PhD position in History of Technology and Industry

The Division of Science, Technology and Society (STS) at Chalmers University of Technology, will hire a PhD student in History of Technology, with a specialisation in industrial transformation in the 20th Century. Applicants are invited to propose their own research project within this specialisation. Possible topics might be the relationship between nation-states and business, industrial growth and de-growth, or development of certain technologies such as maritime technologies or energy infrastructure.

Information about the project and the division
The Division of Science, Technology and Society (STS) is a young and vibrant division at the Chalmers University of Technology. We have an open and friendly research environment, where you can delve deep into research questions particular to your own field as well as easily find top researchers from other fields who have long experience in interdisciplinary research, and are eager to bring in new perspectives to their own work. There are also strong collaborations with other universities and divisions.

The STS division's research and education cover a wide area, including Science and Technology Studies (STS), History of Science and Technology, Gender and Technology, and Sociology.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibilities are to pursue your own doctoral studies (80% of full-time). The position also includes departmental work (20% of full time), such as teaching the history of technology and science and doing administrative tasks. All of this will take place over a period of five years.

Qualifications
To qualify as a PhD student, you must have completed a Master's degree (MA or MSc) when starting the position. Relevant educational degrees might be in history, political sciences, sociology or engineering. Meritorious qualifications for applicants with a MSc (Science or Engineering) degree are a Master's thesis on a historically themed topic and experience in working with qualitative methods.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses. Depending on your research topic, the ability to read other languages is considered an advantage.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20220614 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact. One of the referees should be your master’s thesis’ supervisor

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis. 
- If the thesis has been written in some other language than English or Swedish please include a translated summary.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.
• Other attachment supporting your application. Such as non-scientific texts showing your ability to express yourself in writing.
• Research plan: Max 9600 characters, including spaces. Describe the research project that you want to carry out during the PhD studies.
 - The plan should describe the purpose of the project, define the research problem, and connect the project to the relevant research literature. It should also show a tentative plan how you are planning to conduct the research within the 5-year timeframe.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 

Application deadline: January 10th, 2023

For questions, please contact:
Saara Matala, Incoming Assistant Professor in Technology and Society, Division of Science, Technology and Society, Technology Management and Economics
matala@chalmers.se

Catharina Landström, Associate Professor and Head of Unit at the Division of Science, Technology and Society, Technology Management and Economics, catharina.landstrom@chalmers.se

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. *** 
   



Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!