Associate Professor in Sociology/Political Science

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus on professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 44,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

About the job

The Department of Sociology and Political Science (ISS) has one permanent position available as Associate Professor in Sociology or Political Science, within the field of media sociology, digitalization/, information technology/ and societal development, political communication or/and political behavior. The candidate shall teach within the social scientific field of media, communication and information technology. Applicants must be able to link their research background to the strategic focus areas and research groups at the Department.

ISS is one of Norway's largest and leading social science communities. The Department conducts research, teaching and dissemination within sociology, political science, sports science and media science. The Department has around 115 employees (equaling 105 full-time man/year work) and 10 study programmes. Our research and education shall contribute to identifying and meeting central societal challenges, in order to contribute to solving challenges that Norway and the world community are facing. Our education programs must provide competence that makes our candidates attractive on the labor market and key contributors to societal development. The research must be at a high level and contribute to public debate and professional development. For more information, see: https://www.ntnu.edu/iss

Your immediate leader is the Head of the Department.

Duties of the position

• Responsibility for teaching, supervision and examination within the subject area of the position at all levels including lifelong learning activities
• The teaching is primarily related to the master program in Media, Communication and Information Technology (MKI) and other media related courses offered by the Department. Teaching associated with other study programmes at the Department is also relevant.
• Carry out teaching according to the current study plan
• Work on further development of the subject area and teaching plan
• Contribute to relevant teaching within continuing education
• Conduct research and dissemination within your own subject area and special interest
• Take responsibility for administrative tasks
• Take care of the Department's professional responsibilities and participate in its strategic work together with the other scientific employees
• Represent your own and the Department's discipline in research locally, nationally and internationally

The Associate Professor must comply with decisions on changes that developments in the subject entail, as well as organizational changes.

Required qualifications 

 You must have the qualifications required for the position of Associate Professor in the field of in the field of Sociology or Political Science, or equivalent (e.g., media science/communication studies), as outlined in the regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts 

• Your PhD, or comparable academic work, must be within the field of Sociology or Political Science or equivalent relevant research fields (e.g. media science/communication studies)
• You must be able to teach within the social scientific field of media, communication and information technology, and must document broad academic competence within this field.
• In addition, you must document competence in one or several of the following related fields (where competence in two or more will be a clear advantage and count positively in the assessment of the candidates):
  • Media sociology
  • Digitalization/, information technology/ and societal development
  • Political communication
  • Political behavior  
• Applicants must be able to show progress in research and publication and must be able to present future research and publication plans. The person appointed to the position must also be able to demonstrate the ability and willingness to contribute to the long-term development of the Department's research and teaching.

Emphasis will be placed on pedagogical abilities. You must document relevant basic competence in teaching and supervision at a university/higher education-level, as referenced in the Norwegian national Regulations. If this cannot be documented, you will be required to complete an approved course in university pedagogy within two years of commencement. NTNU offers qualifying courses. 

New employees who do not speak a Scandinavian language by appointment is required, within three years, to demonstrate skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level three of the course for Norwegian for speakers of other languages at the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU.  

Preferred qualifications

• Originality, quality and breadth in scientific publishing during the last five years, excluding parental leave(s), will be emphasized.
• Emphasis will be placed on both Norwegian/Scandinavian and international publications.
• Experience from national and international research cooperations and the ability and willingness to initiate and lead research and development work are desirable.
• Willingness and ability to work creatively within sociology/political science/media science and in collaboration with other disciplines will count positively.
• Emphasis will be placed on methodological and academic breadth within research and teaching.
• It will be emphasized if you can link your research plans and interests to research (people and areas) where the department has ongoing activity and development opportunities.

Personal qualities

Personal qualities such as independence, solution orientation, willingness to cooperate, creativity and motivation to contribute to a good professional and social environment will be given great importance.

We offer 

• exciting and challenging 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 

Application Process

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

Salary and conditions

As Associate Professor (code 1011) you are normally paid from gross 626 300 – 765 600 NOK per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. As required by law, 2% of this salary will be deducted and paid into the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

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. 

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis. 

About the application

The application and the description of the scientific works to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in Norwegian/Scandinavian or English.

Please note that the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information available by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described 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, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

Your application must include:

• CV, diplomas, and certificates
• A teaching portfolio, in which your teaching competence is compiled and presented systematically,   (See guidelines for applicants: Documentation of teaching qualifications in applications and appointments to academic positions at NTNU)
• 5 academic works – published or unpublished – that you consider as your most important contributions to the field and that you wish to be considered during assessment of your application
• A brief description of these works and their contribution to one or more of the subject areas in the position
• A list of your previous works, with details on where they have been published
• A research plan
• Information about projects for which you have served as project manager, including information on financing, duration, and scope
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

Joint work will also be considered. If it is difficult to identify your specific input to a joint project, you must include evidence of your contributions.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on personal qualities, your motivation for the position and your pedagogical abilities and qualifications. Our assessment of the pedagogical skills will be based on documented pedagogical material, forms of presentation in your academic works, teaching experience, PhD, master and bachelor supervision, and any other relevant pedagogical background. Both quality and scope will be taken into consideration.

NTNU is obliged by the evaluation criteria for research quality in accordance with The San Fransisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA. This means that we will pay particular attention to the quality and academic range demonstrated by your scientific work to date. We will also pay attention to research leadership and participation in research projects. Your scientific work from the last five years will be given the most weight.

Your application will be considered by an expert committee. Candidates of interest will be invited to an interview, and to deliver a trial teaching session.

General information

Inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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.

As an employee at NTNU, you must continually maintain and improve your professional development and be flexible regarding any organizational changes.

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

For the sake of transparency, candidates will be given the expert evaluation of their own and other candidates. As an applicant you are considered part of the process and is stipulated to rules of confidentiality.

If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact the Head of Department, Johan Fredrik Rye, mob. 99273099, e-mail johan-fredrik.rye@ntnu.no or the Coordinator for Sociology, Gunhild Tøndel, mob. 99250660, e-mail gunhild.tondel@ntnu.no. If you have questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Renate Lillian Johansen, e-mail: renate.johansen@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: 01.03.2023

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Sociology and Political Science

We conduct research, teaching and dissemination in sociology, political science, media, communication and information technology, and sport sciences. The Department offers five-year master’s programmes in teacher education (lektorutdanning) in social sciences as well as in physical education and sports. As a social science department we have a special obligation to contribute to the public debate on important social issues. The Department of Sociology and Political Science is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences.