Postdoctoral researcher in the EnJUSTICE Project

The postdoctoral researcher will work within the research project Transformative Environmental Justice (EnJUSTICE), funded by NordForsk, together with a research group consisting of researchers from Lund University, Oslo University, IT University of Copenhagen, Mykolas Romeria University and Finnish Environment Institute. 

A just transition by greening the Nordics in an equitable way through democratic engagement and citizen involvement has pushed its way into mainstream environmental debates, policy discourses, and is now a feature of Nordic strategies. However, policy debates have been criticized for framing the process in a techno-managerial manner. A legitimate and just decision-making process for the energy transition anticipates a representative system centering public engagement and the deliberation of all stakeholders, regionally, and across borders aligned with the Nordic-Baltic aspiration to include all citizens in the green transition. EnJUSTICE aspires to bring the voices of excluded /marginalized communities (including Indigenous and grassroots local communities) in Greenland, Lithuania, and Sápmi into the Nordic-Baltic green transition strategy debate. The project investigates forms of democratic engagement with the explicit aim of balancing the unequal distribution of power between Indigenous and grassroots local communities and powerful stakeholders in formulating key policies toward fossil-free energy production in the region. 

For full project description contact ida.nafstad@soclaw.lu.se

Duties 

The postdoctoral researcher will together with the project team form a field of transformative environmental justice in the Nordic region and bring substantial assets to the knowledge and practice of community involvement in the Nordic green transition. The postdoctoral researcher will be carrying out fieldwork in the Norwegian and Swedish part of Sápmi, build a network of local stakeholders, and together with the team publish findings in international journals, participate in workshops and present key findings at international conferences. 
The postdoctoral position is scheduled to start on 1 January 2025. 

Qualifications

Applicants must have obtained a PhD degree in social sciences, preferably within sociology of law, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, indigenous studies, human geography or political science. A PhD in law can also qualify for the position given sufficient (proven) experiences in social science methodologies. 
This position is intended for a junior researcher, and we are primarily looking for people who have completed their PhD no more than three years ago.

Assessment criteria

The applicants’ research proposal, the relevance and quality of PhD dissertation and published papers in sociology of law or related disciplines within social sciences or law, play an important role in assessing the suitability. Moreover, applicants must have a very good ability to express themselves in speech and writing.

Language skills in a Sámi language, and experiences of field work in Sápmi, play a central role in the assessment of suitability.  

Good collaboration and communication skills are required, as is proficiency in both written and spoken English.

The application must contain

•    A cover letter in Swedish or English of maximum 1,000 words, which contains a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications, as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in working within the EnJUSTICE project and in a postdoctoral position at the Department of Sociology of Law at Lund University. 
•    Your PhD dissertation and other publications in a Scandinavian language or in English. If the PhD dissertation or other publication are written in a language other than Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or English, a summary of maximum 1,000 words is attached, including method, theory, analysis and results.
•    A CV in English or a Scandinavian language that demonstrates your qualifications for a postdoctoral position.
•    Degree and grade certificates in a Scandinavian language or in English.
•    A research plan, as it relates to EnJustice, of a maximum of 4,000 words, including references, in Swedish or English. 
•    Name and contact details of two reference persons.
•    Other documentation of relevance for the position. 

Assessment of applicants is done on the above points and the top-ranking will be called for interview. 

Terms
Fixed-term employment of two years.