PhD Candidate in Evidence-Based Practice

The Social Services Development Center Dalarna (SUD) is a collaborative body between Dalarna University, the municipalities of Dalarna, and Region Dalarna in the field of social welfare. SUD is a meeting place for professionals, leaders, and researchers who want to work to develop activities within social services and related health and medical care. SUD is now seeking two PhD candidates up to the licentiate degree, with one position dedicated to this project. The aim is to strengthen knowledge within the field by contributing to practice-oriented research for operational development and scientific knowledge advancement. The knowledge should support the development of evidence-based practice in line with the new Social Services Act, where social services activities should be based on science and proven experience.

Within the Department of Health and Welfare at Dalarna University, there is a cohesive academic environment with education and research with an interdisciplinary approach and collaboration with the surrounding community. This announcement concerns a position in the doctoral program leading up to the licentiate degree and includes doctoral studies funded by SUD corresponding to 50%.

The PhD candidate must be employed full-time in one of the municipalities of Dalarna or Region Dalarna. The candidate will be admitted to the doctoral program in Health and Welfare with a focus on evidence-based practice. The candidate will also be affiliated with SUD to contribute to strengthening research and development in collaboration between the municipalities of Dalarna, Region Dalarna, and Dalarna University.

The PhD candidate is offered a cohesive structure with courses and targeted activities throughout the doctoral education at Dalarna University. The candidate will have the opportunity to connect with other PhD candidates and researchers at Dalarna University and other institutions, as well as important networks for professionals and partners within SUD, such as the national Graduate School for Professionals in Social Services, FYS.

Your Workday as a PhD Candidate

A doctoral education leading to a licentiate degree comprises two years of full-time studies. For this position, doctoral studies will be conducted at 50% and 50% work with the employer, maintaining salary, which corresponds to a setup of four years.

During the project, the PhD candidate is expected to independently conduct research under supervision through the various stages of the research process. The candidate will take courses and is expected to plan and conduct both qualitative and quantitative studies, with the support of supervisors. The candidate will develop their ability to independently critically review and evaluate research results and to communicate research verbally and in writing in English. The candidate is expected to act as a bridge between research and practice, where they are expected to apply the skills acquired through the doctoral education in the practical work of the organization. The candidate will maintain continuous dialogue with the municipalities of Dalarna, Region Dalarna, Dalarna University, and SUD, and provide feedback on knowledge and research within SUD's area to several operational levels. Great importance will thus be placed on both collaboration skills and the ability to cooperate with the surrounding community.

Information about the Project

As a PhD candidate in this project, you will work in a research group aiming to deepen knowledge about evidence-based preventive and therapeutic psychosocial interventions, in the form of image creation with youth. A specific image intervention developed and evaluated within specialized child and adolescent psychiatry will be examined and evaluated to determine whether it is also applicable within preventive and therapeutic psychosocial work.

Are You the Person We Are Looking For?

Basic eligibility for doctoral education is granted to those who have:

1. completed a degree at the advanced level,
2. fulfilled course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level, or
3. acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in other ways, within or outside the country.

For this position, it is also required that the applicant has:

1. completed a degree in social work or equivalent and a degree at the advanced level in social work/care science/nursing, or a related subject relevant to social services, health and medical care, or another relevant field,
2. successfully completed a thesis at the advanced level within the field of social services and health and medical care,
3. the necessary language skills in Swedish and English.

It is meritorious if you have:

• experience working within the field of social services and related health and medical care.
• experience of collaborative work across sector boundaries in public operations.
• experience working with image-creating interventions.

Personal qualities needed to succeed in the role:

• collaboration and cooperation skills, initiative, and a high degree of responsibility.

The Employment

The PhD candidate retains their regular employment in one of the municipalities of Dalarna or Region Dalarna, where salary and other benefits are maintained. Decisions regarding changed work tasks are made by the employer where the applicant is employed (municipalities of Dalarna, Region Dalarna); Dalarna University is responsible for admission to the doctoral program. An employee in Region Dalarna can be admitted to the doctoral program provided that there is a valid collaboration agreement between Region Dalarna and SUD.

Assessment Criteria

Dalarna University and the municipalities of Dalarna will, in this recruitment, consider the one who, after a qualitative overall assessment, is deemed to have the best conditions to complete doctoral education leading to a licentiate degree within the presented project.

Application Documents

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Certified copies of degree certificates and transcripts of courses included in the degree, etc.
• Completed theses and/or bachelor/master's theses as well as any other scientific texts or relevant texts, such as investigation assignments or quality work.
• A brief description of why the applicant is interested in the doctoral education and research project, maximum two pages.
• Contact details for two referees.

For questions regarding this, please contact rekrytering@du.se (mailto:rekrytering@du.se). Welcome with your application!

You apply via Dalarna University's website no later than 2025-04-17.