PhD Fellow in Arctic Mobility, Landscape and Spatial Justice UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Norway

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is offering a fully funded PhD Fellow position in Arctic Mobility, Landscape and Spatial Justice within the ROADS project. The position is based at the School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE), in Tromsø, Norway.

The project examines residual road infrastructures in Northern Fennoscandia—such as bypassed roads, abandoned transport corridors, former military and extractive infrastructures, and seasonal pathways—and asks how these continue to shape mobility, memory, governance, and relations with northern landscapes. The doctoral researcher will work within an interdisciplinary environment spanning geography, environmental humanities, Indigenous studies, critical infrastructure studies, heritage research, political ecology, and spatial analysis.

The PhD is funded for three years, starting 1 March 2027 and ending 28 February 2030. The work combines GIS and spatial analysis with archival research, ethnographic fieldwork, participatory and critical mapping, walking interviews, policy analysis, repeat photography, and visual and spatial storytelling. A key feature of the project is its close collaboration with local and Sámi communities, with outputs including a multilingual digital storymap and participatory mapping platform.

The successful candidate will mainly contribute to Work Package 2, Mapping Conflict and Relational Mobility in the North, investigating how road development interacts with Indigenous and local land use, seasonal mobilities, territorial authority, and relationships between people and more-than-human landscapes. Applicants are expected to submit a 3–5 page project description showing how they would approach the research questions within the broader aims of ROADS.

Eligibility is open to applicants with a relevant master’s degree in geography, anthropology, archaeology, Indigenous studies, environmental humanities, planning, GIScience, landscape studies, political ecology, heritage studies, environmental studies, digital humanities, or a related discipline. Strong academic performance, English proficiency, collaboration skills, and the ability to work both independently and in an interdisciplinary team are required. Knowledge of Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, or a Sámi language is considered an advantage.

The application deadline is 1 September 2026 at 23:59 (Europe/Oslo). Applications must be submitted via Jobbnorge and include the required academic documents, thesis, references, proof of language skills, and project proposal. For questions about the position or the ROADS project, contact Dr. Tarja Salmela at [email protected].