Sapere Aude – dare to know – is our motto. Our students and employees develop important knowledge that enrich both the individual and the community. Our academic environment is characterised by curiosity, courage and openness, with a close connection between people, professional roles, disciplines and research. Gender equality, diversity and a democratic approach form the foundation of our organisation. Located in Värmland, a scenic region with a rich cultural life, we are committed to promoting sustainable development in close collaboration with the wider community.
Karlstad University has a total of approximately 1,400 employees and 17,700 students spread across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika. More information at: kau.se/en/work-with-us
Description
We are looking for an engaged and curious researcher for a position as a postdoctoral researcher in Risk and Environmental Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. This is a career developing position aimed at candidates who have obtained their doctoral degree within the past three years (calculated from the application deadline).
You will be part of a dynamic research environment focusing on societal risks, climate-related threats, and disaster risk reduction, where research is conducted in close collaboration with both academic and societal actors.
Research Environment
The position is located within Risk and Environmental Studies, which includes about thirty scholars and offers education at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. You will work within the Center for Societal Risk Research (CSR – www.kau.se/csr), an interdisciplinary research environment with around 40 researchers from various disciplines. CSR places great emphasis on ensuring that research results are effectively communicated and contribute to learning, policy development, and practical application. A key tool in this work is RiskLab, where we develop and use flexible learning methods to promote learning about societal risks.
The position is also affiliated with the Centre of Natural Hazards and Disaster Science (CNDS – www.cnds.se), a national research school for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers, organized by three Swedish universities. CNDS offers a strong interdisciplinary environment with excellent opportunities for national and international collaboration.
Research Focus
The work focuses on examining the long-term effects of risk reduction efforts, such as policies, programs, and interventions. These effects may be direct or indirect, intended or unintended. The research aims to develop knowledge and methods to evaluate whether risk management efforts achieve their intended effects—an area where there is a significant need for new knowledge, both in Sweden and internationally.
You will work with issues related to climate change, extreme weather, and their impact on people, ecosystems, and societies, as well as how society can act to manage these risks. The research is based on frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, EU directives, and Swedish legislation, and will be conducted in a Swedish and/or European context.
Two of the four global priorities of the Sendai Framework—Strengthening disaster risk governance and Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience—are particularly relevant, yet our understanding of the effects of disaster risk management remains limited. It is crucial to develop knowledge about these complex effects in collaboration with researchers from various disciplines.
Job Duties
As a postdoctoral researcher, your primary responsibility will be to conduct research aimed at strengthening CSR’s activities by:
- Conducting independent and collaborative research within CSR and CNDS.
- Investigating the effects of disaster risk reduction efforts using, among other things, evaluation methodologies.
- Publishing both scientific and popular science articles.
- Contributing to project applications, project management, and administration.
- Participating in teaching and supervision (up to 20% of the position).
- Actively collaborating with external stakeholders to contribute to societal benefit.
- Being present in the daily activities and contributing to a positive work environment.
Qualification requirements
To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants are required to hold a PhD in Risk and Environmental Studies or in related subjects, such as Risk management, Environmental Sciences, Public Health Sciences, Geography, or another related subject relevant for the appointment, or have equivalent qualifications achieved abroad. The PhD must be completed before a decision to appoint an applicant is made. The candidate must have completed the degree no more than three years before the application deadline.
Qualifications obtained earlier may be considered if there are special grounds, such as sick leave, parental leave, clinical service, service as a union representative, military service or similar, or service/ assignment of relevance to the appointment.
Proficiency in spoken and written English is required.
Assessment Criteria
In the selection among eligible applicants, the following criteria will be applied:
Special weight
- Scientific qualifications, with a focus on international scientific publication relevant to the position’s focus on the effects of disaster risk management.
Considerable weight
- The ability to apply for and obtain external research funding and documented ability to establish and maintain research collaborations and networks, both nationally and internationally.
- Personal qualities; We are looking for candidates with strong collaborative skills, are structured, take initiative, and have the ability to create and maintain professional relationships.
Weight
- International experience in the form of employment, assignments, or participation in projects are considered an asset in the interdisciplinary and global research environment.
- The ability to collaborate and communicate with the surrounding society, including businesses, authorities, and other societal actors.
- Proficiency in Swedish or other Scandinavian languages.
Valuable qualification
- University-level teaching experience is a valuable qualification, particularly in relevant subject areas.
Terms
Fixed-term full-time employment of 2 years, starting at the earliest convenience. In special cases, extensions could be considered.
Application
Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. For advice on how to draft your application, refer to “What should be included with my application?”
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 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:
- CV
- a cover letter describing the your qualifications
- a research plan, as a separate document, covering the two years of employment, where you describe how you want to contribute to the development of the research conducted at CSR and CNDS (3–4 pages)
- a list of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
- copies of relevant transcripts, degree certificates, certificates to corroborate previous employment, and letters of recommendation
- copy of doctoral thesis and other relevant publications
- language proficiency certificates
- two references, at least one of which is a current or former supervisor
Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not provide links only). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.
Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent to:
Karlstads universitet
HR-administratör
651 88 Karlstad
State the ref.no: REK2025/151
Application deadline: August 10, 2025
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.
HR Excellence in Research
Karlstad University received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research award September 2020. The award is issued to employers with a stimulating work environment and good conditions for researchers and its continuous improvement. The award also conveys the university’s commitment to fair and transparent recruitment as well as favorable professional development for researchers. Read more: kau.se/hrs4r
Type of employment: Temporary position
Contract type: Full time
First day of employment: Snarast enligt överenskommelse
Salary: Monthly
Number of positions: 1
Full-time equivalent: 100%
City: Karlstad
County: Värmlands län
Country: Sweden
Reference number: REK2025/151
Contact:
- Lars Nyberg, Professor Risk and Environmental Stud, 004654-7002199
Union representative:
- Thomas Bragefors, SACO, +4654-7001714
- Denita Gustavsson, OFR, +4654-7001434
Published: 2025-06-17
Last application date: 2025-08-10
