Konstfack is Sweden’s largest university for arts, crafts and design. Since 1844, we have educated a diverse range of professionals within these fields as well as art and sloyd teachers. We conduct both artistic and scientific education/research and currently have 900 students and 200 employees.
Our recruitments are based on expertise and carried out in accordance with the University’s aim to increase diversity and to be free from discrimination.
Konstfack is announcing a doctoral student position in design!
The doctoral position is part of, and partly funded by, the Knowledge Foundation’s investment in Jubilee Doctoral Students, which aims to increase the supply of doctoral students with specific expertise in collaboration. It is therefore expected that the doctoral students’ research projects will be carried out in collaboration with external partners from business and/or other organisations.
The doctoral education in the subject of Artistic Practice in Visual, Applied and Spatial Arts is given on artistic grounds and comprises 240 credits. It is based upon the foundation of artistic practice established in Konstfack’s main fields of study: fine art, craft, design and visual communication, and leads to a Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Artistic Practice in Visual, Applied and Spatial Arts. Find out more about Konstfack’s doctoral education.
How can artefacts enable relationships with other-than-human life forms in a way that promote biological diversity and thus sustainable transitions? What alternative material cultures can be developed to meet local needs in the wake of the climate crisis? How can aesthetic choices in design work enable social and cultural norms that contribute to sustainability?
We are looking for someone who is interested in exploring how design can contribute to meeting the changes brought about by the climate crisis. In the research project, which is carried out in collaboration with relevant partner organizations in business and/or civil society, proposals are developed and shaped that support the transition to sustainable lifestyles. The critique of anthropocentrism constitutes an important perspective in the project and different life forms must be considered.
In artistic research, questions are tested, shaped and communicated through doing, i.e., through the practical and theoretical work undertaken within the researchers’ own artistic practice. Research in the field of visual, applied and spatial arts implies that methods, materials and ideas are explored within a defined subject. For example, the purpose of the research may be in-depth critical thinking, innovation, or knowledge production within the artistic field. In the subject Artistic Practice in Visual, Applied and Spatial Arts, it is crucial that the practitioner reflects upon the design process and contextualises their work.
Konstfack’s specialised material workshops, exhibition spaces, and library, constitute a unique environment, creating the conditions to unite the practices of creating and producing. The research environment is bound together and developed through collegial research forums where research strategies and content are discussed, as well as through research seminars, and the annual Research Week where doctoral students, researchers/teachers, and students at Konstfack participate together with invited guests. Find out more about research at Konstfack.
Duties
As a doctoral student your focus is the doctoral education, which consists of four years full time study. You will formulate your own research project, deepening your own artistic practice with the aim of carrying out a documented artistic research project which also includes a written component. Alongside your supervised research, you will undertake obligatory and elective courses. Furthermore, you will attend research seminars and conferences, carry out field trips, read papers, write and publish articles, and produce exhibitions, performances or other activities to disseminate the results of your research.
In co-operation with the Knowledge Foundation, you will participate in joint activities and collaboration meetings with other doctoral students and their supervisors (two mandatory activities per year). The meetings will consist of, for example, seminars, inspirational lectures or workshops with a collaborative focus.
As a doctoral student at Konstfack you are given the opportunity to be part of a growing research environment, and are expected to be present at Konstfack and participate in day-today activities.
A limited part of the working time, maximum 20%, may consist of departmental duties which can include for example, teaching or participation in boards and committees.
Entry requirements
You must meet both the general and the specific requirements to be eligible for education at research level [7 chap. 39 – 40§ HF]:
You meet the general entry requirements for education at doctoral level / third cycle level if you:
- have been awarded master’s degree/second-cycle level qualification, or
- have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded at master’s/second- cycle level, or
- have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad*
In addition to the general entry requirements above, the following specific entry requirements apply to the Doctoral Education in Artistic Practice in Visual, Applied and Spatial Arts:
- A minimum of 120 credits (or equivalent) in a subject of relevance to third-cycle/doctoral level studies in the subject Artistic Practice in Visual, Applied and Spatial Arts.
- Documented practical experience within a field of relevance to the third-cycle/doctoral level education.
- Documented writing experience within a subject area of relevance to the third-cycle/ doctoral level education.
- Documented knowledge equivalent to a passing grade in the course English 6.
* Applicants who do not meet the formal eligibility requirements can request validation of their qualifications (equivalent knowledge). Knowledge, skills and abilities acquired through work, education or other activities can be assessed to see if the applicant has sufficient prior knowledge to be able to undertake the education. Such a request for validation of essentially equivalent knowledge is submitted as an attachment to the application, including a letter explaining your qualifications, as well as certificates and work samples that demonstrates the claimed knowledge.
Selection grounds
Selection amongst eligible applicants who meet the entry requirements must consider their ability to assimilate the education [7 chap. 41§ HF]. Assessments will be based on the following criteria:
- The artistic quality and relevance of the proposed research project to the field
- Subject knowledge of importance for the field
- Demonstrated high level of artistic practice
- Ability to work independently based on initiated critical reflection, demonstrated both in practice and in writing
A selection committee will perform the assessments.
Employment
Employment as a doctoral student can only be offered to a person admitted to the doctoral education.
Type of employment: Time-limited employment according to the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance, 5 §, 4 years when studying at full time. The first employment as a doctoral student may be valid for a maximum of one year and may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.
Full time equivalent: 100%
Salary: Monthly salary according to Konstfack’s local collective agreement on salary for doctoral students.
First day of employment: 1 st August 2025
The employment as a doctoral student will be placed at the Department of Design, Interior Architecture and Visual Communication.
Preliminary time schedule
Interviews with the candidates who advance in the selection process are planned to be held in late February 2025. Those who are offered an educational place are planned to start their studies on 1 August 2025.
Application instructions
You are welcome to submit your application to be admitted to Konstfack’s doctoral education!
Click on Apply to register your application with supplementary certificates. Please mark your application with reference number KF2023/VO2P/98 and submit your application before 20 January 2025, 23:59 Swedish time.
We are only able to accept applications submitted according to our instructions. Maximum file size is 30 MB per file.
Read more about the application and entry requirements.
Please write your application in English. Your application should include:
- CV
(CV of max 2 A4. Attach your CV and relevant work certificates as 1 PDF. Name the file: CV.pdf).
- Personal letter
(Max 1 A4 attached as 1 PDF. Can for example contain a motivation as well as a summary of formal and informal experiences in relevant fields. Name the file: Personal Letter.pdf).
- Academic qualifications to certify the entry requirements (see above) master’s degree or equivalent, as well as qualifications that prove proficiency in the English language.
Officially certified copies of your master’s diploma / degree certificate or advanced level qualifications, official transcripts of record, knowledge of English equivalent to Swedish course English 6, etc.
A request for validation of eligibility based on essentially equivalent knowledge should be submitted as a separate letter, including certificates that prove the claimed qualifications.
(Certificates to certify the entry requirements are attached as 1 PDF. Name the file Academic Qualifications.pdf).
- Project description
Describe a project you wish to pursue within the framework of the doctoral education. Describe potential collaborations with external partners from the business community and/or other organisations and how you plan to work with them in your project. The project description must contain the proposed questions, planned approaches and methods and a timetable. The project description must also show how the project relates to the subject of visual, applied and spatial art, as well as how it relates to the profile applied for.
(Max 3 A4, attached as 1 PDF. Name the file Project description.pdf).
- Documentation of artistic practice
Submit a maximum of 3 work samples relevant to your proposed project. A work sample consisting of several parts, such as a series, can be presented in the same file as one work. Film/moving image or sound may be uploaded either as files or provided as links and should not comprise more than 10 minutes in total.
File formats accepted for images, sound and film: PDF, JPG, MOV, MP4, AVI or MP3.
(Max 3 work samples. Name the files according to principle: Artistic Practice.1.pdf, Artistic Practice.2.mp4, Artistic Practice.3.jpg.)
- Documentation to certify experience in writing in subject areas relevant to the doctoral education.
Such as degree theses, essays, articles, publications or equivalent. Submit a maximum of 2 work samples.
(Max 2 work samples, attached as 1 PDF. Name the file Wiriting.pdf)
Contact information: phdeducation@konstfack.se
Send your application at konstfack.se