Positon and department

PhD student, Department of Computer Science

About me

I have a genuine passion for NTNU. I find interest in both discussing what indicators should inform the financial model for NTNU, as well as finding out why the IT-building is pink. During my time here, I have always followed the discussions at the department, debates about NTNU as an institution and the national discourse on higher education in general. 

The coming period of the Board will be unique. As Norway and the world are in crisis, we do not know what reality looks like in two weeks, or six months. The fact that NTNU contributes to knowledge for a better world will become more significant. We have all experienced how essential well-functioning digital infrastructure is, and I am so far impressed by our ability to adapt. These are valuable experiences, but I think NTNU has room for improvement when it comes to having effective systems that actually support our work. 

Beyond the current situation, NTNU will be facing some big discussions when it comes to the new campus, efficiency reforms and preparing for the future. In these discussions, I believe thorough processes with participation from all parts of the organization. Especially the temporary scientific staff, who are too often left out of important salary negotiations, employment proceedings and office area discussions. In my opinion, NTNU should be a safe and stable place to work, particularly for the temporary staff, and in order to reach that goal, we must be included in the processes. 

I am a good candidate for the Board because of my knowledge-based approach to all decisions, both personal and professional. Part of this approach implies listening to all stakeholders. With me on the Board, you will have a person with substantial experience from many parts of NTNU, with an including and pragmatic attitude towards all challenges, big or small.

Position and work place

Postdoc, Department of Sociology and Political Science (SU)

About me

I would like to list four central issues of concern to me:

First, I want young and temporary researchers to be able to ask their own set of research questions, rather than mainly delivering on questions others have formulated and defined as significant. This implies challenging current strategic management of research, where project scholarships are favored over open scholarships.

Second, I am concerned with what the emphasis on competition does to the working environment, especially in the case of temporary employees, who may feel particularly pushed to “win” the competition in order to gain permanent employment.

Third, I want to put teaching on the agenda. For many temporary employees teaching is part of their duties and a necessary experience in order to qualify for permanent employment. Meanwhile, teaching experience is not necessarily highly valued in employment processes, even if teaching is a central and important aspect of what we do at the university.

As a fourth issue, I want to work to ensure real participation and co-determination. This may again be of special importance to temporary employees, who do not necessarily have access to the same formal and informal decision-making bodies as permanent employees. If I am elected to represent you on the board, I will initiate an open forum where temporary employees across NTNU’s many campuses and disciplines can voice their opinions and suggestions.

Finally, if you want to read more about where I stand with regard to university politics, I recommend reading the letter I and 14 colleagues wrote, in Norwegian and English, to our new principal Anne Borg.  

Position and place of work

PhD Candidate at the Department of Psychology.

About me

I will soon complete my second year as the representative for the temporary academic employees on the board of the Department of Psychology. In addition, I am an avid reader of anything to do with university politics, be it Universitetsavisa or Aksel Tjora’s Universitetskamp (collected writings from academics on the politics of universities).  For these reasons I believe I have the insight necessary to represent you on the Board. 

As I see it, there is less incentive to care about the temporary academic employees at NTNU, since we are a diverse group with a high turnover. This can be seen for instance in the inverted wage gap for senior and junior PhD Candidates. We also have a complicated relationship with the Labour Law, as positions like PhD Candidate and Postdoc deliberately break with the principle of permanent employment. That is why it’s important with good representation on the Board of the university. 

At the moment there are some big processes going on at NTNU, like the reform for reducing bureaucracy and improving efficiency, the unified campus development, and recent, painful work conflicts. As the representative for the temporary academic employees on the Board I promise to keep a close watch for cases that can affect us, and to the best of my ability work for better conditions for the employees. I will also be available for anyone who has any ideas or thoughts I should bring with me in working with the Board.

Position and workplace

PhD student, Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management (ØK)

About me

My research field is sustainable entrepreneurship. Before I started the PhD position, I worked for about a year leading the sustainability implementation strategy at SFU Engage (Centre for Engaged Education through Entrepreneurship).

As a candidate to the Board, I would work for NTNU to use its economic power to help create a “Green New Deal” for the local economy.

• NTNU is one of the largest purchasers of goods and services in Trøndelag (meeting rooms, PCs for employees, office furniture, etc.) and therefore exerts great influence on the regional economy.
• I want NTNU to use this power of influence in all of its purchases to make the businesses in the region become more sustainable.
• In practice, this means that I want to work for procurement regulations at NTNU that strongly emphasize:
  • that environmental and social aspects should count as much as the economic aspects of all purchases
  • that the assessment methods are based on research.