PhD Fellowship in Digital Health Services and Service Innovation

The University of Stavanger invites applications for a PhD Fellowship in Digital Health Services and Service Innovation at the Faculty of Social Sceinces, Department of Media and Social Sciences. The position is available from September 1st, 2026.

The position offers future social scientists the opportunity to carry out an independent research project on the population’s use of private digital health services, trust and attitudes towards the public healthcare system, and the potential consequences for health inequality and health policy conflicts.

Through the project, you will acquire practical skills in survey methods and experimental social research and an expertise on health care politics, voter attitudes and behaviour, and the digital transformation. This will qualify you for research-focussed positions in academia and other fields (e.g., public opinion & market research, policy consulting).

The hired candidate will be admitted to the PhD program in Social Sciences. The education includes relevant courses amounting to about six months of study, a dissertation based on independent research, participation in national and international research environments, relevant academic communication, a trial lecture and public defence. Read more about the PhD education at UiS on our website.

The appointment is for three years with research duties exclusively, or four years with both research and other career-promoting work. This will be clarified in the recruitment process.

A career plan will be prepared that specifies the competencies that the Research Fellow will acquire. Access to career guidance will be provided throughout the doctoral education.

Qualification requirements

We are looking for applicants with a strong academic background who have completed a master’s degree (120 ECTS + a 180 ECTS BA degree) in political science, sociology, economics, public health, psychology, preferably acquired recently, or a related discipline; or possess corresponding qualifications that could provide a basis for successfully completing a doctorate.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Stavanger both the grade for your master’s thesis and the weighted average grade of your master’s degree must individually be equivalent to or better than a B grade. If you finish your education (masters degree) in the spring of 2026 you are also welcome to apply if you expect to receive an A or B (ECTS scale).

Applicants with an education from an institution with a different grade scale than A-F, and/or with other types of credits than sp/ECTS, must attach a confirmed conversion scale that shows how the grades can be compared with the Norwegian A-F scale and a Diploma Supplement or similar that explains the scope of the subjects that are included in the education. You can use these conversion scales  to calculate your points for admission.

Emphasis is also placed on your:

• Documented interest in digitalisation, political and social attitudes and behaviour, health care systems, and/or welfare state rearch;
• Strong skills in social science research methods, preferably documented with thesis project(s), work experience, or similar. Knowledge about and interest in survey and experimental social science methods and in statistical software (e.g., R, Stata, SAS, or similar) will be considered an advantage;
• High motivation and clear potential to contribute to international political and social research;
• Professional and personal skills for completing the doctoral degree within the timeframe;
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, while demonstrating creativity, innovation and strong problem-soliving skills;
• A structured approach to work, resiliency, and intellectual curiosity;
• Fluency in written and spoken English. Knowledge of Norwegian or other Scandinavian languages is not a requirement but would be considered an advantage.