Doctoral student in science education or technology education

Karlstad University, short video

Description

Karlstad University invites applications for a doctoral studentship in science education or technology education, ending with a PhD degree. The doctoral position is announced as part of the Swedish National Graduate School in Science and Technology Education Research (FontD). We are seeking you who want to conduct research on subject-specific education with a focus on questions that relate to preschool, primary school, secondary school, or teacher education. A research interest in subject-specific education within the following subjects/areas is of relevance for the announcement: biology, physics, chemistry, interdisciplinary science, or technology.

As a doctoral student you are part of the reserach centre SMEER (Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education Research, https://www.kau.se/en/smeer) at Karlstad University, with a focus on subject-specific education in these subjects. The doctoral project preferably focuses on one of the prioritised areas of SMEER: practice-based teaching research, subject-specific education theory and conceptual development, education for sustainable development, or digitalisation of education.

You are also part of a national graduate school (FontD6, https://liu.se/en/research/fontd), hosted by Linköping University (campus Norrköping). Your position will be based at Karlstad University. During the first two years mandatory courses at Linköping University are included, which means that you will go there for two days about four times per semester.

The doctoral position can be established in subject-specific education in science (biology, physics and chemistry), technology education, or educational work with a focus on subject-specific education. The Postgraduate education is planned to start 1 September 2026.

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. You are therefore expected to be on location to a large extent.

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 be admitted to the research education, applicants must have a teacher degree with a specialisation in any of the science subjects (biology, physics, and chemistry), science studies, or technology, a preschool teacher degree, or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements vary between different subjects. You can find the general study syllabus (ASP) and specific entry requirements at the web site of each research education subject:  https://www.kau.se/en/research/doctoral-studies/graduate-programs/research-education-subjects

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must 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.

In particular, study results from previous education, the quality of independent, written work from previous education, and your intention to be present and participate in the research environment will be assessed.

It is of special weight that you have good collaborative skills, are autonomous, take initiative and show endurance. Good knowledge in written and spoken English is of considerable weight. Weight will be given to good knowledge in Swedish, or another Nordic language, and acquaintance with the Swedish educational system is of importance.

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). Planned start date is 1 September 2026.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 briefly describes themselves and their research interests
• an account of language proficiency
• 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
• kopia av examensarbete, magister- eller masteruppsats, eller motsvarande,
• copy of Master’s thesis or equivalent
• where applicable, copies of publications or certificates for other qualifications
• any letters of recommendation
• two references, such as a teacher, supervisor, or previous or current superior.

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, SWEDEN

Application deadline: 1 March 2026

State the reference number: REK 2025/250

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.

In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the advertisement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

For employment to be possible, the necessary decisions must be made.

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.