with us, you will work towards achieving your doctorate, while at the same time gaining valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside of academia.

Your immediate supervisor will be the head of the Norwegian language department.

The position as a research fellow is linked to the project “Young reading culture in schools and society”. The main objective of the project is to investigate the conditions for reading culture, with a view to meeting the challenges of children and young people reporting less interest in reading and reading skills. “Young reading culture in schools and society” examines the reading practices of young readers, how reading is part of their identity work, and what social relationships they are involved in as readers. The successful candidate will develop a qualitative study of students who identify as readers in the phase where the so-called reading drop often occurs (middle and upper secondary school). Observation in libraries, reader portraits, interviews with children, young people and guardians, as well as other methods may be relevant. The research fellow will be able to use established networks for, for example, school libraries through the research group Literature and Society and Networks for Reading Culture.

• Conduct an independent research project related to the overall project
• Disseminate results from the project in the form of scientific publications, conference participation and popular science dissemination
• Contribute actively to the research group Literature and Society and the Network for Reading Culture in the form of participation in seminars, workshops and colloquiums, with particular emphasis on contributing to the group’s expertise in reading culture.
• Be active in international networking, preferably through stays abroad of varying duration
• Carry out mandatory work related to teaching and supervision
• Conduct training in line with the PhD program in Educational Sciences

Be prepared that there may be changes to your work duties after employment.

• Completed master’s degree in Norwegian didactics, Nordic literature, literary studies, library science or equivalent. The educational course must correspond to a five-year Norwegian study programme, where 120 credits have been obtained at master’s level. Candidates with a master’s degree in relevant social science subjects will be considered, provided that they can document competence equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in literature, language or library science
• If you are in the final stages of your master’s thesis, you may be considered for the position, but you must be able to document that you have obtained your master’s degree by October 1, 2025.
• The average grade on the master’s degree programme, or equivalent education, must be 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 background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD programme.
• Meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s doctoral program Teaching Profession and School Research – Educational Sciences – PhD program (doctorate) – NTNU
• Have very good written and oral presentation skills in Norwegian or a Scandinavian language

NOTE: For detailed information on what the application should contain, see the section “About the application”. 

We refer to  the Regulations to the Universities and University Colleges Act (the Universities and University Colleges Regulations) and  the Regulations for the degrees of philosophiae doctor (PhD) and philosophiae doctor (PhD) in artistic research at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)   for general criteria for the position.

• Experience from school and/or library
• Experience with literary dissemination

A doctoral degree requires a high degree of independence and perseverance. In addition, prospective candidates must actively contribute to the research group and work closely with both students and librarians/teachers, as well as teaching students. Therefore, we emphasize:

• Interest in literature and reading culture
• Good collaboration and communication skills towards colleagues, students and pupils
• Academic curiosity, creativity and independence

Personal suitability will be emphasized.

• Developing tasks in one of the country’s largest academic environments for language and literature
• opportunity to influence the academic and political debate about reading culture
• career guidance and follow-up during the doctoral period
• open and  inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• operating and travel funds that can be used to carry out the project
• Sponsorship scheme for new employees at NTNU
• favorable terms in the Government Pension Fund

You will be employed as a research fellow at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and perks.

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity of society and that uses the potential of the population’s combined competencies. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that a business that is

Equal, diverse and gender balanced is crucial for us to achieve our goals together.

We want employees with different competencies, subject combinations, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better task solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you find this position relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, disability, cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

In the position of research fellow code 1017, your salary will normally be gross NOK 550,800 per year depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the Norwegian State Pension Fund will be deducted from your salary.

The employment period is 3 years for the doctoral work in addition to one year of career development work. For employment as a research fellow, it is a prerequisite that you are admitted to the PhD program in Teaching Profession and School Research – Educational Science – PhD program (doctorate) – NTNU within three months of commencement, and that you participate in an organized doctoral study program within the employment period.

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

For necessary interaction academically and socially, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment will be carried out in accordance with the principles of  the Government Employees Act , and  legislation regulating the export of knowledge, technology and services . Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are deemed to conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

The application and attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these will be used as the basis for the assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/Scandinavian or English.

Please note that your application will only be assessed based on the information we have at the application deadline. Therefore, please ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. Due to the nature of the project, we place particular emphasis on good written language skills. AI-generated text will therefore be considered negatively. The application and all attachments must be submitted 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 contain:

• a short application letter that details your motivation for the position (400 words/1 page)
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor’s and master’s degrees
• CV
• copy of your master’s thesis. If you are in the final phase of your master’s thesis, you can submit a draft. Documentation of your master’s degree must be documented no later than 1.10.2025
• project outline containing proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 2000 words/5 pages; references are included in addition)
• any publications or other relevant research work
• any certificates
• names and contact information of three relevant references

If all or part of your education was taken abroad, we ask you to also attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor’s and master’s education, in addition to any other higher education. If your institution offers a “diploma supplement” (common for most European educational institutions), please attach this. A description of other documentation that is required can be found  here . If you have a statement from  HK-dir , it is a good idea if you attach it as well.

We take into account work you have done together with others. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to the joint work, you must attach a brief account of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified candidate, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience, and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed ourselves  to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment  and the commitments in  CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a wider range of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU’s social mission).

A public applicant list with name, age, job title and municipality of residence will be prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to reserve yourself from being included on the public applicant list, you must provide reasons for this. Assessment will be made in accordance with  applicable legislation . You will be notified if your reservation is not accepted.

If you think the position looks interesting and is in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Tatjana Kielland Samoilow, email tatjana.samoilow@ntnu.no . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Terese Brå, email: terese.bra@ntnu.no .

Application deadline: 01.09.2025