Three doctoral positions in Education/Educational Work within the Research School STEPS

Om jobbet

The University of Gothenburg tackles society's challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

The Department of Education and Special Education (IPS) is one of four departments within the Faculty of Education. The department's core areas of interest include education-society relations, education systems, school development and leadership, adult education, inclusion, learning, language and assessment, and grading. A large part of the department's undergraduate education is conducted within teacher education programmes, but the department also offers education at bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.

For more information about doctoral studies in Education at the University of Gothenburg:

https://www.gu.se/larande-ledarskap-halsa/vara-nya-forskarskolor-for-lararutbildare For information about the Department of Education and Special Education: https://ips.gu.se/

Three doctoral positions in Education/Educational Work within the Research School STEPS

Subjects

The Department of Education and Special Education hereby announces three doctoral positions within the framework of the STEPS Research School (see below) in the doctoral subjects Education or Educational Work. More information about the subjects: https://www.gu.se/larande-ledarskap-halsa/var-forskarutbildning

Education is a doctoral-level subject focusing on education, teaching, upbringing, socialisation, Bildung, and learning. The subject has a particular interest in the relationship between the individual and society, and the conditions under which institutional arrangements operate and have operated over time. Research in Education examines processes of influence and their significance for the relationship between structure and agency, within and beyond the formal education system.

Educational Work is a doctoral-level subject that addresses various perspectives and aspects of work within educational institutions in society. Research in Educational Work focuses on issues relevant to educational practices, professions, and organisations. This includes conditions for teachers' and students' work with teaching and learning, both in practice and in relation to policy and educational reforms.

The STEPS Research School

The doctoral positions are funded by the Swedish Research Council, Ref. No. 2025-07018, Strengthening Teacher Education for Equitable Practice in the Swedish School System (Research School STEPS). The research school is coordinated by the University of Gothenburg in collaboration with Uppsala University and Stockholm University.

The overarching aim of the STEPS Research School is to offer future teacher educators doctoral education grounded in current research on equity, school segregation, and the societal mission of schools. Through course development, practice-oriented initiatives, and close collaboration with practicing teachers, doctoral students will gain tools to understand and address issues related to making schools more equitable, inclusive, and better able to fulfil their compensatory mission. STEPS connects research with educational practice and ensures that future teacher educators are both academically grounded and relevant to the realities of schools. In the long term, STEPS aims to contribute to the development and support of a new generation of teachers who can translate this knowledge into practice and create inclusive, fair, and supportive learning environments in Swedish schools.

Three research areas will be prioritised at the Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg:

• Project 1 examines the factors driving unequal teacher mobility and sorting, as well as its organisational consequences and impact on student outcomes over the past three decades.
• Project 2 investigates how social sorting in school student composition affects students' educational transitions and long-term labour market outcomes, including career pathways, employment status, and income later in life.
• Project 3 aims to explore how children, parents/guardians, teachers, and principals experience and navigate a segregated educational landscape. It examines perspectives on school choice, teaching and leadership practices, and factors perceived as enabling or constraining educational opportunities.

Doctoral candidates will be affiliated with the research environments FUR and YPW within the research programme SSIS. FUR focuses on classical educational questions within three main areas using large-scale quantitative data: individual conditions for education, the organisation and resources of education, and educational outcomes at both individual and system levels. YPW focuses on children's and young people's learning, living conditions, and everyday lives using qualitative methodological approaches. These environments will constitute the primary research contexts for STEPS doctoral students.

In addition to pursuing doctoral studies with the aim of completing them within the stipulated time, some departmental duties (up to a maximum of 20%) may be included in teaching, research, or administration, in accordance with applicable regulations. The employment period will then be extended accordingly. Studies will be conducted within the doctoral subject Education or Educational Work.

Eligibility and qualifications

Admission to doctoral education entails a four-year doctoral employment at the department. In accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 7, Section 35), applicants must meet the requirements forgeneralandspecific eligibilityand be assessed as having the ability required to complete the programme.General eligibility(Chapter 7, Section 39) requires a second-cycle degree, or completion of courses totalling at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at second-cycle level, or equivalent knowledge acquired in another way.

Specific eligibilityforEducationrequires 90 credits in Education, of which at least 30 credits are at second-cycle level, including an independent project (thesis) of at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.

Specific eligibility for Educational Workrequires one of the following:

A) A teaching degree at second-cycle level, or a teaching degree plus an independent project (thesis) of at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.

B) At least 90 credits oriented towards educational professional practice or child and youth studies, or equivalent, of which at least 30 credits are at second-cycle level, including an independent project of at least 15 credits.

Eligible applicants include those who have acquired substantively equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Selection criteria

Admission is competitive and based on an overall assessment of the documents submitted by the applicants. The assessment of the applicant's ability to successfully complete doctoral education will be a guiding criterion. Central to this assessment are the results of previous essays and degree projects, as well as a clearly formulated research proposal in which the applicant presents their planned dissertation project. If a qualifying work has multiple authors, the applicant's individual contribution must be clearly specified. The research proposal will be assessed based on its scientific relevance, whether it addresses well-motivated and researchable questions, and whether it outlines appropriate methods for implementation. For Projects 1 and 2, experience with statistical analyses of large-scale data will be particularly meritorious. For Project 3, experience with interviews or mixed methods, as well as strong proficiency in Swedish, will be prioritised.

Applications are prepared by an admissions committee whose task is to rank the applications. Interviews with a selection of applicants may be conducted. Decisions on admission are made by the Head of Department.

The department will primarily consider the applicant who, following an overall assessment, is deemed to have the best potential to successfully complete the doctoral programme, including the department's capacity to provide appropriate supervision.

In accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 7, Section 41), the possibility of crediting prior education or professional experience towards doctoral education must not give an applicant priority over other applicants in the selection process.

Employment

Applicants admitted to doctoral education will be employed as doctoral students within the STEPS Research School at the Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg. Provisions governing doctoral employment are stipulated in Ordinance SFS 1993:100. The initial doctoral appointment may be for a maximum of one year and may be renewed for periods of up to two years at a time. A person may be employed as a doctoral student for a total maximum of eight years. However, the total period of employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education.

Type of employment: Fixed-term employment, corresponding to four years of full-time study
Extent: 100%
Location: Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg
Start date: 1 September 2026 or by agreement

Reference number: PAR 2026/91

Selection process

Applications are prepared by an admissions committee, and the decision on admission is made by the Head of Department. More information about admission to doctoral education at the University of Gothenburg is available here:
https://uf.gu.se/utbildning/forskarutbildning/antagning

The doctoral studies at the Department of Education and Special Education requires physical attendance in order to complete the studies. If the admitted student needs a residence permit to study in Sweden, the Department of Education and Special Education has the right to revoke the admission decision if the admitted student cannot present a valid residence permit on the date of commencement of studies.

Contact information

Director of Doctoral Studies: Daniel Bergh, daniel.bergh@gu.se

Deputy Head of Department for Doctoral Studies: Jakob Åsberg Johnels, jakob.johnels@gu.se

HR: Ivana Nikolic, ivana.nikolic@gu.se

Unions

Trade union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:
http://www.gu.se/omuniversitetet/aktuellt/lediga-jobb/fackliga-kontaktpersoner

Application details

Applications for admission to doctoral studies must be submitted via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and received by the University no later than the application deadline. Application documents should, as far as possible, be submitted in digital format.

Applicants must specify whether they are applying to the subject of Education or Educational Work and also indicate which of the three prioritised research areas the application concerns.

The application must include the following documents:

1. Cover letter with a brief motivation for the applied position (maximum one A4 page)
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Study documentation verifying general and specific eligibility (extract from LADOK or equivalent study documentation register)
4. Thesis/degree project corresponding to 15 credits at second-cycle level, and up to one additional research-related text (e.g. article, report, or equivalent)
5. Preliminary research proposal (maximum five A4 pages; see guidelines below and assessment criteria above)
6. References
7. Any additional merits the applicant wishes to submit

The preliminary research proposal (maximum five pages, 12-point font, excluding references) must focus on one of the three research areas/projects and address research questions relevant to the dissertation project, disciplinary context, state of the art, data and methodology, as well as reflections on the project's relevance to teacher education. All submitted documents must be in Swedish or English.

Any scientific publications, writings, or similar materials not available in electronic format must be labelled with a reference number and sent to:

University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education

Ivana Nikolic
Box 300
405 30 GOTHENBURG

Applications must be received no later than: 6 March 2026

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.