NTNU Doctoral Research Fellowships (PhD Candidate in Global Health) Opportunity

Overview

The Department of Public Health and Nursing at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is offering two fully funded Doctoral Research Fellowships, starting September 1, 2025. These positions are part of the international BetterNutrition4Adolescent project funded by The Research Council of Norway (https://www.forskningsradet.no/en/), addressing critical challenges in adolescent nutrition in low-resource settings.

Successful candidates will join a vibrant, interdisciplinary research team and collaborate closely with leading public health experts from Public Health Foundation of India (https://phfi.org/), Delhi and Institute for Implementation Science and Health, Nepal (https://www.iish.org.np/). This unique opportunity includes extensive fieldwork in urban communities in Delhi and Budhanilkantha in Nepal allowing candidates to gain hands-on experience in global health research and community-based intervention design.

The fellowships offer an immersive experience that combines rigorous training, real-world impact, and cross-cultural engagement—perfect for candidates passionate about global health, adolescent well-being, and sustainable development.

About the project

Malnutrition—encompassing both undernutrition and the growing prevalence of obesity—remains a critical public health concern among adolescents in low-resource settings such as India and Nepal. Poor nutritional status during adolescence significantly increases the risk of early-onset non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and mental health disorders, leading to lasting impacts on overall well-being. Schools have the potential to act as key platforms for promoting healthy eating habits. However, many existing school-based nutrition programs fall short by not adequately addressing the specific challenges faced by disadvantaged families or by failing to actively involve the broader school community in creating supportive food environments.

The BetterNutrition4Adolescent aims to fill these critical gaps by working with low-fee schools located in marginalized, peri-urban communities in Delhi (India) and Budhanilkantha (Nepal). The project will adopt a participatory, stakeholder-driven approach—engaging students, parents, teachers, school administrators, food vendors, and canteen staff—to identify the barriers and facilitators shaping the school food environment. Through this inclusive process, the project will co-design multicomponent interventions tailored to the local contexts. The project will also develop practical implementation strategies that consider logistical and cultural challenges to ensure the interventions are smoothly integrated into daily school routines. The interventions will be evaluated for their acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness in improving key health outcomes. 

This is a global health project hosted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), carried out in equitable partnership with experienced institutions: the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the Institute for Implementation Science and Health (IISH) in Nepal, and the University of Birmingham in the UK. 

The PhD candidate(s) will spend nearly two years conducting fieldwork in Delhi, India and Budhanilkantha, Nepal with the remaining one year based at NTNU in Norway. The research fellow is expected to submit a PhD thesis within three years from the date of commence. 

Duties of the position

• Complete the coursework and doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Conduct fieldwork at the study sites in Nepal/Delhi under close supervision of local supervisors
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment. 

Required selection criteria

• You must have a Master’s degree in Community Medicine, Global Health, Public Health, Epidemiology, Nursing, Health Sciences or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master’s level. Master’s students can apply, but the master’s degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than 01.06.2025.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master’s degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Medicine and Health Sciences
• Good oral and written presentation skills in both English and Nepali/Hindi language equivalent to level 
• Documented experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods, either through a master thesis or previous academic publications
• Previous relevant research experience working in low-resource settings

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Familiar with SPSS, STATA, R, or Python for quantitative analysis
• Knowledge of NVivo or Atlas.ti for qualitative data analysis

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to: 

• Ability to work independently and in an interdisciplinary team 
• Well-structured approach to work and time use 
• A collegiate attitude and willingness to collaborate across disciplines 
• Analyse data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions 

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

Offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

When in Norway you will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

Application requirements

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in English. 

Required documents

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• CV 
• Copy of Master’s thesis. If you have recently submitted your Master’s thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master’s degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Short letter of motivation (500-600 words)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Dr. Abhijit Sen (Associate Professor), abhijit.sen@ntnu.no , Prof. Monika Arora, monika.arora@phfi.org or Dr. Tina Rawal tina.rawal@phfi.org and for IISH-Nepal implementationscienceinstitute@gmail.com 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Anita Finserås Bretun, e-mail: anita.f.bretun@ntnu.no

Application deadline: 23.05.2025

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage.