PhD Student in Sport Science

The Department of Health Sciences (HOV) at Mid Sweden University offers education and conducts research in areas such as public health science, sports science, medical science, nursing, and occupational health science.

The department has doctoral education in public health, occupational health science, sports science, and nursing, and is represented on campuses in both Sundsvall and Östersund. Mid Sweden University, Östersund campus, offers sports science education at undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral levels. In addition to the sports science programs, there is also the National Winter Sports Centre (NVC), which is a modern and international testing and research environment with five specialized laboratories in physiology, biomechanics, and biomedicine, as well as extensive expertise and resources for field-based sports research. Physiological tests and research are conducted in close collaboration with athletes and sports federations, with a particular focus on winter sports such as cross-country skiing and biathlon. Additionally, research is conducted in several other sports.

The doctoral subject in Sports Science is now seeking a PhD student for a project aimed at developing scientifically robust and practically relevant knowledge to support athletes' health and performance. Possible focuses may include: a) understanding how various stress factors interact with metabolic, endocrine, and/or immune function; b) using different environments (heat/cold/high altitude) to promote optimal adaptation; c) investigating the effects of targeted dietary and/or recovery interventions; and/or d) applying a biopsychosocial perspective to challenges related to athletes' health and performance. The PhD student is planned to be supervised by Associate Professor Helen Hanstock along with additional co-supervisors.

Job Responsibilities

Independent doctoral education including research (80%) as well as teaching and administrative work (20%). Practical work in a laboratory environment is included, and regular physical presence on the Östersund campus for data collection and collaboration within the research group is expected.

Eligibility

Basic eligibility is met by those who have obtained a degree at the advanced level or completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level, or in some other way acquired substantially equivalent knowledge within or outside the country. Specific eligibility is met by those who have at least 90 higher education credits in sports science or a related subject or in some other way acquired substantially equivalent knowledge within or outside the country. In addition to these, very good knowledge of English, both spoken and written, is a requirement.

Personal Qualities

We also expect you to have good collaboration skills and enjoy working in a multidisciplinary team. You need to be flexible and able to adapt to changes in the project's direction. Attention to detail and analytical skills are important to ensure high quality in the research. We value initiative and a structured work style, as well as good communication skills to present and discuss research results both internally and externally. The ability to build trust and act professionally in applied sports environments is also significant.

Assessment Criteria

Decisive selection criteria for admission to doctoral education is the ability to benefit from doctoral education, which is assessed according to the following criteria:

• Documented scientific competence (e.g., abstract, publications) and relevant educational background.
• Quality and feasibility of the written research plan submitted with the application and the project's relevance to the subject's competence and strategy.
• Interview, where we assess the candidate's ability to reason about research questions, methodological choices, and the project's relevance.
• Experience in data analysis, statistics, and/or programming.
• Personal qualities as described above.

In addition, consideration will also be given to the applicant's knowledge of Swedish, both spoken and written, previous experience of laboratory work in a sports or biomedical context, and experience of working in sports performance environments as meritorious.

Processing

The processing of the employment follows the forms specified in Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance and proceeds in accordance with here (https://www.miun.se/medarbetare/styrdokument/ny-styrning-planering-och-uppfoljning/Personal/Anstalla-personal/?item=311447).

Employment and Start Date

The PhD position corresponds to an employment of five years and is expected to lead to a doctoral degree. In addition to doctoral studies comprising 80% of full-time, teaching and administrative work of 20% will be included in the employment, corresponding to a full-time position. If the pace of study in the doctoral education changes, the employment duration will change accordingly.

A new employment as a PhD student applies for a maximum of one year, and the employment may thereafter be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. Regulations regarding employment as a PhD student can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

Start date 2026-04-01 or by agreement.

Place of employment: Östersund

Salary: According to Mid Sweden University's salary scale for PhD students.

Information

For more information, please contact the project leader Helen Hanstock, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or 010 142 81 24, and the deputy head Marko Laaksonen, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

Application

Application documents should be in Swedish or English. Required documents to be attached to the application are:

• Cover letter.
• CV (and any scientific publications).
• Degree certificate and other certificates referred to in the application system.
• Project description of a maximum of 17,000 characters including spaces (approximately five A4 pages).
• A recommendation letter or indication of at least one reference person (e.g., university teacher or employer).

Welcome with your application via our recruitment system no later than 2026-02-20.