PhD candidate in Technology and Social Change

We are now looking for a PhD candidate in Technology and Social Change at the Department of Thematic Studies

Your work assignments

This position is connected to the establishment of a new research area: Nuclear Futures, focusing on the cultural, sociotechnical, environmental, and political dimensions related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and nuclear waste. The research area is currently being developed as part of the Nuclear Studies research environment within the division of Technology and Social Change. You will be part of a research group that, in addition to yourself, includes an assistant professor and a postdoctoral researcher. The group will maintain close contact with the broader interdisciplinary research environment Nuclear Studies, which includes additional PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and senior colleagues. You will have considerable freedom to shape your dissertation topic in dialogue with your supervisors. Possible research directions include humanities and social science perspectives on emerging nuclear power technologies, the establishment of new uranium mining, deep time horizons in relation to long-lived radioactive waste, and civil society engagement in issues related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and nuclear waste—particularly in light of the current geopolitical situation.

Your work includes completing the coursework component of the PhD program comprising 66 credits, which corresponds to approximately two semesters. You will also participate in joint research activities within the smaller Nuclear Futures group and the larger Nuclear Studies environment, as well as in one of the weekly seminars at the division of Technology and Social Change. You are expected to contribute to the research group’s collaboration with actors outside academia, such as relevant authorities, civil society organizations, industry, local communities, and museums. A central part of the work involves writing scholarly texts in English, both independently and potentially in collaboration with others. Your doctoral thesis may take the form of a monograph or a compilation thesis based on a series of articles.

As a PhD candidate, you devote most of your time to doctoral studies and the thesis project. Your work may also include teaching or other departmental duties, up to a maximum of 20% of full-time.

Your qualifications

You have graduated at Master’s level or completed courses with a minimum of 240 credits, at least 60 of which must be in advanced courses. Alternatively, you have gained essentially corresponding knowledge in another way.

Specific eligibility applies to those who have knowledge equivalent to 90 higher education credits in a subject of central relevance to the theme. Relevant educational backgrounds for the position include, for example, human geography, environmental humanities, science and technology studies, ethnology, anthropology, history of ideas, urban and regional planning, futures studies, or related fields.

Good proficiency in spoken and written English is a requirement for the position. Documented academic proficiency in the use of qualitative methods is particularly meritorious. Documented academic proficiency in interdisciplinary research is meritorious. Experience in collaboration with actors outside academia is also considered meritorious.

In addition to the documents you wish to include in your application, you must also attach a statement of purpose (explaining why you wish to pursue doctoral studies) of no more than 1 page, along with a research proposal of no more than 3 pages. The research proposal should describe a possible research project within the scope of the position, for example based on the following questions: What questions are relevant to ask and why? What theoretical approaches could inspire the work? What materials might be studied?

A work sample may be requested in connection with the interview.

Your workplace

Technology and Social Change (Tema T) 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 central. Research and teaching focus on how people create and use technology, and how technological change is intertwined with knowledge, politics, practice, and ethics. The division offers a PhD program as well as undergraduate and postgraduate education, with a focus on issues related to technology and social change. The educational offerings include a bachelor's and a master's program in urban and regional planning, as well as courses in, for example, philosophy of science and the history of technology.

The employment

When taking up the post, you will be admitted to the program for doctoral studies. More information about the doctoral studies at each faculty is available at Doctoral studies at Linköping University.

The employment has a duration of four years’ full-time equivalent. You will initially be employed for a period of one year. The employment will subsequently be renewed for periods of maximum duration two years, depending on your progress through the study plan. The employment may be extended up to a maximum of five years, based on the amount of teaching and departmental duties you have carried out. Further extensions can be granted in special circumstances.

Starting date by agreement.

Salary and employment benefits

The salary of PhD students is determined according to a locally negotiated salary progression. The initial salary from October 1^st 2025 is 32700 SEK/month. The salary progression is renegotiated once every year. 

More information about employment benefits at Linköping University is available here.

Union representatives

Information about union representatives, see Help for applicants.

Application procedure

Apply for the position by clicking the “Apply” button below. Your application must reach Linköping University no later than 1 December 2025.

Applications and documents received after the date above will not be considered.