PhD student positions in Mathematics Education

Description

The Faculty of Health, Science and Technology is accepting applications for two PhD student positions leading to a PhD in Mathematics with a specialisation in Mathematics Education at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

The doctoral programme is conducted within the framework of the REMATH II graduate school (Researching Practice-Based Mathematics Teacher Education), which is financed by the Swedish Research Council and run in collaboration between Stockholm University, Karlstad University, Linköping University and Mälardalen University. The graduate school aims to make mathematics teachers’ work and practices at all levels of the school system visible and accessible to student teachers. Research is primarily focused on understanding what is required to develop the skills needed for deliberate and equitable teaching.

The graduate school specialises in practice-based mathematics teacher education. This includes examining how teachers’ work is made into a learning objective in teacher education, and how teacher education can be designed to contribute to research-based mathematics teacher education. The graduate school welcomes projects that map current teaching and learning opportunities in mathematics teacher education, nationally or internationally comparable projects. Systematic studies of how mathematical content, from a pedagogical perspective, interacts with its cultural, historical, and philosophical dimensions within mathematics teacher education are also welcomed, as are projects aimed at developing today’s mathematics teacher education based on research. Visit the REMATH website for more information on the types of projects that could be conducted within the graduate school.

REMATH II is announcing a total of nine PhD student positions, of which three will be based at Stockholm University, two at Karlstad University, two at Linköping University, and two at Mälardalen University. To be eligible for employment, you must submit an application to one of these universities specifically.

This advertisement refers to two doctoral studentships at Karlstad University.

Duties

As a doctoral student, you will primarily dedicate time to your own studies. The doctoral programme comprises 240 credits for a Degree of Doctor and 120 credits for a Degree of Licentiate. The doctoral appointment is a paid position that offers a combination of studies and work, and a great opportunity for a potential career in academia. Doctoral students are expected to work independently and be prepared to contribute to the activities and development of the discipline and the department. You are given the opportunity to deepen your interests in collaboration with others. Teaching and administrative duties may also be included upon agreement, but will not constitute more than 20% of full-time. Work as a doctoral student allows for great freedom and flexibility in terms of how you organise your tasks. This requires commitment, drive and the ability to structure your work to successfully complete the doctoral thesis.

To contribute to a positive work environment and further both the department’s activities and your own development as a researcher, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

Entry requirements and admission

To be eligible for a doctoral studentship, applicants must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35).

To meet the general entry requirements, applicants must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification, satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 39).

To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle education in mathematics with a specialisation in mathematics education, the applicant must hold a Degree of Master (60 or 120 credits) that includes courses in mathematics and mathematics education corresponding to at least 90 credits, including a degree project (independent project) of at least 15 credits with relevance to the PhD programme, alternatively have a Bachelor or Master of Education, or equivalent qualifications according to previous programme requirements, with a specialisation in mathematics.

An applicant can also meet the specific entry requirements by, in some other way, having acquired equivalent prerequisite knowledge, in Sweden or abroad. Applicants who have not completed 90 credits in mathematics but have acquired equivalent prior knowledge in another way may be subject to an equivalence assessment.

To be eligible for doctoral studies, applicants must also be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment.

Assessment criteria

The assessment of eligible applicants is based on the criteria listed below.

Special weight will be given to:

• Results from previous studies.
• The quality of independent written work of a scholarly and investigatory nature included in the previous studies, particularly at Master’s level and within mathematics education.
• Completed teacher education or other pedagogical education of similar scope, as well as experience as a teacher.
• At least 2 years of professional experience as a teacher, including mathematics education.

Considerable weight will be given to:

• The research plan and its relevance to the focus areas of the graduate school.
• The extent to which the applicant can be a physically present and active member of the research environment of the subject.
• Personal qualities such as the ability to work independently, demonstrate strong collaboration skills, a structured approach and effective oral communication.

Weight will be given to:

• Proficiency in Swedish and English (the doctoral studies will be conducted in a Swedish context, and data may include spoken and written content in Swedish).

Terms

Upon admission to doctoral studies, the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5, Sect. 3). The position comprises four years of full-time studies consisting of research only. If teaching or other departmental duties become relevant, the appointment will be extended by a corresponding period, up to a maximum of five years full-time. The position is fixed-term, one year initially, followed by possible extensions of a maximum of two years at a time (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5). Start date as agreed by both parties.

The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students and progresses in accordance with a local collective agreement.

Application

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:

• a cover letter where the applicant details the reasons behind their interest in the position
• a brief research plan (1,000-2,500 words) including a problem statement, purpose, theory and method, and will serve as a basis for assessing suitability for doctoral studies. However, it does not necessarily have to be linked to the future research project.
• an account of language skills
• a list of qualifications (CV)
• degree certificate with a complete transcript of the courses included, or a certified list of completed courses with grades and dates
• copy of Master’s thesis (60 or 120 credits) or similar
• where applicable, copies of publications or certificates for other qualifications
• any letters of recommendation
• two references, such as a teacher, supervisor, or former or current manager.
  
  

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent to the following address:

Karlstads universitet
HR-avdelningen
HR-administratör
651 88 KARLSTAD

Application deadline: 25 February 2026

State the reference number: REK 2025/227

Applicants with qualifications from abroad

If you have qualifications from a university outside Sweden or if they have not been recognised by a Swedish authority before, it is important that you attach degree certificates and official transcripts to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Provide a contact for the degree-awarding institution (phone number or email) who can verify your qualifications.

We look forward to your application!

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.