Postdoctoral Fellow in Economic Geography, Innovation and Territorial Politics

1st March 2026
Languages
English

• Norsk Bokmål
• English

English
Postdoctoral Fellow in Economic Geography, Innovation and Territorial Politics
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Job description

The University of Stavanger invites applicants for two positions as Postdoctoral Fellow in Economic Geography, Innovation and Territorial Politics at the UiS School of Business and Law, Department of Innovation, Management and Marketing. The positions are vacant from 1 August 2026.

The fellows will conduct research on the Geographies of Futures as part of the Centre for Innovation Research.

The aim of the positions is for the successful candidates to develop their research profiles and gain the qualifications required to be eligible for a position as an Associate Professor. Additionally, the position may provide valuable experience and other competencies relevant to the postdoctoral researcher’s career development.

If the fellows do not already have pedagogical competence that meets the requirements for employment as an Associate Professor, we will facilitate the acquisition of such competence during the employment period.

A career development plan will be drawn up, outlining the competencies the Postdoctoral Fellow is expected to acquire during the employment period. The Postdoctoral Fellow will also have access to career guidance throughout the postdoctoral period.

Candidate A:
One candidate will work on a project examining the evolution of parties’ political positions over time and its implications for the regional distribution of their support. The project will analyse political manifestos to understand how parties adopt new positions and move through political space. It will furthermore explore regional voting patterns to examine how voters in different geographies respond to these positions.

Candidate B:
The other candidate will examine the role of narratives and imaginaries in regional futures. The candidate will work together with the rest of the team in developing a future-oriented framework for understanding how imaginaries, structures, and agency co-evolve across space and time, contributing to uneven geographies of future-making.

The qualifying project will be carried out at the University of Stavanger. The appointees are expected to work full time on the project and to participate actively in the academic community.

Postdoctoral Fellow is employed for a period of three years. The employment period includes other career-enhancing work as teaching and supervision of students. 

Project proposal

You must submit a description of a research project within the subject area and plan for its completion. The project proposal, a maximum of three pages, must show how you will proceed to carry out the research work, what the key issues and hypotheses will be, what theories and methods you will apply, publication channels and a schedule for carrying out the work. It must be clear from the application in what way the project will add to your competence. The project proposal will be included in the competence assessment.

The final project description and progress plan are drawn up in consultation with the supervisor(s) during the first three months of the employment period. It is a prerequisite that you complete the project during the employment period.

Qualification requirements

You must have a PhD with a specialisation relevant for the project. The PhD thesis must have been submitted for evaluation within the application deadline for the position and approved before accession.

For position A we are looking for candidate with doctoral degrees preferably in economic geography or political science. The candidate must have a solid understanding of evolutionary economic geography methods and models and/or of political competition and public opinion from a geographical perspective. The candidate must also have solid competence in quantitative methods.

For position B doctoral degrees in human or economic geography, innovation studies or transition studies are particulary relevant. The candidate must have strong competence in theories and methods on narratives and imaginaries in regional development. The candidate must also have solid competence in qualitative methods, especially content analysis, interpretive and participatory ethnography, and comparative case studies.

You must be willing to work closely with scholars across methodological divides, and to analyse text data through quantitative and qualitative methods, including with large language models.

You must also have a good command of both oral and written English.

In the assessment the following criteria will also be emphasised:

• relevance, quality and feasibility of the project
• submitted scientific work and your personal skills for completing the project within the time frame
• international experience and network
• qualifications within the areas of creativity, innovation and commercialisation of research
• good teamwork, communication skills and ability to participate in research communities across disciplines
• ability to work independently in a structured manner
• motivation, work capacity and enthusiasm for research

via Unsplash
We offer

• varied duties in a large, exciting and socially important organisation
• an ambitious work community which is developing rapidly. We strive to include employees at all levels in strategic decisions and promote an informal atmosphere with a flat organisational structure
• free Norwegian language courses if you do not have proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish at level A2 at the time of employment
• access to Lifekeys , a digital service for the preservation of personal mental health and well-being
• salary in accordance with the State Salary Scale, l.pl 17.510, code 1352, NOK 590.000 - 680.000 gross per year. A higher salary may be considered in special cases. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• automatic membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which provides favourable insurance and retirement benefits
• favourable membership terms at a gym and at the university sports club, SiS sports club  at campus
• employment with an Inclusive Workplace organisation which is committed to reducing sick leave, increasing the proportion of employees with reduced working capacity, and increasing the number of professionally active seniors
• Hjem-jobb-hjem , discounted public transport to and from work
• as an employee in Norway, you will have access to an optimal health service, as well as good pensions, generous maternity/paternity leave, and a competitive salary. Nursery places are guaranteed and reasonably priced.
• relocation programme

Diversity

Diversity is a resource in the working and learning environment at UiS. When we have different backgrounds and experiences, we can approach challenges from multiple perspectives and find better solutions. At UiS, we are committed to showing respect for each other's differences and accommodating employees with disabilities. We take into consideration your needs and your situation in various life phases.

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

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in their CV, or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these groups for an interview. If you fall into any of these categories, feel free to indicate it when applying for the position. Learn more about the criteria for being considered an applicant in these specific groups here .

The university aims to recruit more women within the subject area. If several applicants are considered to have equal qualifications, female applicants will be given priority.

Contact information

More information on the position can be obtained from Professor Rune Dahl Fitjar, e-mail: rune.d.fitjar@uis.no , Professor Huiwen Gong, e-mail: huiwen.gong@uis.no  or Head of Department Silje Haus-Reve, e-mail: silje.haus-reve@uis.no . 

Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from senior HR-advisor Helene Engelsgjerd Figved, epost helene.e.figved@uis.no . 

UiS via Unsplash UiS
Application

To apply for this position please follow the link "Apply for this job". Your application letter, relevant education and work experience as well as language skills must be registered here. In the application letter, you must state your research interests and motivation for the position.

The following documents must be uploaded as attachments to your application:

• project proposal
• CV with a full summary of your education and experience
• documentation of approved PhD. If you have not completed the PhD, you may enclose a confirmation from the institution on the expected date of obtaining the doctoral degree. 
• complete list of academic publications with information on where they are published. You may also upload up to 5 publications, including your PhD thesis or published monograph based upon the thesis.
• transcripts and certificates, and other documentation that you consider relevant

Applications are evaluated based on the information available in Jobbnorge on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.

The documentation must be available in either a Scandinavian language or in English. If the total size of the attachments exceeds 100 MB, they must be compressed before upload. 

Please note that information on applicants may be published even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the official list of applicants - see Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act . If your request is not granted, you will be notified.

UiS only considers applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge.

General information

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. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation, it will be rejected without further assessment.

Employment as Postdoctoral Fellow is regulated in Regulations to the Universities and Colleges Act, chapter IV .

UiS has signed The Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (CoARA) , committing to recognizing various forms of results, practices, and activities in the evaluation of research and researchers.

Your qualifications for the position, based on documentation registered in Jobbnorge, will be assessed by an internal expert committee. Based on the committee's statement, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview before any recommendations are made. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. More about the hiring process on our website.

UiS has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

The appointee will be based at the University of Stavanger. It is a prerequisite that you have a residence which enables you to be present at/available to the academic community during ordinary working hours.

The position has been announced in both Norwegian and English. In the case of differences of meaning between the texts, the Norwegian text takes precedence.

Morten Berentsen via Unsplash Morten Berentsen
UiS - challenge the well-known and explore the unknown

The University of Stavanger (UiS) has about 12,000 students and 2,200 employees. The university has high ambitions. We strive to have an innovative and international profile, and be a driving force in knowledge development and in the process of societal change. Our common direction is driven by consideration for green and sustainable change and equitable social development, through new ways of managing natural resources and facilitating better cities and local communities. Energy, health and welfare, learning for life are our focus areas.
In constant collaboration and dialogue with our surroundings, regionally, nationally and internationally, we enjoy an open and creative climate for education, research, innovation, dissemination and museum activities. Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organised into six faculties comprising various departments/schools and National Research Centres, as well as the Museum of Archaeology. We are a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The university is located in the most attractive region in the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The Stavanger region has a dynamic labour market and exciting cultural and leisure activities.
Together with our staff and students we will challenge the well-known and explore the unknown.

The University of Stavanger School of Business and Law carries out research and offers study programs across all areas of business. The study options include bachelor programs in Business Administration, Digital Service Leadership, Accounting & Auditing, and Law. The school also offers master programs in Economic Transformation and Innovation, Business Administration, Accounting & Auditing, Service Leadership in International Business and Executive MBA, as well as research education (PhD). The Centre of Innovation Research is part of the school. There are currently 130 employees and 2,200 students at the school. The UiS School of Business and Law is organized in three departments; Department of Innovation, Management and Marketing, Department of Accounting and Law and Department of Economics and Finance.

Questions about the position

Helene Engelsgjerd Figved

senior HR-rådgiver

+4751831558

helene.e.figved@uis.no

Silje Haus Reve

avdelingsleder

+4751832782

silje.haus-reve@uis.no

Apply for this job
Deadline

1st March 2026

Employer

University of Stavanger

Municipality

Stavanger

Scope

Fulltime (2 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Ullandhaug, 4021 Stavanger

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