PhD Programme in Technology and Social Change

Technology and Social Change is a nationally and internationally leading environment for research and education, where social science, humanities and interdisciplinary perspectives on technology, science, medicine and social change are at the center.

Research at Tema T is interdisciplinary and firmly rooted in a range of research fields such as science and technology studies, feminist theory, medical humanities, environmental humanities, and urban planning, among others. Since the 1980s, Tema T has been a leading PhD environment, and over 130 PhDs have completed their education at the division.

Doctoral students at Tema T take a number of PhD courses offered by the division. These courses provide an intellectual foundation for understanding theories and methods in relevant research fields. The courses situate the field of Technology and Social Change within broader intellectual traditions and debates on technology, science, and medicine in the social sciences and humanities. The course package also includes courses on infrastructures as political arenas, normativity in various practices, as well as courses on interdisciplinarity and research methodology. A large number of active researchers from Tema T are involved in the courses.

Tema T has a lively seminar culture. Seminars are important arenas for researchers and doctoral students to develop their own and each other’s ideas, projects, and texts. Tema T hosts several weekly seminars and organizes a Higher Seminar where leading scholars in fields relevant to Tema T present their research. Read more about our seminar series here.

In addition to the seminars, Tema T’s interdisciplinary environment offers doctoral students the opportunity to participate in a wide range of networks: doctoral networks, research networks, and project networks at both national and international levels. Researchers at Tema T collaborate with colleagues in several countries, and we have many visiting scholars who come to the division.

A broad job market

PhDs who have completed their education at Tema T find employment both in academia and across various sectors. Alumni from Tema T are now research leaders, work at various research funding agencies, are employed by government bodies, or work in diverse companies.

Strong PhD community

Tema T has a large group of PhD students at various stages of their education. The PhD students, like other researchers, are part of the shared workplace but also have their own forums for discussion and exchange. There are also annual joint activities with PhD students from all divisions within the Department of Thematic Studies.

We offer courses

The PhD programme at the Department of Thematic Studies and at Tema T offers a number of courses. Doctoral students from other departments and institutions are welcome to participate, subject to availability.

Current PhD courses at TEMA

PhD courses at the Department of Thematic Studies

The Department of Thematic Studies offers third-cycle courses for PhD students. On Forskarstudieinfo, you will find our current courses and syllabuses at doctoral level.

Hear from a doctoral student

You never feel alone – there are always forums and colleagues to inspire and challenge you.”

Linus Ekman Burgman shares his experience

How would you describe the strengths of the doctoral programme?

One strength is the long-standing tradition of educating doctoral students collegially through courses, seminar groups and many other forums. In this way, you never feel alone, which I think can be quite common. I also remember saying at the interview that I tend to get tired of a subject and might develop a side project after a while. But I never did, and one reason for that is that I was constantly stimulated by all my colleagues working on so many different things – there were always projects to be inspired by and learn from.

What is your biggest takeaway?

I was always encouraged to find my own thing rather than deliver something I thought others expected. That meant I quite early on went to conferences and tested my ideas, carried out exploratory interviews just to get a sense of the field, and read widely to get inspired. That made the doctoral programme truly my own.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying?

Go for it! If you are curious and driven by questioning established ways of thinking and proposing new perspectives, I think you will thrive here.

How has the doctoral programme prepared you for your current role in academia?

I feel confident in my role as an independent researcher. Since there is no hierarchy in the sense that everyone belongs to the same discipline and the most senior person automatically has interpretative authority, you can actually feel like an expert even as a doctoral student. That carries over when you move on to other research roles – you don’t have to accept certain assumptions or starting points.

A man who is about to become doctor presenting his doctoral thesis. — Linus Ekman Burgman at the nailing ceremony of his thesis. He now holds a position as a postdoctoral researcher at TEMA T.

Disputations

Public defence of doctoral thesis and licentiate seminar at Linköping University

Find upcoming public defence of doctoral thesis and public licentiate seminar at Linköping University.

More about doctoral studies

Doctoral studies at the Department of Thematic Studies

The PhD programmes at the Department of Thematic Studies reflects the inter- and multidisciplinary research profile of the department and more specific the four different research environments.

Young man sitting on couch with a cell phone in his hand. Books on the table in front of him

Doctoral studies at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences offers a wide variety of doctoral studies, both in single disciplines and in interdisciplinary programmes.

Doctoral student Paulien van de Vlasakker

Doctoral studies at Linköping University

If you want to gain a profound understanding of a particular field, doctoral studies at LiU could be for you.

Contact

Director of Post-Graduate Studies

Placeholder for missing image of Ulrika Sjöberg

Organisation

Technology and Social Change (TEMAT)

So much of our lives depend on technology. The development and use of technology creates possibilities as well as social, ethical and political dilemmas. That’s what we study at Tema T – Technology and Social Change.

Drone image of the Tema building at Campus Valla

Department of Thematic Studies (TEMA)

In an increasingly complicated world, there is a need for researchers that can handle both breadth and depth, and can collaborate across disciplinary borders. Major societal questions are studied from an interdisciplinary perspective at TEMA.

Studenthuset on Campus Valla in Linköping

About LiU

Linköping University, LiU, offers innovative education and boundary-crossing research. The students are among the most desirable in the labour market and international rankings consistently place LiU as a leading global university.