Doctoral student in sociology

Reference number ORU 2.1.1-01279/2025
Örebro University and the School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences are looking for a doctoral student for the doctoral program in sociology, concluding with a doctoral degree (PhD in Sociology). Start date: 15 August 2025

About us
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The sociology subject is part of the School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences which offers undergraduate and advanced course level education in a wide range of subjects and areas, both in the form of independent courses and programs. The School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences also conducts outstanding research and doctoral studies. The department is characterized by collaboration across subject boundaries and a desire to continuously develop both education and research. The School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences also have interdisciplinary collaborations and environments, such as CESSS (Center for Social Science Research on Environment and Sustainability), as well as faculty-wide doctoral courses and workshops.
The Sociology subject at Örebro University is part of the Gender Studies and Sociology unit at the School of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences. The subject is responsible for the Personell Work Programm as well as the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in Social Analysis, and contributes to several other programs such as the Master’s Program in Urban and Regional Planning. Research in the subject is primarily conducted within two strategic research areas: Work, Family, and Intimate Relations, and Environmental Sociology.

Project description
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As a doctoral student in sociology you will participate in the research project Transformative change and corporations’ sustainability work and the research group Environmental sociology. Environmental sociology is a strong research group at Örebro University. The research covers areas such as expertise in environmental governance, boundaries between science and policy, the role of citizens in environmental regulation, environmental representation and communication, social movements as well as conceptual development within environmental sociology.
The project Transformative change and corporations’ sustainability work examines the implementation of the European Green Deal by analyzing corporate sustainability efforts. The European Green Deal aims to influence financial flows in a more sustainable direction, thereby indirectly impacting market norms and corporate practices. As a PhD student within the project, you will have significant opportunity to independently formulate a dissertation project that contributes both to the development of environmental sociology and the project’s research questions. Relevant research questions in relation to the project are: What knowledge and expertise are mobilized in these processes? How are sustainability issues understood, and how can we understand the potential of companies to contribute to transformative change?
As a doctoral student you will be supervised by two supervisors (a main supervisor and a co-supervisor). These will be appointed after admission to the program to meet your needs as a doctoral student.

The program and the doctoral studentship
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The PhD position is part of the Knowledge Foundation’s Jubilee Initiative. The initiative includes 44 doctoral positions across Sweden and aims to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry. By actively involving external collaboration partners, the PhD candidates are prepared not only for work within academia but also in businesses and public authorities.
The doctoral program consists of courses and an independent research project that you will present in a doctoral thesis. The program concludes with a doctoral degree and consists of 240 credits, which corresponds to four years of full-time study.
Our ambition is for your doctoral studies to be stimulating and purposeful throughout the programme until you have obtained your doctoral degree. A thorough introduction will therefore get you off to a good start and provide a solid foundation on which you can build your studies. As a doctoral student at Örebro University, you will be offered a specially tailored seminar series, covering matters ranging from doctoral programme rules and careers to support during the study period and networking.
The place on the program is linked to a full-time doctoral studentship for the duration of the study program, which corresponds to four years of full-time study. More information on doctoral studentships, part-time studies and part-time doctoral studentships can be found in the Regulations Handbook. The initial salary for a doctoral studentship is 31 300 SEK a month.

Entry requirements and selection
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For admission to doctoral studies, applicants are required to meet both general entry requirements and specific entry requirements. In addition, applicants must be considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the programme. For a full account of the entry requirements, refer to the admissions regulations as well as to annex 2 to the general syllabus for sociology.
To meet the general entry requirements for doctoral studies applicants have 1) been awarded a second-cycle qualification, 2) satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or 3) acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.  A person meets the specific entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes in the subject if he or she has received a passing grade on courses of at least 90 credits, including an independent project at the advanced course level, in sociology. A person who has acquired substantially corresponding knowledge, in Sweden or abroad, also meets the specific entry requirements.
Applicants who may be considered for the position should be able to demonstrate that they can independently formulate their own dissertation project within the specified field, as well as show an interest in multidisciplinary and non-academic collaborations. We welcome applicants with a background in technology and science studies, economic sociology, or anthropology, and/or experience with ethnographic methods.

Information
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For more information about the program and the doctoral studentship, contact head of sociology, and project leader Linda Soneryd e-post: [email protected].
At Örebro University, we expect each member of staff to be open to development and change; take responsibility for their work and performance; demonstrate a keen interest in collaboration and contribute to development; as well as to show respect for others by adopting a constructive and professional approach.
Örebro University actively pursues equal opportunities and gender equality as well as a work environment characterized by openness, trust and respect. We value the qualities that diversity adds to our operations.

Application to the program and for the doctoral studentship
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The application is made online. Click the button “Apply” to begin the application procedure.
For the application to be complete, the following electronic documents must be included:
– CV
– Copies of the original certificate and official transcript for Bachelor’s degree
– Copies of the original certificate and official transcript for Master’s degree
– Independent project (degree project)
– Other relevant documents, course and degree certificates verifying eligibility
– Description of research interests – A description of how your research interests relate to the project description above, including theoretical and methodological approaches (2-3 pages)
As a main rule, application documents and attachments are to be written in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, or English. Certificates and documents in other languages verifying your qualifications and experience must be translated by an authorized translator to Swedish or English. A list of authorized translators can be obtained from Kammarkollegiet (the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency), www.kammarkollegiet.se/engelska/start.
When you apply for admission, you automatically also apply for a doctoral studentship.More information for applicants will be found on our career site: https://www.oru.se/english/career/available-positions/applicants-and-external-experts/
The application deadline is March 12, 2025. We look forward to receiving your application!
As we have already made our choices in terms of external collaboration partners and marketing efforts for this recruitment process, we decline any contract with recruitment agencies and advertisers.
As directed by the National Archieves of Sweden (Riksarkivet), we are required to deposit one file copy of the application documents, excluding publications, for a period of two years after the appointment decision has gained legal force.