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We are looking for  

One (1) Doctoral student in International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER) at The Faculty of Culture and Society, Department of Global Political Studies.

Work duties  

Those appointed to an employment as av doctoral student shall primarily devote themselves to their studies. Those appointed to an employment as a doctoral student may, however, work to a limited extent with educational tasks, research, artistic research and administration, however, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20 per cent of a full-time post (Chapter 5, Section 2 of the Higher Education Ordinance).

The doctoral education concludes with a doctoral degree and comprises 240 credits, which corresponds to four years of full-time study. The programme consists of courses and an independent research project that is presented in a doctoral thesis. As a doctoral student, you will be expected to play an active part in the research and educational environment, the research centre MIM and seminars, common activities and project meetings.

Qualifications  

To be admitted to doctoral studies, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements of the subject in question. Moreover, the applicant must be deemed capable of assimilating the education.

General entry requirements for doctoral studies and study programmes (HEO Chapter 7 Section 39) have those who:

been awarded a second-cycle qualification

has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or

has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements for doctoral studies and study programmes have those who:

Acquired the knowledge and skills equivalent to a second-cycle degree in IMER or in another subject relevant to IMER, or has the equivalent knowledge acquired within or outside the country.

Selection criteria

Selection among applicants who meet the general and specific entry requirements shall be made with regard to their capacity to assimilate the education (HEO Chapter 7 Section 41).

General selection criteria

Independent analysis and approach in previous work.

Problem formulation and precision in the attached research plan and previous work.

Methodological and scholarly maturity.

Project specific selection criteria

Knowledge and skills corresponding to a wide range of social science or humanities second-cycle degree in IMER or subjects such as sociology, political science, cultural geography, anthropology, economic history, economics, social work, history, ethnology, religious studies, gender studies, and cultural studies

Knowledge of quantitative analytical methods, proficiency in advanced research methodologies and ability to compile and analyse data with statistical tools is meritorious.

Experiences with data visualisation, creating and managing databases, based on register- and survey data is meritorious.

Faculty, Department and Research environment  

The Department of Global Political Studies

The Department of Global Political Studies (GPS) is an interdisciplinary department, which incorporates approaches from both the social sciences and the humanities, and that undertakes research on politics, power relations and the construction of identity in local, national, international, and global contexts. Its focus is on organisations, governance, political instruments, and decision-making processes, as well as studies of international migration and migration-related social issues. GPS offers two doctoral programmes: Global Politics and International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER). The current position is in IMER. Read more about the Department of Global Political Studies here.

Doctoral programme in IMER

Scholars within IMER study, among other subjects, the national, regional, international, and global causes and effects of migration in both the society of origin and destination on a structural, institutional, collective, and individual level. IMER is an inherently multi- and interdisciplinary subject, in which for instance sociology, political science, cultural geography, anthropology, economic history, economics, social work, history, ethnology, religious studies, gender studies, and cultural studies are represented.

The goal of the programme is to develop the knowledge and skills required for the doctoral student to conduct research independently

and contribute to the development of knowledge within the chosen subject area. The doctoral programme comprises 240 higher education credits (equivalent to four years of full-time studies), of which 60 credits are from courses. It is completed when the doctoral student publicly defends his/her printed doctoral dissertation (180 credits).

Malmö Institute for Migration Studies (MIM)

MIM was established in January 2007 with the goal of strengthening Malmö University’s migration research profile. MIM has developed into an internationally renowned research Centre and a platform to expand Malmö University’s international networks and build bridges between the university and non-academic actors. MIM consists of a core of senior and junior researchers and a large international network of affiliated researchers. MIM regularly hosts prominent professors in IMER from around the world. Read more about Malmö Institute for Migration Studies here.

Research Programme Migration Society 2.0

The Department of Global Political Studies is looking for a doctoral student as part of the research programme "Migration Society 2.0". The programme is funded by Malmö University within the framework of the research centre MIM and involves collaboration with other MIM researchers and the centre director on the project.

The research programme is about the phenomenon of superdiversity and aims to increase the understanding of the new society that is emerging, Migration Society 2.0. Superdiversity is partly about quantity, that is, the growing proportion of the population that is immigrants or children of immigrants, and partly about complexity, that is, the variation and mix of ethnicities, national origins, migration channels, transnational anchor points, legal status, gender and age distribution, social class, etc. This development places new demands on how we think about and handle integration issues and inclusion and exclusion processes. However, there is not yet a comprehensive knowledge base for how this diversity has developed and is experienced in Sweden. MIM will therefore conduct a series of large-scale surveys on diversity and inclusion that will be repeated every two years. These surveys will generate a growing database that helps us understand and explain the patterns of migration, diversity, inclusion and exclusion that characterize Sweden and other comparable countries.

The survey will map diversity based on self-identified information about, for example, ethnicity, gender, religion, language, sexuality and social status, as well as perceived belonging, views on other groups and perceptions of social institutions.

The doctoral student is expected to formulate and carry out an independent individual research project using the Diversity and Inclusion Survey. In the application, the applicant must therefore attach a research plan with a preliminary idea of how diversity and inclusion can be investigated through survey studies. Applicants with an original and solid research plan characterized by theoretical and methodological maturity will be prioritized.

Further information  

For questions regarding the project, please contact Professor Pieter Bevelander, pieter.bevelander@mau.se

For questions regarding the doctoral education, please contact Associate Professor Sayaka Osanami Törngren, Responsible for Doctoral Education, sayaka.torngren@mau.se

For other questions, please contact the Head of Department Mona Lilja, mona.lilja@mau.se

For practical questions regarding employment and the recruitment process, contact Victoria Kockum, HR partner, victoria.kockum@mau.se

In our recruitment work, Malmö University has taken a stand regarding recruitment channels and marketing. We therefore decline all offers of advertising and recruitment assistance in connection with this advertisement.

You can read more about the benefits of working in Sweden here: Work in Sweden – Careers, work permits and moving to Sweden

Application  

You apply for this position via Malmö University's recruitment system by clicking on the "Apply" button. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that your application is completed in accordance with the job advertisement, and that it is submitted to the University no later than 2026-08-31. The application must be written in Swedish, English or any of the Nordic languages. As an applicant, you are responsible for the application and its appendices being translated.

The application must include:

Curriculum Vitae

Certified diplomas, transcript of records and other certificates relevant for the position

A research plan of up to 3000 words excluding references. The research plan must contain an overall purpose, questions that the project intends to answer, an account of the theoretical framework and the methodological approach and a description of research material. The research plan shall be developed in connection with the Diversity and Inclusion Survey within the Migration Society 2.0 research programme.

Independent work at advanced level (including master thesis or equivalent)

A personal letter up to 500 words focusing on previous research experience and interest in the subject matter. experiences working with survey data.

Miscellaneous  

Preparation of admission to postgraduate education and employment as a doctoral student take place in parallel. Only those who are or have been admitted to doctoral level courses and study programmes at a higher education may be appointed to doctoral studentships (HEO Chapter 5, section 3).

The doctoral studentship is a fixed-term position comprising four years of full-time studies, in accordance with the HEO Chapter 5, section 7. A doctoral student shall be employed for an indefinite period but for no longer than until a specified date, and never for longer than a year after the doctoral degree or artistic doctoral degree has been completed. The first appointment must be limited to one year at the most. The appointment can be extended by a maximum of two years at a time.

Malmö University actively promotes gender equality and equal opportunities in order to offer a workplace and a university characterised by an open and inclusive approach.

As part of this:

Applicants of an underrepresented gender are given priority for admission, if they are equally able to benefit from the programme.

Doctoral students with permanent disabilities are given the opportunity to receive support and adaptations during their studies, so that everyone can study on equal terms in a good study environment.

Employees who do not speak Swedish should learn Swedish in the long term so that they can participate in the daily and ongoing work of the institution or department.

Malmö University applies salary setting for doctoral students in accordance with a local agreement on salary setting for doctoral students.

If the admitted person requires a residence permit to live in Sweden and pursue their studies, the University reserves the right to revoke the admission decision if the admitted person cannot present a valid residence permit as required on the date they are due to commence their education.

Start date  

2027-02-01

Union representatives  

Saco-S: Rebecka Johansson, rebecka.johansson@mau.se

SEKO: Anne Sundel, anne.sundel@mau.se

OFR/ST: Lutfi Zuta, lutfi.zuta@mau.se

PhD Student Union representative

Joel Agbesinyale, joel.agbesinyale@mau.se

Doctoral student in IMER with a focus on survey studies of diversity and inclusion