PhD Fellowship in Design History Within Project "Back to the Sustainable Future"

20 June 2017

The University of Oslo, Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas, invites applications for a PhD Research Fellowship in Design History. The position is part of the research project Back to the Sustainable Future: Visions of Sustainability in the History of Design (BaSF) funded by the Research Council of Norway, and will contribute to the project's explorations of the history of sustainability as a key concern in design discourse.

Job Description

Back to the Sustainable Future explores the historical conditions for and development of sustainable design. Today, sustainability is an essential parameter in all design practice, education, research and mediation. However, this 'green revolution' is a glaringly white spot on the design historical map, still awaiting its scholarly historicization.

Back to the Sustainable Future investigates how designers, educators, theorists, critics, promoters, consumers and users have conceptualised visions of sustainability in the history of design since the 1960s. The aim is to trace how notions of sustainability have migrated across time and socio-cultural domains, from design education and social activism via commercial and industrial contexts to mainstream media and consumer behaviour. By doing so, we are addressing a significant lacuna in design historical scholarship and thereby expanding the subject matter of the field.

The person appointed will be affiliated with the Faculty's organised research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the Faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. The successful candidate is expected to join the existing research milieu or network and contribute to its development. Read more about the doctoral degree.

The appointment is for a duration of three years. All PhD candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant.

For qualification requirements and information on how to apply, please visit the following link.

Deadline: 30 September 2017.