The Department of Design offers a fully funded 3-year PhD position starting in August, 2025. This position is part of the project titled “Promoting Access to Health Services through Participatory Approach: E-Health Intervention to Promote Good Health Seeking” (PATHS), funded by NordForsk. The proposed project aims to design and develop a User-Centered Design (UCD) of Digital Health Intervention to improve the dissemination of information, increase access to healthcare services, and strengthen support systems within the healthcare infrastructure.
The UCD approach provides a well-established method for understanding the domain and applying participatory design techniques to address the needs of relevant stakeholders, ultimately leading to innovative solutions with reduced resource and time investments. The proposed Digital Health Intervention will include participatory design techniques to involve a multidisciplinary team and stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, designers, health researchers, and migrants, in all stages of development. The results from this project will provide novel knowledge based on behavioral change and diverse solutions to improve migrants’ integration into Nordic-Baltic healthcare systems. The projects research approach combines literature reviews, surveys, interviews, co-design workshops, and proof-of-concept demonstrations to develop and validate user-centered digital solutions.The project aligns with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The successful candidate will collaborate across various disciplines, including social scientists, psychologists, health professionals, health researchers, public sector specialists, and designers. The candidate will work closely with experts from Uppsala University, Sweden, University of Tartu, Estonia, Trondheim Commune, Caritas Trondheim, Faculty of Health, NTNU, and the Department of Design, NTNU.
If you’re excited about shaping the future of healthcare services, we invite you to be a part of our team.
For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.
The position’s working place is at the Department of Design, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Trondheim.
Your immediate leader is the Head of Department.
Duties of the position
- Conducting high-quality research within the PATHS project and reporting progress regularly and in agreement with the supervisors.
- Documenting the research findings in the form of scientific papers.
- Disseminating and presenting the research findings at internal project meetings and scientific conferences.
- Undertaking the necessary courses (30 ECTS) as part of the PhD program in Design.
Required selection criteria
- Relevant Educational Background: The candidate must possesses a professionally relevant background in interaction design, industrial design, service design, human-centered design, or related fields
- Educational Qualifications: The candidate holds an education that corresponds to a five-year Norwegian degree program, with 120 credits obtained at the master’s level
- Strong Academic Performance: The candidate must demonstrate a strong academic background with an average grade from the master’s degree program, or equivalent education, equal to B or better compared with NTNU’s grading scale. Candidates without letter grades must have an equally good academic basis. Those with a weaker grade background may be assessed if they can document their suitability for a PhD education
- Professional Experience: The candidate has an excellent academic track record with some professional working experience post-masters in the related field of Design for Health Interventions or related digital interventions for other domains
- English Language Proficiency: The candidate exhibits very good written and oral English language skills. Candidates from universities outside Scandinavia and English-speaking countries must document English language proficiency. Additionally, candidates must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s doctoral degree program – NTNU
The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant
Preferred selection criteria
- Innovative in Digital Interventions: The candidate demonstrates experience in designing and innovating digital interventions to address social problems
- Proficient in Research Methods: The candidate possess knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative user research methods.
- Skilled in Digital Prototyping: The candidate has expertise in using software tools to develop high-fidelity digital intervention prototypes
- Collaborative Team Member: The candidate brings experience in working within multidisciplinary teams and engaging with various stakeholders
Personal characteristics
- Scientifically Curious and Open to Challenges: The candidate demonstrates a keen interest in new research challenges relevant to the position, maintains scientific curiosity, and possesses good scientific writing skills
- Independent and Persistent Problem-Solver: The candidate shows independence and persistence in addressing problems, ensuring thorough and effective solutions
- Flexible and Reliable Team Player: The candidate exhibits flexibility and reliability, working effectively both independently and as part of a team, and maintaining close contact with project partners around Norway
- Strategic Planner: The candidate develops comprehensive and realistic plans with both short- and long-term time horizons, ensuring well-organized project execution
- Goal-Oriented and Hardworking: The candidate sets challenging goals and works diligently to achieve them, demonstrating a strong work ethic and commitment to success
Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.
We offer
- exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
- an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
- favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- employee benefits
Salary and conditions
As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
The period of employment is 3 years.
Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in in Design within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.
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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.
The position is subject to external funding.
It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.
About the application
The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.
Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.
The application must include:
- Statement of purpose/ motivation letter
- CV with a digital portfolio link and certificates
- Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
- A copy of link to the master’s thesis.
- Name and contact information of three referees
- If you have publications or other relevant research work
If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor’s and master’s education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, please attach this as well.
We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.
In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.
NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA.
General information
NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.
NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.
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(velg by og ta bort byene som ikke er relevant)
The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.
The city of Gjøvik has a population of 30 000 and is a town known for its rich music and cultural life. The beautiful nature surrounding the city is ideal for an active outdoor life! The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world.
The city of Ålesund, with its population of 50 000, will provide you with plenty of opportunities to explore a region of Norway that is famous for its beautiful scenery with high mountains and blue fjords. Ålesund itself, with its Art Nouveau architecture, is by many considered to be the most beautiful city in Norway! The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world.
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As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.
A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.
If you have any questions about the position, please contact: Ashis Jalote Parmar, Associate Professor, E-mail: ashis.jalote.parmar@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please Marion Wohlen, Senior HR consultant, E-mail: marion.s.wohlen@ntnu.no
If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.
Application deadline: February 12th 2025
NTNU – knowledge for a better world
NTNU – knowledge for a better world
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.
Department of Design
We are located in both Trondheim (industrial design) and Gjøvik (graphic design and web technology). Both groups have expertise in interaction design and share research interests in health and welfare technology. The design environment links many technology communities at NTNU, and nationally the Department has extensive collaboration with Norwegian industrial companies. The Department of Design is one of four departments in the Faculty of Architecture and Design.
Questions about the position
Ashis Jalote Parmar
Associate Professor
ashis.jalote.parmar@ntnu.no
Marion Wohlen
Seniorkonsulent HR
marion.s.wohlen@ntnu.no