PhD Positions at the Graduate School for Public Sector Change (FOFOS)

We are looking for PhD candidates for the Graduate School for Public Sector Change, FOFOS, a national graduate school led by Mälardalen University where the Center for Welfare Change (https://www.mdu.se/samverkan/samverkansplattformar/center-for-valfardsforandring) is hosted. FOFOS also includes KTH, Stockholm University, University of Gothenburg, Luleå University of Technology, Lund University, as well as a large number of so-called 'stakeholders' (public organizations with identified 'needs' for research and development) and 'network partners' (organizations with specific expertise in innovation, change work, sustainability issues, etc.).

FOFOS is a transdisciplinary and innovative graduate school that serves as a national knowledge hub for the development of new action-oriented knowledge for the transformation of the public sector. FOFOS is part of SustainGov (https://www.sustaingov.se), one of Sweden's five Impact Innovation programs, which is an initiative by the Swedish Energy Agency, Formas, and Vinnova. SustainGov's mission is to achieve a reformed public sector by 2035 that holistically promotes and facilitates health and well-being for all residents, regardless of geography and socioeconomic status, while ensuring the sustainability transition of society within the planet's limits.

As a PhD candidate, you are expected not only to participate but also to actively engage in FOFOS and SustainGov's activities, for example, by attending PhD courses, participating in joint conferences, webinars, and so on. Your research will be conducted in close collaboration with one or more stakeholders, possibly also network partners, and you will be asked to contribute knowledge and insights in relation to the stakeholders' needs as your research develops. Even if you are admitted in a specific subject, you will have an interdisciplinary supervisory team, and against this background, you will be involved in shaping a new type of doctoral education.

We are looking for PhD candidates in the following subjects (Note that the application deadlines vary for each subject):

• 2025/3554 PhD in Medical and Health Technology
  Contact person: Main supervisor Maria Lindén, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
  Read more and apply
  Application deadline 2026-02-17
• 2025/3493 PhD in Industrial Economics and Organization
  Contact person: Main supervisor Maira Babri, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
  Read more and apply
  Application deadline 2026-01-27
• 2025/3553 PhD in Energy and Environmental Technology
  Contact person: Main supervisor Lena Johansson Westholm, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
  Read more and apply
  Application deadline 2026-01-27
• 2025/3557 PhD in Social Work
  Contact person: Main supervisor Martin Karlsson, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
  Read more and apply
  Application deadline 2026-01-27