About the position
The University of Inland Norway, Faculty of Education, announces one temporary 100% position as a doctoral fellow in the field of special education related to the project Sami Experiences of Autism-SEA. The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway.
The position is available from 01.01.2026. The scholarship period is three years, with the possibility of a fourth year that includes other career-enhancing work, such as teaching, divided by 25% over the appointment period. The scholarship holder will have a workplace in Lillehammer.
Teacher education and pedagogy are central programs at the University of Inland Norway. Research that strengthens the knowledge base for these programs is a primary focus of the faculty's doctoral program (Link to website https://www.inn.no/forskning/doktorgradsutdanning/profesjonsrettede-lerutdanningsfag/index.html )
It is a prerequisite that the research fellow's doctoral education is carried out on this doctoral program and contributes to its overall objective to contribute to strengthening the scientific knowledge base for teacher education and professional practice in schools, kindergartens and other learning arenas and to develop new knowledge about children and young people's growth, learning and education.
Doctoral education requires active participation in a research environment, and the doctoral projects should therefore focus on a subject area that supports the PhD program and where the Faculty of Teacher Education and Pedagogy has an active research group and can offer supervision. The scholarship position will be linked to the research group Special Education; Inclusion, Participation and Marginalization at Lillehammer Campus, which aims to develop new and original knowledge that can contribute to equal participation for groups of people who are or are at risk of being marginalized both in education and in society in general.
https://www.inn.no/forskning/var-forskning/spesialpedagogikk/index.html
Affiliation: Faculty of Education
About the project
"Sámi Experiences of Autism (SEA)" is a research project in special education that examines Sámi experiences of autism from an inside perspective in children and adolescents. In addition, the project explores perspectives from parents, extended family, as well as educators and other professional actors. The project challenges colonial assumptions in special education research and practice by highlighting and amplifying Sámi voices.
More specifically, the project examines self-perceived experiences in the everyday lives of autistic Sámi children and adolescents, their families and involved educational personnel. Furthermore, the project uses indigenous methodology and collaborates closely with the participants to develop Sami-specific methods and learning materials based on Sami worldviews.
The PhD project will address a topic relevant to the SEA project. For example:
- How to generate knowledge about the lives of autistic Sámi children and young people and their families.
- How to identify and create understanding of opportunities and challenges related to autistic Sámi students' social interaction, learning and behavioral problems.
- How Sámi storytelling traditions and narratives can contribute to the decolonization and indigenization of special education practice and research in the field of autistic Sámi pupils and young people.
Of interest are also doctoral projects that are relevant to work package 4 in the SEA project. The purpose of this work package is to amplify the voices of young autistic Sami people through creative workshops, where they get to express themselves through various Sami cultural and aesthetic forms of expression.
Qualifications
The PhD candidate must qualify for admission to the faculty's PhD program, and the PhD must be completed within this program. Priority will not be given to applicants who have already achieved competence at doctoral level.
A. Teacher training and a master's degree (120 credits) in a subject or subject area relevant to kindergarten and school
or
B. Master's degree (120 credits) in educational subjects, subject didactics or five-year integrated teacher education
The master's degree or equivalent education (main subject) must include an independent project of at least 30 credits. The applicant must have a strong academic background. For applicants with an education from a Norwegian educational institution, the weighted average grade on the master's degree program must normally be B or better. In cases where all or part of the education has been approved with the use of the grades Pass/Fail, applicants are admitted after individual assessment.
Applicants with educational backgrounds other than those covered by points A and B above may be admitted after separate assessment. The same applies to applicants with weaker grades than those normally required for admission. This latter group must document that it is very likely that they will be able to complete a doctoral program, for example through meritorious, academically relevant scientific publications after completing their master's degree.
Applicants with education from abroad can contact HKDIR themselves for recognition of their education, or alternatively a necessary assessment will be made in connection with the application process.
Furthermore, it is important that the applicant:
- Has the academic and personal prerequisites to complete a doctoral degree within the employment period
- Can work independently and in a team
- Is structured and has a high work capacity
- It is an advantage if the applicant has expertise in Sami language and culture
- It is an advantage if the applicant has experience with autism
Language:
Good presentation skills in Norwegian and English are required. It is an advantage if the applicant has oral and written knowledge of Northern Sami, Lule Sami or Southern Sami in addition.
The assessment of which candidate is best qualified will be an overall assessment of education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation and other requirements as formulated in this announcement. In addition, the following will be emphasized: quality of the project description, documented independent research and development work or practice relevant to the project.
The position and associated tasks must be carried out in accordance with applicable laws and regulations for government employees, including the Act on Control of Exports of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology, etc. Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to take up the position at the University of Inland Norway. Necessary approvals must be maintained throughout the employment relationship.
How to apply
The application must contain:
- A letter of application in which the applicant must state the topic of the project, describe their own background and motivation for the position.
- Project description (max. 5 pages). See formal requirements for the project description below.
- Application for admission to the PhD program: Application form to be attached and more about admission can be found here (https://www.inn.no/forskning/doktorgradsutdanning/profesjonsrettede-lererutdanningsfag/opptak.html).
- CV with an overview of education and experience (to be completed in Jobbnorge's application form).
- Certificates and transcripts: Applicants with education from Norway are asked to upload their documents to JobbNorge via the Diploma Portal (choose to show study results for degrees and courses). Diplomas and transcripts from other countries must be uploaded in the original language. If the original language is not a Scandinavian language or English, you must also upload translations of diplomas and transcripts into Norwegian or English. We accept translations made by state-authorized translators or other professional translators.
- A list of publications, if any.
- Names and contact details of two references.
- Other work or documentation that is considered relevant to the application.
Attachments must be uploaded as separate files. If the attachments exceed 30 MB in total, they must be compressed before uploading. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all attachments are uploaded. Documents submitted after the application deadline will not be considered in the evaluation.
Project description requirements:
As part of the description of the research area and the content of the fellowship position, applicants for the fellowship position must prepare a project description including a proposed progress plan for how the doctoral work can be carried out, as well as an account of the theories and methods that will be used. The project description must be a maximum of 5 pages, including a list of references. The page format for the project description must be A4 with 2 cm margins, 11 point font (Arial, Calibri and Times New Roman) and single line spacing. Font size 9 may be used for the reference list and any figure captions.
The project description may be written in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish or English. The scientific quality of the project description is an important basis for whether applicants are invited to an interview.
For more information, visit the PhD program's website or contact:
- PhD coordinator, Tove Lain Knudsen, e-mail: tove.knudsen@inn.no
- Director of the PhD program, Professor Thor Andre Skrefsrud tel. 62 51 78 98/ 906 11 099 or e-mail: thor.skrefsrud@inn.no
- For questions in connection with the project and the project description, please contact the head of the research group and project manager Professor Anne Lindblom tel +47 61 28 74 48 e-mail anne.lindblom@inn.no
Information about you may be made public even if you have requested not to be included in the list of applicants. If your request is not granted, you will be notified accordingly.
We offer
- an exciting and challenging job at a developing university.
- salary in position code 1017 scholarship holder according to the Norwegian State Salary Regulations.
- Membership in Statens pensjonskasse, including good pension and insurance schemes.
For more information about HINN as an employer, see here.
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