PhD Research Fellow in Applied Ecology

UiB – Knowledge that shapes society

Through robust and close interaction with the world around us – globally, nationally and locally – we shall be instrumental in building a society based on knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Do you want to take part in shaping the future?

PhD Research Fellow in global change ecology

There is a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in applied ecology at the Department of Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research at the University of Bergen. The position is for a fixed-term period of 3 years, with the possibility of a 4th year contingent upon additional work (e.g., teaching duties in the Department). The position is affiliated with the Centre for Mountains in Transition (CMT), a new interdisciplinary research centre based at the University of Bergen, funded by the Trond Mohn Foundation (TMF) and the University of Bergen.

About the project/work tasks:

CMT is dedicated to understanding and addressing the impacts of climate and environmental change in mountain regions. With a primary focus on the Scandinavian mountains, CMT brings together climate science, ecology, hydrology, geoscience, and social sciences to explore how mountain systems are changing—and how we can build resilience for the future. Mountains are sensitive to global change. Increasing temperatures, melting glaciers, shifting precipitation and snow patterns, changing biodiversity, and increasing human pressures are transforming these landscapes. CMT aims to generate cutting-edge knowledge and practical solutions to safeguard mountain ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Through four interconnected research themes—Trends, Seasonality, Extremes, and Resilience—CMT investigates long-term environmental changes, seasonal dynamics, extreme events, and strategies for sustainable mountain management. The centre collaborates closely with stakeholders, including national parks, local communities, and industry partners, ensuring that research is relevant, actionable, and impactful. The University of Bergen hosts CMT in collaboration with NORCE, NMBU, and other national and international partners.

This PhD project will investigate how the valuation and perception of mountains change in response to varying environmental conditions and across different stakeholder and user groups. As mountains transition into new and often unexplored states due to the combined effects of climate change and human pressures, there is an increasing need to understand how these unfolding processes shape the ways stakeholders and users perceive and value mountain landscapes. Climate and land-use changes typically impact livestock grazing, forestry, recreation, energy production, and tourism, which in turn affect natural resources, cultural environments, and social development, creating complex, dynamic, interrelated systems that are constantly evolving. Stakeholders in local governance, industry, and community all have a role to play in this transformative process. By identifying, documenting, mapping, and sharing best practices, innovations, and successful transition strategies, they contribute to generating actionable knowledge and developing a networking platform for sustained collaboration and communication.  We use the lens of sustainability science, a problem-driven discipline that narrows its focus to the lived experiences of people where they act and interact with their environment, to generate actionable knowledge for sustainable mountain development.

The PhD Research Fellow will investigate how mountains are valued and perceived by different stakeholders and user groups, and how resilience can be fostered and enforced during periods of accelerated change affecting both mountains and the communities that inhabit and use them. Finally, the Fellow will explore how mountain communities and management strategies in Scandinavia can strengthen resilience through new practices that reflect evolving perceptions of mountain landscapes. The Fellow will conduct surveys, focus group discussions, future visioning exercises, and analyses in collaboration with the CMT-associated team of experts in geology, ecology, geography, and the social sciences. The PhD Research Fellow will also collaborate closely with the other CMT fellows.

The PhD Research Fellow will: 

• Develop their research questions and hypotheses related to social-ecological systems and sustainable development in mountain systems. 
• Explore and integrate transdisciplinary approaches based on co-production and stakeholder involvement to enhance social-ecological resilience in mountain regions.
• Develop surveys and organise stakeholder- and user-focused group discussions in selected mountain regions.
• Co-design future scenarios for selected mountain regions by using the “Seeds of Good Anthropocenes” framework to explore potential threats, possibilities and solutions for sustainable mountain development. 
• Analyse data and write and publish research papers.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent education within ecology, sustainability science, geography or related relevant subjects. Master’s students can apply, provided they complete their final master’s exam before 01.01.2026. It is a condition of employment that the master’s degree has been awarded.
• Applicants must demonstrate a background that provides a good understanding of ecology, social-ecological systems, resilience thinking, natural resource management, and the UN’s sustainability agenda. 
• Experience with field studies is a requirement.
• Relevant background in statistics and/or programming is a requirement
• Applicants must have skills in critical thinking and writing. 
• Applicants must be able to work independently, possess good communication skills, and have an appreciation for fieldwork and collaborative work, as the candidate will be part of a highly integrated team. 
• Experience with multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or interdisciplinary projects, as well as citizen science projects, is an advantage. 
• Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English, and their writing skills must be up to publishable standards. Proficiency in the Norwegian language or a Scandinavian language is an advantage in communicating with project stakeholders. 
• Applicants must show ability and enthusiasm to work in an intercultural and interdisciplinary group. 
• A driver’s license valid in Norway is an advantage. 

Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized, particularly during the interview. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

Research is a team effort, and all members must be prepared to contribute to common aspects of fieldwork, meta-analyses, analytical work, grant applications, and discussions and assist others with similar tasks in addition to working on their own research projects. 

Special requirements for the position
The University of Bergen is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.

About the PhD Research Fellow position:

About the PhD Research Fellow

The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, with the possibility for a 4th year contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department and will be decided by the Head of department upon appointment. If a 4th year is granted, one year of career-promoting work associated with teaching, dissemination or research infrastructure/services, will be distributed over the full employment period and thus corresponding to 25 per cent of the time each year. 

The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a qualifying post (e.g., research fellow, research assistant).

About the research training

As a PhD Research Fellow, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. The deadline for applying for admission to the PhD programme at The Faculty of Science and Technology is 2 months after you start your position or after the start of the research project that will lead to the PhD degree. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen. 

We can offer:

• A good and professionally stimulating working environment 
• Salary as a PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 568 700. Further salary increases are made according to the length of service in the position.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

• A cover letter outlining your research interests and motivation for applying for the position (1 page max).
• The names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the primary advisor for the master’s thesis or its equivalent. 
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. If you have not yet completed your master’s degree, please submit a statement from your institution confirming the expected date of award of your master’s degree. Your master’s degree must be documented with transcripts and/or diploma before starting in the position.
• relevant certificates/references
• approved documentation of proficiency in English (if required, cf. English language requirements for PhD admission)
• a list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list)

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge

General information:

For further details about the position, please contact Professor Inger Elisabeth Måren, Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences (inger.maaren@uib.no / +47 412 85 126) or Øyvind Paasche (oypa@norceresearch.no /+47 93048919), head of the Climate Dynamics Department at NORCE.

For HR related questions, please contact Magnus Larsen,  magnus.larsen@uib.no.

Diversity is a strength that enables us to solve our tasks even better. UiB therefore needs qualified employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, worldview, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and age.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions. Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

We encourage applicants with disabilities, immigrant backgrounds, or gaps in their CV to apply. By indicating such circumstances in your application, you may receive favourable consideration. We ensure that at least one qualified applicant from each of these groups is invited for an interview as part of our commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity. 

Further information about the employment process can be found here. 

Life as a PhD candidate at UiB

Marion Claireaux tells about life and work as a PhD candidate at UiB.

About UiB

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad. 

There are seven departments and several centres at Faculty of Science and Technology. Read more about the faculty and departments.